Press freedom across the globe has entered one of its darkest periods in modern history. According to the latest findings from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the situation has deteriorated to levels not seen in 25 years. At the center of this crisis stands China, identified as the single worst offender when it comes to imprisoning journalists and suppressing the free flow of information.

The numbers are stark, the stories are chilling, and the implications are global.

A Global Collapse in Press Freedom

RSF’s 2026 Global Press Freedom Index paints a grim picture. “For the first time in the RSF’s 25-year history… more than half the world’s countries now fall into the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories for press freedom,” the organization reported. Even more alarming, the share of the global population living in countries where press freedom is considered “good” has dropped from 20 percent to less than 1 percent.

The average score for press freedom worldwide has “never been so low,” signaling a systemic breakdown in the ability of journalists to operate safely and independently.

This decline is not abstract. It is measured in arrests, intimidation, and death.

China: The World’s Largest Prison for Journalists

Among all nations, China stands apart. RSF ranks it 178th out of 180 countries, placing it near the very bottom, ahead of only North Korea and Eritrea. Across political, legal, social, and economic indicators, China performs disastrously, reflecting what RSF describes as “systemic constraints on journalism.”

More troubling is its role as the world’s largest jailer of journalists. According to the report, China currently holds more journalists in detention than any other country. Estimates indicate that between 110 and 123 journalists and media workers are imprisoned in China and Hong Kong combined.

RSF states plainly that “China is the world’s largest prison for journalists,” and attributes this to a deliberate campaign of repression. The government uses “surveillance, coercion, intimidation and harassment” to silence independent reporting, especially on topics it considers sensitive.

The scale of imprisonment is staggering. Globally, 503 journalists are currently detained. China alone accounts for more than one fifth of that total.

A System Designed to Suppress Truth

The Chinese government’s approach is not limited to arrests. It is a comprehensive system designed to prevent information from emerging in the first place. Independent journalists face constant monitoring, legal threats, and social pressure.

This system has a chilling effect. As one RSF representative explained, the pressure is now so intense that fewer arrests are needed. “There’s no constant arrests as before because there’s no one else to be arrested,” said Aleksandra Bielakowska of RSF.

In other words, the environment has become so restrictive that many potential journalists are deterred before they even begin.

The Human Cost: The Case of Zhang Zhan

Few stories illustrate this reality more clearly than that of Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer turned citizen journalist.

Zhang was detained in 2020 after reporting from Wuhan during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak. Using a virtual private network, she posted videos to international platforms showing overcrowded hospitals and crematorium activity, contradicting official narratives that downplayed the severity of the crisis.

Her reporting came at a steep cost. She was imprisoned for four years and subjected to harsh treatment, including hunger strikes that led to force-feeding and repeated hospitalizations.

Her case, according to human rights experts, is emblematic. Michael Caster of ARTICLE 19 described it as highlighting “the widespread and systematic nature of arbitrary, and often-secret, detention in China.”

After her release in 2024, Zhang briefly returned to public life. Her first message was simple but powerful: “Hi.” She then explained why she avoided the traditional Chinese greeting. “I don’t want to say ‘hello,’ because under oppression, no one is doing well.”

Despite the risks, she resumed documenting surveillance and harassment. Within months, she was arrested again and sentenced to another four years in prison in 2025. The charge was “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague offense frequently used against activists.

Her story is not just one of suffering but of resistance. As one advocacy group observed, her endurance is “not evidence of justice. It is evidence of endurance in the face of state cruelty.”

Disappearances and Fear

Zhang’s case is not unique. Other journalists and publishers have faced similar or worse fates.

Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong publisher with Swedish citizenship, was sentenced to ten years in prison. His current whereabouts remain unclear, raising fears about his survival.

Lam Wing-kee, another bookseller, described being abducted and held without due process. He recounted threats from authorities who told him they could send him somewhere “where nobody would know” or even kill him.

“When I asked what my charges were, they said, ‘If we say you’re guilty, you’re guilty,’” Lam said.

His experience underscores a system where legal protections are minimal and outcomes are predetermined.

Hong Kong: A Vanishing Safe Haven

The crackdown is not limited to mainland China. Hong Kong, once considered a refuge for free expression, has seen its press freedoms erode rapidly.

The case of Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, is particularly telling. Lai, 78, has been imprisoned for five years and was recently sentenced to 20 years under national security laws imposed by Beijing.

These laws have fundamentally altered Hong Kong’s media landscape, effectively ending its role as a bastion of independent journalism in the region.

Global Violence Against Journalists

While China leads in imprisonments, the global environment for journalists is also increasingly deadly.

In the past year, 67 journalists were killed because of their work. RSF emphasizes that these deaths are not accidents. “Journalists do not just die – they are killed,” said RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin.

The majority of these killings are linked to armed forces, paramilitary groups, or organized crime. War zones such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan have become especially dangerous, while countries like Mexico face escalating violence from criminal networks.

These killings highlight a broader trend. Journalists are increasingly targeted not just for what they report, but for the act of reporting itself.

The decline in press freedom is not just a problem for journalists. It affects entire societies.

When reporters are silenced, corruption goes unchecked, public health crises are hidden, and governments operate without accountability. The suppression of information in China during the early stages of Covid-19 offers a clear example of how dangerous this can be.

Zhang Zhan’s reporting provided a glimpse into a reality that officials sought to conceal. Her punishment sends a message to others who might attempt the same.

ACZ Editor: Makes you appreciate our First Amendment, right?

Right?