Why a higher global index rank means less freedom for the Philippine press

The Philippines has climbed to 114th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, a slight improvement from its 116th rank last year. On the surface, this looks like progress. However, the data reveals a grimmer reality: the country’s actual score dropped from 49.57 to 46.79.

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF, or Reporters Without Borders) cites the country as among the most dangerous countries in the world for media professionals.

The move below two spots was not because things got better, but because the rest of the world got worse. RSF reports that global press freedom is at a 25-year low.

In 2026, more than half of the world’s countries saw their scores decline or fall in the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. Essentially, the Philippines rose by failing slower than its neighbors.

Particularly, the drop in the Philippines’ press freedom score was driven by significant declines in security and economic stability. (READ: Philippines ranks 114th in 2026 World Press Freedom Index)

Red-tagging and impunity

The decline in the security score from 61.57 to 54.03 reflects a transition from a more apparent war on media of the previous decade to a more insidious and administrative form of violence imposed on community journalists today.

Despite the change in administration, the state continues to label journalists as terrorists. This practice places a target on reporters who face trumped up charges to silence their coverage of human rights abuses on marginalized sectors.

They especially monitor those working in the Altermidya network, which are composed of independent and progressive media outfits, institutions, and individuals.

One striking example is the case of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who, after six years of detention, was convicted on January 22 of terror financing that the RSF has condemned as “bogus.”

The organization’s investigation into her case revealed files “riddled with inconsistencies” and fabricated evidence, which the prosecution believed was “poorly built” and designed to convict a journalist for her work.

In their current analysis of the country’s state of press freedom, the shadow of the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre still looms. The cited the Presidential Task Force on Media Security as being “unable to stem the vicious cycle of violence against journalists.”

Political monopolies in the media

The economic indicator is the Philippine’s lowest-scoring category at only 34.5. RSF reported that this reflects a growing fusion of business interest and political ambition.

The media market is being joined and absorbed by political dynasties, as the report highlighted the expanding influence of the Villar Group and Prime Media, which is associated with the former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

Advocates warn that this concentration of ownership among high-ranking officials and their families threatens the independence of newsrooms and editorial policy.

As Metro-based media entities consolidate power, regional news outlets such as Sunstar Baguio and the Visayan Daily Star continue to face financial struggles. 

According to RSF, while the internet and social media offer a space where independent media can operate, their economic viability is “uncertain” in a market increasingly dominated by political and business interests.

Press freedom lowest in a quarter of century

The challenges facing the Philippine press are part of a broader, more alarming global trend. For the first time in the history of the RSF index, over half of the 180 countries and territories surveyed have fallen into the redder categories, reflecting a worldwide erosion of the right to information.

Globally, the legal indicator saw the sharpest decline over the past year, which means that the law is increasingly used as a tool of repression rather than protection. This trend is a primary driver of the overall decay in press freedom.

Since 2001, RSF reported that restrictive legal arsenals and national security policies have been increasingly expanded to justify the “criminalization” of journalism.

This is also true even in countries that are democracies on paper. This legal spiral is particularly evident in the Americas where the United States dropped seven places in the 2026 ranking.

Meanwhile, several Latin American nations continue to slide deeper into cycles of violence and state-led censorship.

The 2026 index is anchored on two extremes that illustrate the disparity in global media environments. Norway is the global standard and remains the world’s most free media landscape with a score of 92.72. They maintain the position through robust legal protections and editorial independence.

Sitting at the bottom is Eritrea, with a score of 10.24, representing a total absence of press freedom and a “very serious” environment of media repression.

Illusion of improvement

For the Philippines, these global figures provide a sobering context. The 2026 data revealed that the country is currently only 6.79 points away from falling into the “very serious” red zone category reserved for total media repression. It depicts a media landscape that is technically rising in rank, but in reality, is not recovering.

Beyond the physical and legal threats, the report also found that the country is drowning in digital noise, where the information space is now a battlefield of fake accounts used to spread disinformation.

During the 2025 election campaign, Cyabra analysis showed that 45% of online discussions about the election originated from bots and fake users. This surge in disinformation makes it extra difficult for factual, independent journalism to reach the public as the truth is being constantly overtaken by propaganda.

As the country slides closer to total media repression, the next few years will determine if independent journalism can withstand the combined weight of a polluted digital ecosystem and economic uncertainty.

Based on the RSF index, the absence of structural reforms regarding media ownership and the legal treatment of journalists suggest that the country’s relative rise in rankings may be temporary and could lead to further decline. – Rappler.com