Press Freedom Plummets in US, Reaches Crisis in Middle East and North Africa |
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Reporters Without Borders warns press freedom has fallen to its lowest level since the group began publishing its annual World Press Freedom Index in 2002. The index has charted how press freedoms have deteriorated in the United States and elsewhere over the past 25 years. The U.S. was ranked 17th in the world in 2002. In the latest index, the U.S. is down to 64th, falling seven places since last year.
“It’s tempting to lay all of this at the feet of President Donald Trump, and to be clear, he is the single biggest threat to American press freedom today,” says Clayton Weimers, the North America director for Reporters Without Borders. “But the mere fact that we fell from 57th last year tells us that this isn’t just a Trump problem. We have structural deficiencies that are imperiling the future of press freedom in this country.” Weimers cites these deficiencies as the consolidation of U.S. media and loss of journalism jobs, “emboldened” politicians’ attacks on reporters, and violence against journalists by law enforcement agents.
Weimers also comments on the January FBI raid on the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting and Israel’s attacks on journalists in Lebanon and Gaza.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Reporters Without Borders is warning press freedom has fallen to its lowest level since the group began publishing its annual World Press Freedom Index 25 years ago. According to the group, more than half the world’s countries fall into the difficult or very serious categories for press freedom, as journalism is increasingly criminalized across the world.
Trump Isn’t Just Bullying Journalists. He’s Subverting the First Amendment.
Over the past 25 years, the index charted how press freedoms have deteriorated here in the United States. In 2002, the U.S. was ranked 17th in the world. In the latest index, the U.S. is down to 64th, falling seven places since last year. Reporters Without Borders, RSF, says, quote, “US President Donald Trump has turned his repeated attacks on the press and journalists into a systematic policy,” unquote.
Reporters Without Borders says the state of press freedom is most catastrophic in the Middle East and North Africa. The group notes more than 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli army since October 2023.
We’re joined now by Clayton Weimers, the North America director for RSF, for Reporters Without Borders.
Thanks so much for being with us. You’re in Washington, D.C. In fact, you were one of the journalists at the Washington — the White House Press Corps dinner the other night. And we’re going to talk about that in a minute, but first this report, Clayton. Talk about your findings.
CLAYTON WEIMERS: Yeah, and thank you for having me, Amy.
The findings are really stark. We have never measured a lower average number in these scores that we give every country for press freedom on our index in the 25 years that we’ve been doing this. We’re seeing deterioration pretty much across the board, both in authoritarian countries and in democracies.
And one of the really startling findings is that the legal indicator, one of the subscores that we look at, has deteriorated the most. And what we’re seeing is the erosion of the legal protections intended to safeguard journalism and everyone’s access to information. But we’re also seeing the weaponization of other types of laws, especially national security laws, against journalism. These are the laws that are supposed to keep us safe, but often, in practice, are being used to stifle journalism and free speech.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk about the United States, 64th in the world for press freedom, when freedom of the press is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
CLAYTON WEIMERS: That’s right.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what the parameters are and how it’s gone from 17th to 64th.
CLAYTON WEIMERS: It’s been a long backslide for the United States on the index. And look, it’s tempting to lay all of this at the feet of President Donald Trump, and to be clear, he is the single biggest threat to American press freedom today, but the mere fact that we fell from 57th last year tells us that this isn’t just a Trump problem. We have structural deficiencies that are imperiling the future of press freedom in this country. And I think that shocks a lot of Americans when they hear it, because, as you said, press freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment. Journalism is the only profession actually called out by the Bill of Rights. But when you dig into it, it becomes a little bit less surprising.
You think about the economics of the news industry right now, thousands of jobs lost over recent years, an average of two local newspapers closing every week in this country, and tens of millions of Americans living in news deserts.........