2025 Becomes One of the Deadliest and Darkest Years for Press Freedom at Home and Abroad

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

NEW YORK (AP) – By nearly every metric, 2025 has been brutal for journalists and press freedom worldwide — and Americans should be alarmed.

This year is on track to become the deadliest ever for journalists and media workers. Assaults against reporters in the United States nearly match the combined total of the last three years. The President of the United States has escalated personal attacks on journalists, publicly demeaning those who question him, all while newsroom resources across the country continue to shrink.

“It’s safe to say this assault on the press over the past year has probably been the most aggressive that we’ve seen in modern times,” said Tim Richardson, former Washington Post reporter and current program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America.

A Global Crisis — With Deadly Consequences

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 126 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide by early December — matching last year’s record-setting total. Israel’s bombing of Gaza accounted for 85 of those deaths, the majority of whom were Palestinian journalists risking their lives to document the conflict.

“The failure to obtain justice creates an environment where these killings continue,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Impunity breeds impunity.”

CPJ estimates at least 323 journalists are currently imprisoned worldwide.

The U.S. Isn’t Immune — Just Less Aware

While no U.S. journalists were killed this year, working conditions have grown increasingly hostile. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented 170 assaults on journalists — 160 allegedly by law enforcement — many tied to immigration enforcement coverage.

President Donald Trump’s second term has sharpened his hostility toward the press into direct government pressure. From limiting outlets’ access to extracting legal settlements from major news organizations, to cutting public broadcasting funding and dismantling U.S.-funded international media outlets, critics say his administration is aggressively working to weaken independent journalism.

That includes deep funding cuts to PBS and NPR, as well as efforts to dismantle long-standing international media institutions like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe — organizations that provide independent reporting in countries where free press barely exists.

Meanwhile, Trump’s Pentagon implemented restrictive rules targeting journalists — prompting major outlets to surrender credentials and challenge the policy in court rather than comply.

Despite all this, public concern remains surprisingly muted. Just 36% of Americans report hearing a lot about the administration’s escalating press conflict, according to Pew Research, compared to 72% at the same point in Trump’s first term. Trust in media has also continued to erode, leaving journalists with fewer allies as pressures mount.

“Ultimately, the harm falls on the public,” Richardson said. “Without independent reporting, Americans lose the ability to hold power accountable.”

A Shrinking Industry — But Signs of Hope

Financially, journalism remains in crisis. The U.S. once had roughly 40 journalists for every 100,000 residents; today that number has fallen to just over eight. Hundreds of local newsrooms have shuttered over the past two decades, leaving communities without watchdogs.

Still, there are bright spots. New local outlets — including the Baltimore Banner, Charlottesville Tomorrow, and Outlier Media in Detroit — are proving that community-driven journalism can thrive even in today’s economic climate.

And despite intensified rhetoric against the press, journalists remain committed to informing the public.

“Over time, people will hopefully come to their senses,” Axios CEO Jim VandeHei said recently. “The media is imperfect, but a free press is essential.”

As 2025 closes, the stakes could not be clearer: when press freedom is threatened, democracy is threatened with it.