THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
The annual Press Freedom Index published by RSF states that our country improved its position in 2026. Ukraine ranked 55th out of 180 countries, rising seven places in a year, a total of 50 positions since the start of the full-scale invasion.
When determining the Index, five criteria are taken into account: political, economic, social, cultural and security. Our country has demonstrated improvement in political, social and cultural indicators. Regarding positive changes: greater openness of parliamentary committees for journalists, as well as the development of direct dialogue between the authorities and the media.
RSF also names a number of problems: journalists have access restrictions in frontline regions, pending court cases regarding the persecution of media workers, the impact of the telethon on media pluralism. It is emphasized that the security component remains the weakest due to russian shelling and risks for journalists. According to RSF: 26 Ukrainian journalists are being held by russia, making it the world’s largest detainer of foreign media workers.
Five key findings from RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index:
The average score for all countries and territories in the world has never been lower. For the first time in the Index’s 25-year history, more than half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
Of the five indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide, which measure the economic, legal, security, political and social environment for journalism, the rule of law indicator has suffered the biggest decline this year.
The United States has fallen seven places, while other countries in the Americas, such as Ecuador and Peru, have fallen sharply in the rankings.
Norway ranks first for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea ranks last for the third consecutive year.
Post-Assad Syria has seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all countries and territories in the 2026 Index, rising 36 places in the ranking.
https://RSF.org/en/2026-RSF-index-press-freedom-25-year-low
NUJU Information Service
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