Turkey has fallen to 159th place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), down one position from last year. The country remains in the “very serious” category due to intensifying political and economic pressures on journalists and media outlets.
RSF attributed Turkey’s continued decline to growing media concentration, state censorship, and punitive economic measures targeting independent journalism. In a statement, RSF Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu said the country’s media environment is becoming increasingly fragile.
“Media capital is selectively supported through government advertising, while critical outlets face arbitrary fines. Independent media in the digital era lacks sustainable revenue models,” he warned. “Journalism is now under threat not only from years of legal and physical pressure, but also from economic instability. The danger we face is a monolithic media landscape.”
Turkey has steadily declined in the index since ranking 99th in 2002. The lowest position came in 2023, when it fell to 165th, briefly improving to 158th in 2024 before dropping again this year.
The RSF Index is based on five indicators—political, legal, economic, socio-cultural and security conditions—evaluated by experts. Turkey’s political score dropped from 31.6 to 29.4 in 2025, largely due to intensified legal and economic constraints on independent journalism.
Global crisis in media economics
RSF highlighted a global trend of media outlets struggling to maintain financial viability. In 2025, 160 out of 180 countries reported economic instability in the media sector, with nearly one-third experiencing news outlet closures due to financial hardship.
In the United States, where the economic indicator dropped over 14 points in two years, local journalism has been particularly hard hit. Over 60% of surveyed media professionals said journalism had become financially unsustainable. RSF also noted that the suspension of funding to outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe by the US Global Media Agency deprived more than 400 million people of access to reliable information.
RSF Publishing Director Anne Bocandé underscored that “there can be no free press without economic independence,” warning that underfunded media are more likely to fall prey to manipulation by oligarchs or political elites.
“When journalists are impoverished, they lack the tools to resist disinformation and propaganda,” she said.
Platform dominance and media ownership
Digital platforms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon have further undermined traditional media revenues by dominating advertising markets. RSF reported a 14% increase in social media advertising in 2024, reaching $247.3 billion globally. This has amplified the reach of disinformation while eroding news organisations’ business models.
Media ownership concentration remains a growing concern even in higher-ranking countries such as Australia (29th), Canada (21st) and Finland (5th). In France, eight wealthy individuals now control 81% of the national newspaper circulation, raising concerns about editorial independence and self-censorship.
Worsening global outlook
RSF classifies press freedom as “very serious” in 42 countries—home to over half of the world’s population. These include Israel (163rd), where RSF documented nearly 200 journalists killed in Gaza, and China (178th), which joined North Korea (179th) and Eritrea (180th) in the index’s bottom three.
Press freedom also deteriorated in Eastern Africa, with Uganda (143rd), Ethiopia (145th) and Rwanda (146th) downgraded. In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan (144th) and Kazakhstan (141st) showed negative trends, while Jordan (147th) fell 15 places due to restrictive media laws.
RSF warned that the map of press freedom is “turning red” as global conditions for journalism become increasingly hostile.
