Analysis

Press freedom hits 25-year low globally: Belarus among the worst

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Journalists working at a protest near the Central Department Store in Minsk on September 1, 2020. Illustrative photo: Belsat

The global press freedom situation has reached its worst level on record, according to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). For the first time, more than half of the world's countries rated the media situation as "challenging" or "very challenging," and the global average is at its lowest in 25 years.