Brazil surpasses the USA in press freedom ranking for the first time

For the first time in the historical series, Brazil appears ahead of the United States in the World Press Freedom Ranking, prepared by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Consolidated data for 2026, released this Thursday (30), places Brazil in 52nd position, with an overall score of approximately 65 points. On the other hand, the USA registered a sharp drop, now occupying 64th place, with around 63.5 points.

The reversal of positions reflects two distinct movements: Brazilian institutional recovery and the deterioration of journalistic working conditions on North American soil. In 2021, Brazil occupied 111th position, appearing in the so-called “red zone” of the survey. Since then, the country has advanced 58 positions, consolidating one of the biggest positive developments among the 180 nations evaluated.

The Brazilian rise and the North American decline

In comparative terms, Brazil’s jump of 58 positions in relation to the worst index recorded in 2022 contrasts drastically with the loss of 20 positions by the United States in the same period. While Brazil went from one hundred and eleventh place to fifty-second, the North Americans fell from forty-second to sixty-fourth place. Both countries maintain their “sensitive situation” status, but the trend is opposite: Brazil has consolidated itself as the fourth best country in the Americas, while the USA has fallen to the third ten in the regional ranking.

Far right and authoritarianism against journalism

RSF and international analysts highlight that the performance of the two countries is intrinsically linked to the presence of the extreme right in power. The report shows that the extreme right’s political project – contrary to the stance of a democratic government like Lula’s – does not tolerate freedom of the press when it acts to contain authoritarian rages. In Brazil, the jump of 47 positions between 2022 and 2025 is credited to the overcoming of a government marked by the restriction of journalistic work, institutionalized disinformation and the use of State bodies to persecute critics.

The phenomenon repeats itself inversely in the United States. The drop in the ranking is attributed to the legacy and persistence of Donald Trump’s rhetoric, which introduced a climate of open hostility and physical violence against reporters. The experience in the continent’s two largest democracies proves that, for the extreme right, independent journalism is treated as an enemy to be slaughtered whenever democratic institutions impose limits on the discretionary exercise of power.

Israel and lethality against the press

The picture of democratic deterioration under far-right governments is even more dramatic in Israel. The country, which had already fallen 11 positions in 2025, reaching 112th place, continues on a trajectory of collapse in the security indicator. According to RSF and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Israeli forces were responsible for two-thirds of all journalist deaths worldwide in 2025, making the region the deadliest for the profession.

The authoritarianism of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government manifests itself not only on the battlefield, but in the closure of international media outlets and the approval of laws that restrict plurality and editorial independence. The use of drones for targeted attacks and the criminalization of factual coverage reinforce the global pattern: where the far right consolidates, the first target is the freedom to inform.

Global alert scenario

In addition to the political aspect, the relative economic stability of the sector and the plurality of national media in Brazil were highlighted. The strengthening of public media, community radio stations and digital cooperatives served as a counterweight to market concentration. However, the global scenario is warning: in 2026, more than 60% of countries registered a worsening in their indices, making the Brazilian recovery an exception in a panorama of democratic regression under pressure from authoritarian movements in several powers.