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The United States has reached a "historic low" in press‑freedom rankings, slipping to 64th in RSF’s 2025 tracker – a drop of seven places from the previous year and the deepest decline in a decade. RSF’s Annual Tracker Shows US Slip to 64th Place The Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) report, released on 30 April 2026, placed the US in the “problematic” category, down from 57th in 2024. Norway topped the list while Eritrea remained at the bottom among 180 nations. Numbers Behind the Decline: Rankings, Media Concentration, and FCC Actions Rank change: 57 → 64 (‑7 spots) in one year. Media ownership: Six firms control the majority of US outlets – Comcast, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Skydance, Sony, and Amazon. Key regulatory moves: FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened license revocations for broadcasters deemed to spread “hoaxes” or “news distortions,” targeting coverage of the US‑Israel conflict and immigration policies. High‑profile incidents: Late‑night host Jimmy Kimmel faced FCC scrutiny after a joke about the White House Correspondents Dinner. Why the Drop Matters: Political Pressure and Media Consolidation RSF attributes the slide to a “press‑freedom crisis” driven by two forces. First, policies from the Trump administration – including a coordinated campaign against journalists – have eroded legal protections. Second, the accelerating consolidation of media assets, exemplified by Skydance Media’s acquisition of Paramount Global (owner of CBS News) and its pending purchase of Warner Bros (owner of CNN), narrows the diversity of editorial voices. The FCC’s aggressive stance amplifies the chilling effect, as broadcasters fear punitive actions for covering contentious topics. Critics argue that such regulatory pressure, combined with concentrated ownership, threatens the watchdog role of the press. What’s Next for American Press Freedom? Looking ahead, RSF urges three immediate actions: protect legal rights for journalists, hold perpetrators of media attacks accountable, and bolster independent outlets. If Congress or future administrations resist FCC overreach and promote antitrust enforcement in the media sector, the US could stabilize its ranking. Conversely, continued politicization of licensing and further consolidation may push the country deeper into the “very serious” tier of press‑freedom risk.