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World Press Freedom Day 2026 spotlights global decline in press freedom

journalismMay 3, 2026251,125

UNESCO marked World Press Freedom Day 2026 on May 3, saying global press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years and awarding the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate. Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index this year recorded steep declines across several large democracies, with the United States falling to its lowest-ever rank. The combination of deteriorating global rankings and the prize for Sudanese journalists highlights growing risks to reporters, restricted access to information, and weakening democratic accountability worldwide.

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