Reporters Without Borders published its 2026 World Press Freedom Index on 30 April. Turkey fell to 163rd of 180 countries, down from 159th, with a score of 27.94. RSF classifies its situation as “very serious,” the worst of the index’s five categories.

Turkey now sits below Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan and Iraq, and just above Yemen, Belarus and Myanmar. It also sits below Syria, which rose 36 places following the fall of Assad. Turkey is an EU candidate country and a founding member of the Council of Europe.

The steepest declines were not in the areas that usually draw attention. Turkey’s security indicator fell ten places, from 149th to 159th. Its social indicator fell eight, from 154th to 162nd. These measure the physical safety of journalists and the social pressure they work under — not laws, but what happens to reporters in practice.

RSF’s assessment is direct: authoritarianism is gaining ground and media pluralism is being called into question, with all available means used to undermine critics. Around 90 percent of national outlets are under government control. Since the 2023 elections, RSF finds, violence and mass arrests have become the primary tactics used against journalists covering rallies and protests.

On the legal side, RSF points to press cards being withdrawn from critical journalists, courts censoring online articles about corruption, and disinformation charges used to pursue journalists through the courts. It flags the proposed “agents of influence” amendment as a further tool in preparation.

The economic picture is a system, not a side effect. State advertising is allocated through the Press Advertisement Institution to punish uncooperative papers. RTÜK issues fines heavy enough to weaken critical broadcasters. Government allies buy advertising in outlets that cover them favourably.

A four-place fall in a single year is not statistical noise. It is what the index registers when a country’s press environment materially deteriorates while others hold steady.