RSF puts Trump on list of threats to press freedom
Reporters Without Borders names the US president as one of 33 actors said to be undermining press freedom.
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Reporters Without Borders has included US President Donald Trump on its list of so-called threats to press freedom. The organisation published the list on Monday, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
This year, RSF profiles 33 individuals, organisations and power structures that, according to the organisation, have attacked journalists and media outlets. According to RSF, this is the first time Trump has appeared on the list. RSF points to what it describes as attacks on the press and restrictions on journalists since the start of his second term in office.
The list is not an independent legal finding, but a judgement by an advocacy organisation that monitors press freedom. RSF says the selected actors used, among other things, state power, propaganda, legal pressure, physical restrictions or digital attacks in 2026 to weaken independent journalism.
According to RSF, the United States now ranks 64th out of 180 countries in its own World Press Freedom Index. That index measures the conditions for journalism in countries; the new list also seeks to identify individual power actors and organisations that, according to RSF, are responsible for pressure on the media.
Alongside Trump, RSF names, among others, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chinese Communist Party and the Israeli armed forces. The organisation stresses that the tactics vary and that not all the actors named are accused of the same facts or the same type of pressure.
Trump and his administration have not substantively responded to the new list in the sources consulted. It is therefore impossible to establish how the White House assesses the individual allegations. The publication is news chiefly as a signal of growing international criticism of the relationship between the US government and independent media.
For Dutch readers, this issue touches on the question of how democratic oversight works when a government treats media outlets as political opponents. The list itself does not prove that every individual allegation has been legally established; it documents RSF's assessment and should therefore be read as such.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- On 2 November, RSF published a list of 33 alleged threats to press freedom.
- Donald Trump appears on the list for the first time.
- RSF bases the list on its own assessment of attacks on and pressure against the media.
Left
Arguments The government should actively protect independent journalism; attacks on the media and restrictions on reporters threaten democratic oversight of power.
Values Press freedom, oversight of power and protection of minority voices.
Consequences Normalising hostile rhetoric can intensify intimidation and self-censorship and give citizens less access to reliable information.
Centre
Arguments The media may be criticised, but government action must remain transparent, proportionate and subject to scrutiny; both governments and media outlets must work in a factual and verifiable manner.
Values The rule of law, institutional independence and a balance between freedom of expression and public responsibility.
Consequences Sharp but factual scrutiny of the government can preserve trust; political labels without substantiation can instead damage that trust.
Right
Arguments A government may firmly challenge media outlets it considers biased or unreliable and review access or subsidies, provided legal boundaries are respected.
Values Media accountability, pluralism and restraint in the use of government power.
Consequences According to this right-wing view, greater competition and challenge can break through one-sided reporting, but direct pressure on reporters can, from this perspective, also turn into censorship.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article's central account correctly describes what RSF published on 2 November and makes clear that it is the organisation's assessment. Allegations not independently confirmed are presented as claims by RSF.
- confirmed RSF put Donald Trump on its list of 33 threats to press freedom in 2026. — Stated in RSF's current publication. source
- confirmed The United States ranks 64th out of 180 countries according to the RSF index. — Mentioned in the RSF publication. source
- confirmed The list is a judgement by an advocacy organisation and not a legal finding. — This follows from the nature of RSF and its methodological explanation; the text does not present it as a judicial ruling. source
Editor's note
Trump's inclusion and the 33 profiles have been confirmed by RSF itself. The allegations have not been presented as independently proven facts; a response from Trump or the White House was absent from the sources consulted.Sources
- 2026 Press Freedom Predators List — Reporters Without Borders
- Die Feinde der Pressefreiheit 2026 — Reporter ohne Grenzen