In 2025, a new red line has been crossed. For the first time in the history of the RSF World Press Freedom Index, the conditions for practicing journalism are bad in half of the world's countries. Less than 1% of the world's population lives in a country where press freedom is fully guaranteed. Without economic independence, there can be no free press. Yet in 2025, it's the economic indicator in RSF's World Press Freedom Index which is having the biggest impact on the decline of press freedom worldwide. Brazil has shown one of the most notable improvements this year, continuing its recovery following the Bolsonaro era. In contrast, Argentina has experienced one of the sharpest declines, as President Javier Mele stigmatises journalists and dismantles public media. On the 2025 map, several more countries and territories have turned a deep red. Last year there were 36 countries in the red. This year it's 42. Press freedom is no longer guaranteed in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda or Hong Kong, where the attitude towards reporters increasingly resembles that of neighbouring China, the world's biggest prison for journalists. But from where does this global deterioration come? While physical attacks against journalists are the most visible aspect of declining press freedom, the 2025 edition of the World Press Freedom Index shows a more insidious factor at play – economic pressure. In more than 85% of countries worldwide, media outlets are unable to achieve financial stability. Worse still, in nearly a third of countries, news organisations have been forced to close or to go into exile as economic difficulties are compounded by political pressures. Countries like Nicaragua, Belarus, Iran and Afghanistan. In the United States, the last few months have seen chaos. Since his reelection as president, Donald Trump has been attacking the press head on. His administration has cut funding to several American media outlets, such as Voice of America, and has frozen international aid to independent media around the world. As a result, more than 400 million citizens worldwide were deprived of reliable information overnight. Tech giants are also key to the weakening media economy. Their largely unregulated online platforms absorb a growing share of the advertising revenue that would normally support journalism. Other prevalent forms of economic pressure include the consolidation of media ownership, pressure from advertisers and shareholders, and public funding that is restricted, absent, or allocated in an opaque manner. The more impoverished the media and journalists are, the more exposed they become to the enemies of the press, those who champion disinformation and propaganda. Struggling outlets can fall prey to public authorities or oligarchs who exploit them. In Russia, for example, the media is controlled by the state or oligarchs close to the Kremlin. In Hungary, the government stifles outlets that criticize its actions by unfairly distributing state advertising. Even in higher-ranked countries such as Australia, Canada and Finland, hyper-concentrated markets threaten the media's plurality and economic sustainability. This type of growing concentration restricts editorial diversity and raises serious concerns about newsrooms' independence from the economic and political interests of their shareholders. Without economic independence there is no free press. Without a free press our right to reliable information is denied and our ability to make decisions freely is compromised. So share this video, talk about it, support free reliable information that serves the public interest.