US Rankings in Press Freedom Decline Behind Ukraine (arstechnica.com)

• US media freedom score drops below Ukraine.
• Resilience of Ukrainian media sector noted despite war.
• Global trend shows persistent rise in autocratic governance.

"Global indices indicate that the United States has slipped behind Ukraine in press freedom rankings, highlighting a broader regression in democratic standards. The findings underscore a global shift toward autocratic governance, where independent media faces unprecedented scrutiny and political pressure. While Ukraine has demonstrated resilience and reform in its media sector despite existential conflict, the US faces significant challenges from media polarization and the institutional erosion of accountability reporting."