Western democracies, long considered bastions of press freedom, are no longer immune to the coercive pressures once associated only with authoritarian regimes. Freedom of the press in the West is not collapsing suddenly; it is eroding systematically.

Pressure on journalists is coming from many sides – from populist leaders who brand them as enemies of the people, from media owners who let their business interests trump press freedom, and from a changing media landscape that has gutted revenue streams that support independent journalism.

More than ever, journalists – and media owners – need the courage of their convictions to resist those pressures and remain committed to fact-based reportage. 

“Courage of conviction” is the theme for World Press Freedom Canada’s 2026 awards luncheon, which will be held at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre on April 29. 

We will be honouring journalists who pursue public interest reporting in the face of censorship, intimidation, legal threats or personal danger.

The data point to an existential crisis for traditional, fact-based journalism.

For the first time in its history, the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index declared that global press freedom is in a “difficult situation.” 

RSF’s economic indicator shows news organizations increasingly trapped between preserving editorial independence and ensuring financial survival. Economic fragility is now the leading global threat to press freedom, it says.

As RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocandé warns, “The media’s financial independence is a necessary condition for ensuring free, trustworthy information that serves the public interest.”

That fragility is intensifying as authoritarian instincts gain traction within democratic systems. 

Donald Trump’s second term has brought a marked deterioration in press freedom in the United States. 

His administration terminated federal funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, affecting audiences and outlets worldwide. It has weaponized institutions, sidelined reporters, and blurred the line between journalism and propaganda.

In January, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing her devices as part of a leak investigation. Weeks earlier, CBS’s 60 Minutes pulled a completed segment on deportations to El Salvador just hours before broadcast—despite legal clearance—because the administration had declined to comment. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi warned internally that allowing non-participation to spike stories effectively hands governments a “kill switch” over journalism.

Those pressures are spilling across borders. In October, when Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to attend Trump’s Middle East peace summit, Canada’s Parliamentary Press Gallery was notified just three hours before departure and excluded entirely. Whether intentional or not, excluding the press from oversight undermines democratic accountability.

AI technology adds another layer of strain. Enterprise journalism takes time and money. While AI can improve research efficiency, it also threatens to undermine the economic foundations—and human judgment—on which credible journalism depends.

Public-interest journalism provides essential service: holding power accountable. Investigative reporting requires skill, perseverance, and above all, courage of conviction. 

When governments operate in the shadows, when corporations exploit workers, or when officials lie, journalists function as democracy’s immune system by exposing corruption, secrecy, and abuse before irreparable harm occurs. Meaningful voting, legal redress, and civic participation all depend on access to trustworthy information that is delivered with neither fear nor favour.

The courage of conviction demands resistance, loud and persistent, to maintain rigorous and independent journalism. Our individual freedoms depend on journalists who refuse to be silenced.