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Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index found the global situation at its worst in the index’s 25-year history, with more than half of countries rated difficult or very serious for journalists. Pressure rarely starts with violence. It usually starts with money, then lawsuits, then threats, and only at the end with prison, exile or death. Support works best when it meets each kind of pressure.

How a story gets silenced, and what counters it

1. The money disappears. Advertising has collapsed for local outlets. In the United States, 213 counties had no local news source in 2025 and about 50 million people had limited or no access to local news, according to Northwestern University’s Medill School; newspapers were closing at more than two a week. What counters it: co-funded reporting jobs, as in the Local News Sustainability Fund, and support for community radio, as in the Rural Newsroom Support Fund.
2. Lawsuits and legal harassment. Libel suits and criminal complaints can drain a newsroom’s money and time even when it wins. What counters it: legal review before publication and defence afterwards, which investigative outlets such as the one behind the Investigative Journalism Fund depend on.
3. Threats and surveillance. In 2025 ARTICLE 19 recorded 451 attacks against journalists in Mexico, about one every 19 hours, about half of them by state officials. What counters it: risk assessment, digital security, protective equipment and emergency plans, through the Journalist Protection Fund and the Independent Media Support Fund.
4. Arrest and prosecution. The Committee to Protect Journalists counted 330 journalists in prison on 1 December 2025, nearly half of them never sentenced. What counters it: defence lawyers, appeals to international bodies and support for families, as in the Independent Journalist Legal Defense Fund.
5. Forced exile. Reporters Without Borders assisted 1,468 exiled journalists from 65 countries between 2021 and 2025, and says exile “does not put an end to the threats”. What counters it: relocation, legal help with asylum, and support against harassment that follows journalists abroad, through the Exiled Journalists Support Network.
6. Killing. CPJ recorded a record 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, including 47 murders, and found that no one had been held accountable for any of the murders. What counters it: documentation, investigation and pressure to end impunity, so that killings are not a cost-free way to stop a story.

Why the numbers differ between watchdogs

The two best-known press freedom groups often publish very different totals, and both can be right. For 2025, CPJ counted 129 journalists and media workers killed in the calendar year, while Reporters Without Borders counted 67 killed because of their work in the twelve months to 1 December. On imprisonment, CPJ counted 330 jailed on 1 December 2025 and RSF 503 detained. The groups use different definitions of who counts as a journalist, when a death is linked to their work, and which period they cover. When you see a figure, check whose it is and what it measures.

What losing local news changes

Quite a lot, and measurably. A Brookings study found that after a local newspaper closes, the interest rates local governments pay on their bonds rise, by about 5.5 basis points three years later on new issues; on an average US$65 million issue, every 10 basis points costs taxpayers about US$650,000 over the life of the bond. Other research has linked the loss of local coverage to less competitive local elections and lower turnout. The effects in any one place are modest, but they are consistent across studies, and most of the research comes from the United States.

Nonprofit news is growing to fill part of the gap. Members of the Institute for Nonprofit News reported more than US$750 million in combined revenue for 2025, up 14%, with individual donors providing about a third. But fewer new nonprofit outlets are launching, and Medill found that most new local news startups of any kind are in metro areas rather than the rural counties that lost their papers.

Does safety support for journalists work?

There are no controlled studies, and the honest answer is that state protection alone often fails. Mexico’s federal protection mechanism had 651 journalists enrolled in late 2023; according to CPJ and Amnesty International, eight journalists had been killed while under its protection over seven years. Reporters Without Borders found protection mechanisms non-existent or ineffective in more than 80% of the countries it analysed in 2026. That is why independent support exists. When you assess one, ask whether it verifies threats, can act within days, covers family members, and helps journalists keep working after relocation.

How to judge whether a journalism nonprofit is independent

Look for published standards rather than slogans. The Institute for Nonprofit News requires its members to publish an editorial independence policy, name donors who give US$5,000 or more a year, keep anonymous gifts to a small share of revenue, and publish conflict-of-interest policies. Beyond that, check for a written firewall between funders and editors, a corrections policy, disclosure when a funder is also the subject of a story, and a board free of political office-holders. Outside the United States, membership of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, or for journalists’ associations the International Federation of Journalists, is a useful sign.

The countries where these causes work

Every Press Freedom & Journalism cause we list

Each cause names the organization that receives the grants and when our team last verified it. Open a cause to see what it pays for, or donate directly.

Common questions

Can I fund a specific journalist or story?

No. Gifts go to verified partner organizations, which decide who to support. That protects both the journalists and their editorial independence.

Are some cause details kept general?

Yes. Where publicity could put journalists or their families at risk, we describe what the work pays for without operational details.

Is press freedom a human rights issue?

Yes, and some related work, such as legal defence for activists, is listed under Human Rights & Legal Aid.