The Hill reports:

Reporters Without Borders has dropped the United States to No. 45 in its annual ranking of press freedom for 180 countries around the world.

In the report released Wednesday, the United States received a “fairly good” rating, which falls below the category of “good,” in which only 9 percent of countries rated were placed.

The ranking continues a downward trend for the U.S. in recent years. The country finished No. 43 in 2017 and No. 41 in 2016. [Continue reading…]

The Independent reports:

The UK is one of the worst countries in western Europe for press freedom because of new media-muzzling laws and a climate of hostility towards journalists, a new report has found.

The country ranked 40 out of 180 in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, a report compiled by influential non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It dropped to that position last year.

The position marks a “staggering” decline for the UK of 18 places since the index began in 2002, RSF said. [Continue reading…]