RSF: World Press Freedom Index 2026 – Turkey
Amnesty International, April 2026
Overview
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, ranking Turkey 163rd out of 180 countries, four positions lower than its 2025 ranking of 159th. Turkey's overall press freedom score also declined from 29.40 to 27.94 out of 100, highlighting worsening conditions for independent journalism.
RSF identifies persistent threats to press freedom in Turkey, including political interference, judicial harassment, media ownership concentration, economic pressure, censorship, and intimidation of journalists.
The report comes amid a broader global decline in press freedom, with more than half of the countries assessed now classified as having a difficult or very serious environment for journalism.
Key Findings
Global Ranking: Turkey ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in 2026, falling four places from 2025 and remaining among the world's lowest-ranked countries for press freedom.
Media Control: RSF estimates that approximately 90% of national media outlets are under government control, significantly limiting media pluralism and the availability of independent reporting.
Judicial Harassment: Journalists continue to face investigations, prosecution, and imprisonment under broadly applied laws concerning disinformation, terrorism, insulting public officials, and other speech-related offenses.
Political Interference: RSF reports that arrests, police violence, and legal pressure against journalists covering political demonstrations have intensified since the 2023 elections.
Economic Pressure: Government advertising allocations, regulatory fines, and financial penalties place independent media outlets at a substantial disadvantage. Critical broadcasters face particularly severe financial pressure.
Online Censorship: Restrictions on digital content, removal of critical reporting, and legal action against online journalism continue to undermine the public's access to independent information.
Journalist Safety: Reporters covering protests, corruption, and politically sensitive subjects face intimidation, threats, and risks of physical violence.
Declining Press Freedom Indicators: Turkey received particularly low scores for its political environment (20.16/100) and economic environment (26.78/100). Its legal, social, and security indicators also reflect serious challenges.
Why It Matters
The 2026 World Press Freedom Index highlights the continued deterioration of independent journalism and freedom of expression in Turkey.
Restrictions on press freedom undermine democratic accountability, weaken public oversight of government institutions, and limit the ability of journalists to investigate corruption, judicial abuses, and human rights violations.
Turkey's declining ranking reinforces the need for greater protections for journalists, judicial independence, media pluralism, and compliance with international human rights standards.
Tags
Turkey · Reporters Without Borders · RSF · Press Freedom · Journalism · Freedom of Expression · Media Pluralism · Censorship · Human Rights · Rule of Law
Comments