Reporters Without Borders released a report Friday accusing the Trump administration of negatively impacting press freedom in the U.S. and lowered the country’s ranking on the issue.
“In the United States (57), Donald Trump’s second term as president has led to an alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift in government,” the report begins, opening a sweeping critique of President Donald Trump‘s actions against reporters and media organizations.
Trump has made opposition to mainstream media outlets a central point of his political strategy. The president has likewise faced intense opposition from members of the press, with a report from the right-leaning Media Research Center finding that the Trump administration has faced 92% negative coverage from ABC, CBS and NBC.
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Reporters Without Borders gave the U.S. an overall press freedom score of 65.49, giving the country a ranking similar to nations like Uruguay and Ghana.
The organization accused Trump of having “weaponized institutions, cut support for independent media, and sidelined reporters.”
“With trust in the media plummeting, reporters face increasing hostility. At the same time, local news outlets are disappearing, turning vast swaths of the country into ‘news deserts,'” the report added.
“Trump also terminated federal funding for the US Agency for Global Media, which distributes resources to vital international media organizations, affecting audiences and outlets worldwide,” it continued.
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Reporters Without Borders accused Trump of encouraging “open disdain for the media,” which it claims has caused journalists to face increased risks of “harassment, intimidation and assault while working.”
“According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there were 49 journalist arrests in 2024 compared to only 15 in 2023,” the report continued.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
