The United States plummeted to its lowest-ever ranking in global press freedom, dropping seven spots to 64th place out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2025 index released Thursday. Norway topped the list while Eritrea ranked dead last.
Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF's North America office, declared the US was experiencing a "press freedom crisis." He accused Trump and his administration of carrying out "a coordinated war on press freedom since the day he took office," warning Americans "will live with the consequences for years to come."
The report blamed both Trump administration policies and media consolidation that concentrates control among just six companies: Comcast, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Skydance, Sony, and Amazon. Skydance Media's acquisition of Paramount Global, which includes CBS News, raised particular concerns since Skydance is owned by David Ellison, whose father Larry Ellison maintains close ties to Trump.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has emerged as a key figure in the administration's media pressure campaign. In March, Carr threatened to revoke broadcaster licenses for "running hoaxes and news distortions" and failing to "operate in the public interest" in their coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran. Trump called Carr's statements "thrilling."
The FCC has extended its threats beyond news coverage to entertainment. Carr recently launched an investigation into ABC channels days after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel joked that First Lady Melania Trump had the "glow of an expectant widow" before the White House Correspondents Dinner. When a gunman later attempted to storm the event in Washington, DC, the Trumps connected Kimmel's joke to the attack and demanded his firing. Kimmel defended the comment as a reference to the age difference between the 79-year-old president and 56-year-old first lady.
The global picture proved equally troubling, with more than half the world's countries now labeled "difficult" or "very serious" for press freedom — a first in the organization's tracking. The US remained in the "problematic" category during Trump's second term, though it avoided the worst classifications.
Watch for further FCC actions against broadcasters and potential legislation targeting media ownership as the administration's press freedom policies take shape.
