World trends in freedom of expression and media development: global report 2022/2025; Journalism: shaping a world at peace

This report underscores the profound role of free, independent, pluralistic, and professional journalism as a cornerstone of democratic life and as an indispensable condition for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite some positive developments such as the expansion of social media access, growth in collaborative investigative journalism, subscription models, and legal recognition of community media, this new Report reveals a 10% decline in the Freedom of Expression Index globally since 2012, and highlights weakened governance, hostility towards journalists, the climate crisis, and AI-driven dis and misinformation.

Journalism plays an important role in combating climate change and it is important that media organizations be able to report early-warning signs so they can be taken seriously by decision-makers and the public. When media freedom is restricted, governments are less likely to implement effective environmental policies and misinformation about climate change spreads more easily. This highlights the need for robust legal protections for journalists and strong mechanisms to prevent political interference in environmental reporting. In countries where journalists can openly scrutinize government decisions, climate policies tend to be significantly stronger, more transparent, and better enforced. The strength of this relationship underscores that an independent media is one of the most powerful drivers of government accountability in climate action.