By\u00a0Ed Holt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRATISLAVA (IPS)\u00a0<\/strong>– Global press freedom across the world is at a \u201ccritical moment,\u201d campaigners have warned, as a major index mapping the state of global press freedom hits an unprecedented low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the latest edition <\/a>of the annual press freedom index produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which was published on May 2, the average score of all assessed countries fell below 55 points, falling into the category of a \u201cdifficult situation\u201d for the first time in the index\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than six out of ten countries (112 in total) saw their overall scores decline in the index, while the conditions for practicing journalism are for the first time classified as poor in half of the world\u2019s countries and satisfactory in fewer than one in four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 42 countries\u2014harboring over half of the world\u2019s population (56.7 percent)\u2014the situation is \u201cvery serious,\u201d according to the group. In these zones, press freedom is entirely absent and practicing journalism is particularly dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RSF says that while there has been a downward trend in press freedom globally for some time, the latest index scores are a distressing \u201cnew low.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur index has been warning of this for the last ten years\u2014the trajectory for press freedom has been a downward one\u2014but this is a new low. Sixty percent of countries saw their scores [in the index] drop last year and the environment for media freedom globally has worsened. We are now at a critical moment for press freedom globally,\u201d Fiona O\u2019Brien, UK Bureau Director for RSF, told IPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts and campaigners have in recent years warned of growing threats to press freedom amid a rise of authoritarian regimes looking to muzzle dissent, as well as growing economic pressures affecting the ability of independent media outlets to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RSF\u2019s index is compiled using measurements of five different indicators\u2014political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety\u2014to form an overall score. It says that this year the overall global index score was dragged down by the performance of the economic index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It says that economic pressure is an often underestimated but major factor seriously weakening media in many countries. This pressure is being largely driven by ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers, and public aid that is restricted, absent, or allocated non-transparently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The group warns this is leaving many media trapped between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe pressure on media sustainability is as bad as it has ever been,\u201d said O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The effects of this economic pressure have been severe. Data collected for the index indicates that in 160 out of the 180 countries assessed (88.9 percent), media outlets achieve financial stability \u201cwith difficulty\u201d or \u201cnot at all.\u201d Meanwhile, news outlets are shutting down due to economic hardship in nearly a third of countries globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the struggles of media economies in some countries have been exacerbated by political instability, general lack of resources, and war, media in other rich, ostensibly more stable countries are also facing significant economic pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RSF points out that in the US, a majority of journalists and media experts told the group that \u201cthe average media outlet struggles for economic viability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, independent media that rely heavily or exclusively on foreign funding have come under increasing pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A freeze on funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which halted US international aid earlier this year plunged hundreds of news outlets in different countries around the world into economic uncertainty or forced others to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was particularly acute in Ukraine, where nine out of ten outlets receive international aid and USAID is the primary donor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe US cuts have had a profound effect there,\u201d Jeanne Cavalier, head of RSF\u2019s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, told IPS. \u201cIndependent media is vital in any country that is at war. It\u2019s a real blow to press freedom in the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added, though, that the cuts to US funding were \u201can existential threat to press freedom in all countries with authoritarian governments under Russian influence,\u201d highlighting that exiled media in particular provide a vital service to people living under such regimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Meduza news outlet is one of the most prominent exiled Russian media organizations. While more than half of its financing comes through crowdfunding, until earlier this year a part of its funding came via US grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The group said that the combined impact of the cut and previous financial problems presented a significant challenge to its operations. It was forced to cut its workforce by 15 percent and salaries were reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to IPS at the time, Katerina Abramova, Head of Communications at Meduza, said the moves would \u201cinfluence the diversity of our content.\u201d But speaking this week after the release of RSF\u2019s index, she said the group had managed to continue its work but admitted, \u201cit is even more challenging now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur main goal is to maintain the quality of our reporting and to keep delivering news inside Russia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, she said she was concerned for the future of other organizations like Meduza as press freedom and the economic health of independent media wane globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope that there will not be a complete loss of independent reporting on countries where free speech has become illegal. But I know that many independent newsrooms are suffering and are on the edge of closing. When you are in exile, you are in a vulnerable position, so such newsrooms face the most difficult challenges,\u201d she told IPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am also worried that the USAID cuts may be seen as a \u2018good sign\u2019 for many authoritarian regimes around the world. They might say, \u2018look, the USA also doesn\u2019t like journalists anymore.\u2019 It would be like a validation of what they are doing to independent media [in their own countries],\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, other organizations have also raised the alarm over growing threats to press freedom, even in countries regarded as among the strongest democracies in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n