Press freedom in peril

Business Recorder

03-05-2025

EDITORIAL: As the world observes World Press Freedom Day today (May 3), Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) damning report to mark the occasion highlights that not only have media freedoms receded rapidly in countries where civil liberties and democracy were already in retreat, but these are also facing mounting pressures in places long considered bastions of free speech and independent journalism.
According to the RSF, over half the world's population — 56.7 percent — lives in regions devoid of press freedom and where journalism remains a dangerous occupation. The report also underscores a global media landscape reeling under unprecedented economic pressure, with financial constraints emerging as the foremost threat to press freedom, even in established democracies like the US and across the EU.
In a new low for the US, for instance, it dropped to 57th on the World Press Freedom Index 2025, with its media environment being categorised as 'problematic'. According to the RSF, the US is undergoing an unprecedented and sustained decline in press freedom, which is likely to worsen manifold with Donald Trump's return to power.
Media ownership in both the US and the EU is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, with there being more of a focus on maximising profits than supporting journalism that serves the public good. Meanwhile, tech giants like Meta and Google continue to siphon off advertising revenue, further crippling the media economy internationally, and tightening their grip on global information flows.
Most troublingly, the rise of ideologically driven media has undermined impartial reporting. The conflict in the Middle East, for example, has completely exposed the limits of media independence in many Western democracies, where criticism of the Israeli government or Zionist ideology is often equated with antisemitism, creating a chilling effect that silences dissent and discourages nuanced reporting.
Such dynamics reveal how deep-seated political, ideological, corporate and institutional biases erode core principles of press freedom, and combined with the backsliding of media liberties in the US under the Trump Administration, send disturbing signals globally, emboldening authoritarian regimes to intensify their own assaults on independent journalism — all under the cynical pretext that 'even the US does it'.
Unsurprisingly, press freedom in Pakistan also remains in crisis, as reflected in its dismal 158th position on the World Press Freedom Index — a telling indictment of its media environment. A recent report of the Pakistan Press Foundation has highlighted how the highly controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 has intensified fears of legal repercussions for journalists — especially in the digital sphere — confirming that the state has no compunctions about encroaching on media freedoms.
While the purported purpose of PECA was to curb fake news and mitigate the harmful impacts of social media, in effect it is designed as a tool to stifle dissent and limit criticism of those in power. It has intensified censorship risks, and fostered a climate of fear that deters investigative journalism, weakens media scrutiny of the powerful and erodes the public's right to access to information.
In addition, restrictions on advertising to certain media outlets have been weaponised to financially pressure and penalise dissenting voices, while the role of the law enforcement apparatus in targeting media professionals reflects a pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing independent journalism.
Most worryingly, Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous places for journalists globally, with reporters frequently facing threats, harassment, abductions, and even deadly violence, often with little accountability for the perpetrators, fostering a culture of impunity and fear.
It is clear then that press freedom in Pakistan, as well as globally, faces a growing and deeply alarming deterioration. This accelerating decline demands urgent action to defend independent journalism before it is irreparably undermined.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025