• RSF warns of a significant decline in U.S. press freedom under Trump.
• The U.S. now ranks 57th in press freedom globally, behind Sierra Leone.
• Economic pressures are causing funding crises for independent media.
• Trump's government has cut support for key state-backed broadcasters.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists urges for a united front against threats to press freedom.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned of “an alarming deterioration in press freedom” in the United States under President Donald Trump. According to RSF, the press freedom index has reached its lowest-ever level, with conditions for practicing journalism categorized as poor in half of the world’s countries. Only a small fraction of fewer than one in four countries now have satisfactory conditions for the press, highlighting the dire global landscape for media freedom, according to SCMP, Dawn, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.

RSF's editorial director, Anne Bocande, pointed out the significant economic pressures that have forced many independent media outlets to close due to funding difficulties, noting that while online advertising revenue rose to $247.3 billion in 2024, most of it is captured by tech giants like Facebook and Google. “When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist the enemies of the press — those who champion disinformation and propaganda,” Bocande stated, reflecting on how these circumstances exacerbate the landscape for independent journalism according to SCMP, Dawn, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.

Trump's administration has further complicated the media landscape by cutting U.S. financial support for key state-backed broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as well as halting U.S. foreign development aid that typically assisted media operations overseas. As a result, the United States dropped to 57th place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, a major fall from previous years, now ranking just below Sierra Leone, as reported by SCMP, Dawn, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also expressed alarms over the state of press freedom in the U.S., urging newsrooms to unite against what it calls the “rising tide of threats” to journalism. This collective stance responds to a backdrop where Trump is pursuing legal action against media outlets, including The New York Times and Paramount, which he claims have distorted coverage against him. Legal experts suggest these efforts are likely baseless and protected under constitutional guarantees for press freedom, according to SCMP, Dawn, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.

Moreover, RSF emphasizes the plight of journalists globally, particularly in conflict zones like Gaza, where they face extreme dangers. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed, and newsrooms have been destroyed by military actions, exacerbating the struggle for press freedom worldwide, as highlighted in reports from SCMP, Dawn, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.