Qatar once again climbs up RSF press freedom ranking for the 3rd year in a row by 5 positions to 79 in 2025 (84th in 2024).RSF (Reporters Without Borders) report Saturday shows Qatar at 79, highest in the region including Israel with the below important point:The Middle East-North Africa region remains the most dangerous in the world for journalists, harbouring the mass destruction of journalism in Gaza by the Israeli army. Every country in the region is in a "difficult” or "very serious” press freedom situation, except Qatar (79th), according to the RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025.Israel (112th) continued its decline in the Index, dropping 11 places.The press is caught between crackdowns from authoritarian regimes and persistent economic precariousness.Tunisia (129th, down 11 places), the only North African country to fall this year, recorded the sharpest drop in the region’s economic indicator (down 7.97 points, down 30 places), due to a political crisis where independent outlets are under direct threat.Iran (176th), where journalists are gagged and all critical viewpoints are suppressed, remains near the bottom of the Index, alongside Syria (177th), which is still awaiting a profound transformation of its media landscape post-Bashar al-Assad.In the Americas, the vast majority of countries (22 out of 28) have seen their economic indicators decline. In the United States (57th), Donald Trump’s second term as president has brought a troubling deterioration in press freedom."At a time when press freedom is experiencing a worrying decline in many parts of the world, a major — yet often underestimated — factor is seriously weakening the media: economic pressure. Much of this is due to ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers, and public aid that is restricted, absent or allocated in an opaque manner. The data measured by the RSF Index’s economic indicator clearly shows that today’s news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival."
May 04, 2025 | 12:36 AM