Freedom House Free expression: A leading indicator of democratic decline F reedom of expression, a fundamental component of democracy, has been under sustained attack around the world for the last 17 years. Of all the indicators that Freedom in the World uses to assess political rights and civil liberties, freedom of the media and freedom of personal expression have declined the most precipitously since 2005. This assault coincided with the rapid uptake of information and communication technologies that have effectively broken many states’ media monopolies. In too many places, however, authorities responded to new forms of online expression with harsh offline punishments and technological innovations of their own. Press freedom in retreat Freedom for independent journalism has plummeted. The number of countries and territories that have a score of 0 out of 4 on the media freedom indicator has ballooned from 14 to 33 during the 17 years of global democratic decline, as journalists faced persistent attacks from autocrats and their supporters while receiving inadequate protection from intimidation and violence even in some democracies. The past year brought more of the same, with media freedom coming under pressure in at least 157 countries and territories assessed by Freedom in the World. In Russia, a multiyear media crackdown went into overdrive as the government sought to eliminate domestic opposition to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian independent journalists and outlets had long contended with laws that labeled them as foreign agents, extremists, or “undesirable.” In 2022, the expansion of criminal laws targeting the spread of false information related to the war empowered Roskomnadzor, the federal media and telecommunications regulator, to block websites more aggressively without a court order. Authorities blocked access to most of the independent media outlets that were still available in the country, including Ekho Moskvy, Dozhd, Voice of America, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and Meduza. Some foreign journalists were also denied entry to Russia. Moscow’s tactics have spread to Central Asia, where Kyrgyzstan has adopted many similar laws targeting the A protester holds a placard during a demonstration at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. The demonstration was held in response to the closure of several media outlets in Hong Kong and concerns about media freedom. (Image credit: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) FreedomHouse.org 13