The “Press Freedom Index” visualization provides an in-depth analysis of global press freedom, as measured by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for 180 countries in 2023. This index evaluates key indicators such as media independence, pluralism, transparency, and journalist safety, offering a comprehensive view of the challenges and achievements in press freedom worldwide. Lower scores indicate greater restrictions and challenges, while higher scores reflect better conditions for journalists and media outlets.

The visualization highlights regional differences in press freedom using median situation index scores for zones such as Eastern Europe and Central Asia (50.25), the Middle East and North Africa (54.48), Asia-Pacific (60.46), the Americas (70.62), Africa (65.92), and the European Union and Balkans (78.90). A flow chart connects these regions to categories describing their press freedom situations: “Very Serious,” “Difficult,” “Problematic,” “Satisfactory,” and “Good.” These categories are based on criteria like media legislation, safety, censorship, and journalists’ ability to operate without fear or violence. The lower section of the visualization features a scatter plot of individual countries’ scores, with dots color-coded by category. For example, countries with “Very Serious” press freedom issues (scores 0–40) are marked in red, while those with “Good” conditions (scores 85–100) are shown in teal. Each dot represents a country, allowing users to explore how nations cluster within these categories.

This visualization underscores the declining state of press freedom globally, noting that 85% of the world’s population experienced reduced media freedom in recent years. It also calls attention to critical regional disparities and challenges faced by journalists, serving as a vital tool for understanding the current landscape of media freedom and advocating for improvements in transparency, safety, and independence in journalism.