Press freedom at a 25-year low

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for the first time in the history of their ‘World Press Freedom Index’, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories for press freedom. In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low. RSF: Since 2001, the expansion of increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries. The Index’s legal indicator has declined the most over the past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide. In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the United States dropping seven places and several Latin American countries sliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression.

Jakarta, February 14, 2026

Favas.net is preparing reports on Jakarta. Indonesia ranks 129th on the index (average score 43.02).

Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Image: Favas.net