Press freedom across the Americas suffered a dramatic deterioration in 2025, with an annual report from the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) describing one of the worst years for journalism in the Western Hemisphere since the organization began tracking freedom of expression.
The IAPA’s Chapultepec Index, which evaluates press freedom in 23 countries including the United States, Canada, and nations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, registered the lowest regional average since its inception in 2020.
According to the report released this week, a host of threats, including violence, arbitrary arrests, and legal intimidation against journalists, have contributed to a steep erosion of media rights across the hemisphere.
In a stark indicator of the deteriorating environment for journalists, the United States was singled out as experiencing the sharpest drop in press freedom among the countries assessed.
📊 La SIP presentó la sexta edición del Índice Chapultepec de Libertad de Expresión y de Prensa, que analiza la situación del periodismo en 23 países de las Américas👇https://t.co/6OPTK0QP1H
— SIP • IAPA (@sip_oficial) March 10, 2026
In the latest rankings, the US fell from its previous position to a significantly lower standing, reflecting increasing restrictions on news coverage and expression under the current political climate.
The report noted 170 documented attacks against media workers last year, including confrontations during coverage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, and criticism of government rhetoric that has “stigmatized” independent outlets.
The watchdog highlighted that while constitutional protections for free speech remain intact in the United States, practical obstacles, such as shrinking public media funding and controversial federal decisions affecting broadcasters, have compounded challenges for journalists.
Beyond the United States, the report paints a troubling picture across Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuela and Nicaragua were classified as countries “without freedom of speech,” with severe censorship and institutional control curtailing independent reporting.
Read More: World Press Freedom Day: Reporting Truth in the Face of Tyranny
A number of other countries, including Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, and El Salvador, were placed in the “high restriction” category due to escalating incidents of violence and impunity for crimes against journalists.
For Haiti, the inclusion in the IAPA index marked a grim first: it was ranked as one of the least free countries for the press in the entire region. The watchdog cited the killing of journalists by gang members and widespread lawlessness that has left media workers vulnerable and crimes against them largely unpunished.
In contrast, Canada, Brazil, Chile, and Panama were among countries identified as having “low restrictions” on media freedom, although the overall trend across the hemisphere remains one of growing hostility toward independent journalism.
