Hello and happy Friday!

Reporters Without Borders released their annual Press Freedom Index today and it doesn’t make for entirely optimistic reading. A few countries saw improvements, notably in Latin America, but the global average press freedom score dropped low enough that for the first time RSF now classifies the worldwide situation as “difficult”, a downgrade from merely “problematic” before.

The score for the US dropped on every criterion assessed by RSF except security (where the country nonetheless ranks 91st for journalist safety, firmly in the middle of the 180-strong pack).

The biggest drop came in the social score, which fell from 72 out of 100 to 63, in the process dragging the US from 54th place to 82nd on that indicator. RSF cited a lack of trust in journalists and rife online abuse of reporters as contributing factors.

For the second year running RSF stressed the effect of economics - globally the lowest score - on deteriorating media freedom. Despite ranking 40th internationally, the US’ economic indicator score was 56/100 this year - its lowest score and down five points from 2024, when it ranked 33rd.

That economic stress was on show this week when ESG Investor, a B2B publication focused on sustainable investment, announced its closure. Its editorial director Chris Hall told me the shuttering was as both a result of uninspiring returns for sustainable investment funds and the broader social and political backlash against “woke” corporate practices.

Another piece of the story was also in Press Gazette this week as editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford ran some back-of-the-napkin math to figure out how much of the UK’s advertising market is controlled by Facebook and Google.

It’s a lot: about 60% of all UK advertising spending in 2024. Little wonder governments and publisher bodies worldwide are alleging (and in some cases already ruling) that the pair - plus Apple - hold monopolies.

Have a great weekend,

Bron

RSF downgrades global press freedom index to all-time low

The average economic score internationally was 44.1 – also a record low and the lowest score of any of the indicators, down from 46.4 last year, 48.7 in 2023 and 45 in 2022.

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B2B title ESG Investor closes amid ‘anti-woke’ backlash to sustainable investing

The editorial director blamed “the political context, particularly in the US – whereby obviously there has been a big anti-ESG, anti-’woke capitalism’ etcetera backlash from Republicans”.

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Google and Meta’s vast estimated UK earnings revealed

Overall, national newsbrand advertising revenue is estimated to have fallen 4.3% in 2024 to £726.5m. Online growth of 2.5% in this sector to £346.2m failed to cancel out print decline.

Read more

Also on Press Gazette:

• UK local publisher ‘deeply concerned’ about Facebook account ban ahead of election

• Samsung rolls out new default news app in UK

• Evening Standard reports £20m loss in slight improvement versus 2023

• Ofcom says enforcement action coming as Press Gazette highlights Facebook offences

• How Daily Express editor Tom Hunt plans to set title up for next 125 years

• UK news media rich list 2025: Business information chiefs top executive pay table

• Facebook allows scam ads stealing journalists’ identities to proliferate

And elsewhere…

Judge in Meta case warns AI could 'obliterate' market for original works

Blake Brittain, Reuters

Court sides with Fortnite maker Epic as Apple sanctioned for defying order in App Store case

Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press