Ethiopia has dropped to 145th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), down from 141st in 2024, as the country faces renewed threats to independent journalism amid ongoing conflict and political instability.
The annual index, published ahead of World Press Freedom Day, highlights a global decline in press freedom, with Ethiopia now categorized among countries facing “very serious” threats to media independence and journalist safety. RSF’s assessment points to a reversal of the modest gains made in recent years, as violence and government crackdowns have reignited fears among journalists and media workers.
RSF’s report notes that Ethiopia’s media landscape, while more open and pluralistic than under previous regimes, has suffered major setbacks due to inter-ethnic conflict and the lingering effects of civil war. The outbreak of violence in the Amhara region, just months after the November 2022 peace agreement that formally ended the Tigray war, has led to a resurgence of reprisals and intimidation against journalists.
Propaganda and disinformation remain pervasive, with both government authorities and opposition militias seeking to control the narrative around ongoing conflicts. The government’s creation of a so-called “fact-checking” platform, which RSF describes as a conduit for official messaging and unverified information, has further eroded trust in independent reporting. The Ethiopian Media Authority, meanwhile, is criticized for failing to promote quality journalism or protect media freedom.
While a 2021 media law decriminalized defamation and promised greater protections for journalists, RSF finds that these legal safeguards are often circumvented in practice. Journalists continue to face arbitrary arrests under vague anti-terrorism and hate speech laws, and the state of emergency declared in Amhara in August 2023 has been used to override existing legal protections-even after its official end in June 2024.
Economic fragility is another leading threat. Low salaries, rising living costs, and corruption challenge the professional integrity of journalists. Media ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few businessmen, limiting editorial independence and making it difficult for new outlets to enter the market.
Ethnic, regional, and political biases persist in many newsrooms, contributing to widespread self-censorship and undermining pluralistic, balanced journalism. Safety remains a critical concern: abuses against journalists, including killings and arbitrary detention, have continued since the Tigray conflict, with many reporters imprisoned on serious charges such as “promoting terrorism.” Some have been forced to flee the country, while foreign media have also faced suspensions and expulsions.
The 2025 RSF Index marks the first time the global media freedom situation has been classified as “difficult,” the second-lowest grade possible. Economic fragility, ownership concentration, and political interference are cited as key drivers of the decline, with more than half the world’s population now living in countries where journalism is considered dangerous or press freedom is absent.
