Spain falls six positions in the press freedom ranking of Reporters Without Borders

BarcelonaSpain has experienced a six-position drop compared to last year in the index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders, placing it in 29th place, according to data released today. Its score allows it to be part of the group of countries where "the situation is rather good," according to the NGO. However, Reporters Without Borders points out that the country has several weaknesses regarding press freedom, such as chronic job insecurity, an increase in abusive legal actions against journalists as a mechanism of intimidation, polarization, and the emergence of far-right agitators who harass media professionals. In this regard, the report indicates that digital violence primarily affects women journalists, who are the ones who receive the most intense, systematic, and personalized attacks. Finally, the organization reproaches Pedro Sánchez's government for not having been able to advance in the repeal of the most controversial aspects of the "gag law".

Another relevant piece of data from the report concerns the United States. Donald Trump's second term is profoundly damaging press freedom in the country, which has fallen to 64th place in the ranking of 180, a seven-position drop compared to last year. The report indicates that Trump has not only made verbal attacks against the press a systematic practice but has also launched a strategy to pressure both public and private media. In this context, he has approved budget cuts that suffocate public radio and television broadcasters – NPR and PBS –, has made interferences in media properties common, and has initiated politically motivated legal proceedings against journalists and media not aligned with the republican administration.

Among the concrete examples of repression against journalists, the report highlights the case of Salvadoran reporter Mario Guevara, known for broadcasting live the migration raids of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The journalist was detained and held for 100 days and subsequently deported to El Salvador, his home country. For Reporters Without Borders, Guevara's case is "a reflection of the deterioration of journalists' safety, already eroded by violent police repressions." Within the ranking, the United States appears alongside Botswana and Panama, and is part of the group of countries that have "significant problems" with press freedom according to the NGO.

The organization points out that Trump's policies are serving as a guide to other leaders in America, who are reproducing hostile rhetoric against the media and are also carrying out governmental pressure. This is the case of Javier Milei, president of Argentina. The harassment against journalists and media has caused the Latin American country to lose eleven places and is now ranked 98th in the world press freedom ranking. Looking at the trend since 2022, the country has accumulated a drastic drop of more than 69 positions. In fact, Reporters Without Borders is particularly concerned about Latin America, the region of the world where press freedom has worsened the most.

Beyond specific countries, Reporters Without Borders warns that press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years. For the first time in the history of the classification compiled by the NGO, more than half of the world's countries have press freedom that is in a "difficult" or "very serious" situation. One of the indicators that has fallen the most globally is the legal framework, as national security, anti-terrorism, or disinformation laws are being passed around the world that allow journalists to be silenced and imprisoned. Between 2025 and 2026, this indicator has deteriorated in more than 60% of countries (in 110 out of 180).