The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has reported in its latest World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Report, released in December 2025, that freedom of expression worldwide has declined by 10 percent since 2012, marking the steepest drop in more than a decade.
The decline, according to the report, represents a reversal not witnessed since the world wars and Cold War era, with self-censorship among journalists skyrocketing by 63% over the same period. UNESCO attributes this decline to several interconnected factors, including democratic backsliding, a rise in attacks against journalists, and a deepening crisis in the media’s business model.
The 2022–2025 edition, titled “Journalism: Shaping a World at Peace,” called for a collective action to reverse these dangerous trends through defending journalists, supporting independent media, demanding platform accountability, and protecting the fundamental right to speak out and be informed.
The report says a hostile environment for dissent has become increasingly normalised, particularly online, with 67% of respondents in a UNESCO survey cited in the report saying that they have encountered online hate speech.
The report says women and marginalised communities bear the brunt of this trend. A French journalist, Rokhaya Diallo, who contributed to the report, notes that while digital platforms have amplified previously overlooked issues like colonial history and police violence, they have simultaneously intensified harassment. Diallo warns that “Too many women around the world have been demonised, excluded, forced into silence, and sometimes killed for speaking out,” adding that the assault extends to Black, Brown, Indigenous Peoples, those with disabilities, LGBTQI communities, and other historically marginalised groups.
This climate of fear has fuelled widespread self-censorship, as journalists, faced with legal threats, surveillance, online abuse, and physical danger, are increasingly choosing silence, thereby weakening public debate and democratic accountability.
According to the report, the dangers are particularly severe for environmental reporters, as hundreds of journalists, scientists, and activists covering climate change have been attacked since 2009, with 46 murdered and only six convictions secured. Environmental journalist, Kunda Dixit, emphasised that these attacks deprive societies of critical information precisely when public understanding of the climate crisis is most urgent. He said, “The world can act collectively only if citizens and governments know the scale and impact of impending calamities.”
Adding to the pressure, the report says, independent journalism faces severe economic strain as digital platforms dominate advertising revenue with three companies now controlling approximately half of global advertising spending, threatening media pluralism and newsroom independence worldwide.
The report however, highlights reasons for cautious optimism despite the grim findings. It says between 2020 and 2025, an additional 1.5 billion people gained access to social media and messaging platforms, expanding civic participation. It added that collaborative cross-border investigative journalism is on the rise, and regulatory efforts to improve transparency in the digital space are gaining ground. Nearly half of all countries now legally recognise community media, helping to foster more inclusive communication ecosystems.
Commenting on the situation, the Global Forum for Media Development stated that “The choice before us is stark: continue along a path of erosion and crises, or take decisive steps to rebuild trust, protect information as a public good, and restore dialogue as the foundation of peace.”
Published every four years, the report is based on input from over 100 experts and hundreds of sources.
