PARIS, May 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Media rights group RSF warned Friday about "an
alarming deterioration in press freedom" in the United States under President
Donald Trump as well as "unprecedented" difficulties for independent
journalists around the world.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, which has been tracking press freedom
for the last 23 years, said its main index had fallen to its lowest-ever
level.

"For the first time in the history of the index, the conditions for
practising journalism are poor in half of the world's countries and
satisfactory in fewer than one in four," an annual review of media freedom
globally by the charity concluded.

RSF editorial director Anne Bocande highlighted the role of economic
pressures in undermining fact-based reporting, with many independent outlets
having to close because of funding difficulties.

Although spending on online advertising was still rising -- hitting $247.3
billion in 2024, according to RSF -- a growing share is captured by online
giants Facebook, Google or Amazon rather than media companies.

"When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist
the enemies of the press -- those who champion disinformation and
propaganda," Bocande said in a statement.

- 'Authoritarian shift' -

RSF highlighted how Trump had made difficult conditions worse by axing US
financial support for state-backed broadcasters such as Voice of America and
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as well as US foreign development
aid that assisted media outlets overseas.

After a fall of 11 places in 2024, the United States declined another two to
57th place on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, one behind formerly war-
torn Sierra Leone in west Africa.

The index, calculated according to the number of violent incidents involving
journalists and other data compiled by experts, was topped by oil-rich Norway
for the ninth year in a row. Estonia and the Netherlands were second and
third.

"In the United States, Donald Trump's second term as president has led to an
alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift
in government," RSF said.

"His administration has weaponised institutions, cut support for independent
media, and sidelined reporters."

Large parts of the United States were now "news deserts," RSF said.

Trump announced Wednesday that he was considering legal action against The
New York Times, in his latest attack on a media outlet.

He is also suing media group Paramount over a pre-election interview last
year of his Democratic rival Kamala Harris on its CBS channel.

Trump alleges it was edited to remove an embarrassing response, although many
legal analysts view the case as baseless and likely to be dismissed or fail
due to constitutional protections for freedom of the press.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media watchdog, also warned
Wednesday that press freedom in the United States was declining and it urged
newsrooms to form a united front against the "rising tide of threats" facing
them.

Other countries that have suffered major declines in press freedom over the
last year include Argentina (down 21 places to 87th) under right-wing Trump
ally Javier Milei, and Tunisia (down 11 places to 129th).

RSF also again highlighted the plight of Palestinian journalists seeking to
report on Israel's devastating bombardment of Gaza.

"In Gaza, the Israeli army has destroyed newsrooms, killed nearly 200
journalists and imposed a total blockade on the strip for over 18 months," it
said.

Israel meanwhile had dropped a further 11 places to 112th and "continues to
repress its own news media".