« Taken in vice between the guarantee of their independence and their economic survival », the media has never been so weakened, alert RSF – Liberation
Freedom of the press in the red. For the first time since the creation of its ranking in 2002, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) estimates that the situation for the media is « difficult » worldwide – the last stage before becoming « very serious ». In its 2025 annual report published this Friday, May 2, the NGO is concerned about an unprecedented decline in the state of health of the media, noted in a large majority of the regions of the world. But what RSF is particularly highlighted this year is economic pressure, long underestimated, which deeply weakens the media.
The economic indicator is that which, in 2025, made the scores of the countries the most. « Concentration of ownership, pressures of advertisers or funders, restriction or opaque allocation of public aid … (…) An observation is essential: the media are now taken in vice between the guarantee of their independence and their economic survival », underlines the NGO in its press release. As a result, the media struggles to ensure their financial viability in 160 countries out of 180. « Without economic independence, no free press », Recalls the editorial director of RSF, Anne Bocandé.
Worse still, massive media closures are observed in a third of the countries, under the effect of « Persistent economic difficulties » – Most often accompanied by political pressures. This is the case for example in Argentina (87th), in Tunisia (129th), in Sud
