As journalists, free speech defenders and democracy advocates mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, global attention turns to the concerning decline in press freedom across democratic nations, including the United States.
“We can’t be exhausted, we can’t shrug, we can’t allow ourselves to be overwhelmed,” said CNN’s Christiane Amanpour when accepting the National Press Foundation’s Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism in February 2025. “It is scary talking truth to power … and communities need to stick together in order to survive. I believe an attack on one should be treated as an attack on all.”
The United Nations proclaimed World Press Freedom Day in 1993 as a reminder of the important connection between human security and the freedom for people to seek, report and receive information. This year’s commemoration comes at a crucial time as press freedoms face significant challenges worldwide.
The United States has seen a troubling slide in media independence against attacks on journalistic integrity. The Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index annually ranks journalists’ ability in each country to gather and disseminate news independent of political, legal and social interference and the absence of threats to journalists’ physical and mental safety. In just two years the United States has dropped 12 spots from No. 45 in 2023 to 57 this year – behind Sierra Leone, Romania, the Dominican Republic, Poland and South Africa. The U.S. is seeing an uptick in political polarization, harassment of journalists, limited access to information and threats against reporters covering protests and political events.
An independent press is the cornerstone of democracy, providing citizens with reliable information needed to make informed decisions, holding those in power accountable and providing a forum for public debate.
To ensure effective reporting, the National Press Foundation provides without cost vital tools of the trade for journalists – webinars, on-the-record briefings by top experts, story kits, videos, audio recordings, curated lists of resources and journalism best practices. In addition to fellowship trainings, NPF also provides awards and grants to support journalists, such as the Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants, currently open for applications.
