<h6><strong>The Diplomat </strong></h6> <h4><strong>Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns in its 2025 annual report that global press freedom is at its worst since 2002, with only one in four countries offering favorable conditions for journalism. Spain improves its historical position but faces persistent challenges, while the European Union shows contrasts and Latin America suffers alarming setbacks.</strong></h4> <strong>Spain reaches its best historical position, but structural challenges persist</strong> Spain has climbed to 23rd place in RSF's World Press Freedom Index, its best position to date. This progress is attributed to improvements in sociocultural, political, and security indicators. However, significant problems persist, such as job insecurity in the journalistic sector, judicial pressures, and a lack of legal reforms, especially in relation to the "Gag Law," whose repeal is still pending. <strong>Europe maintains leadership, but faces internal challenges</strong> Europe remains the region with the best conditions for journalism, especially within the European Union. However, the situation is uneven: while countries like Norway lead the ranking for the ninth consecutive year, others like France face concerns about media concentration. Germany has recorded a record number of violent incidents and arrests of journalists, and Greece remains at the bottom of the EU list due to the use of spyware to monitor journalists. <strong>Latin America: setbacks and threats to press freedom</strong> The Latin American region has experienced a sharp decline in press freedom. Mexico tops the list of countries with the most missing journalists and is the third country with the most murders. In Guatemala, the criminalization of journalists persists, despite some progress under the government of Bernardo Arévalo. Other countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela continue to subject journalism to state censorship and repression. Global Factors Aggravating the Situation RSF emphasizes that the economic crisis affecting the media, coupled with the dominance of large technology platforms that monopolize digital advertising, has weakened the independence of traditional media. Furthermore, the rise of disinformation and the use of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence have shaken the already fragile media landscape, exacerbating threats to press freedom worldwide. <strong>Call to action to protect journalism</strong> Given this situation, RSF urgently calls on governments and social actors to protect press freedom. The organization emphasizes that without economic independence and without a legal environment that guarantees the safety and freedom of journalists, a free press cannot exist. Defending independent journalism is essential for the functioning of democracies and for guaranteeing citizens' right to be informed.
