Reporters Without Borders says while Jamaica has seen improvements in press freedom over the past two decades, a growing mistrust between the media and government officials is eroding institutional respect for the press.
Its assessment comes as the country has slipped two places on the World Press Freedom Index, now ranking 26th out of 180 countries.
Despite the decline, Jamaica remains the second highest ranked Caribbean nation behind a Trinidad and Tobago, which climbed six places to 19th and now leads the region.
The 23rd annual World Press Freedom Index was released by Reporters Without Borders to mark the May 3 observation of World Press Freedom Day.
Norway retained its top position while North Korea remained lost at 180.
In the meantime, Reporters Without Borders highlights that while physical threats to journalists remain a visible issue, economic pressure has become a more significant threat to media freedom.
It further notes that the economic indicator on the World Press Freedom Index now stands at an unprecedented and critical low as the decline continued in 2025.
The report said as a result, the global state of press freedom is now classified as a difficult situation for the first time in the history of the index.
Economic pressure, it said, is one of the factors seriously weakening the media.
The report has largely blamed this on ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers and public aid that is restricted, absent or allocated in an opaque manner.
Reporters Without Borders' editorial director says, guaranteeing freedom, independence and plurality in today's media landscape requires stable and transparent financial conditions.
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