Trump, Adani Group and Musk Named Among RSF’s 33 “Press Freedom Predators”
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has named 33 individuals and organisations in its 2026 “press freedom predators” list, citing political intimidation, violence, legal harassment, financial pressure and online attacks against journalism.
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In a Nutshell
- RSF released the list on November 2, marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. It groups those named into five categories: political, security, legal, economic and social.
- US President Donald Trump appears in the political category. RSF cited verbal attacks, legal intimidation, administrative reprisals and restrictions on journalists’ access to government and military institutions. Vladimir Putin and Daniel Ortega also feature in that category.
- The security category includes the Israeli armed forces, the Chinese Communist Party and Mexican drug cartels. RSF cited attacks on journalists in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, imprisonment in China and killings linked to organised crime in Mexico.
- India’s Adani Group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appear in the legal category over what RSF describes as abusive proceedings against journalists and media outlets.
- Alphabet and Meta feature in the economic category, while Elon Musk and Indian website OpIndia appear in the social category. RSF distinguishes financial pressure on newsrooms from campaigns that undermine trust in journalists or encourage harassment.
- No Bangladeshi individual or organisation appears on the list. However, Bangladesh ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF’s separate 2026 World Press Freedom Index, with its situation classified as “very serious”.
Context
The list identifies actors RSF considers responsible for attacks on journalism. It is not a court judgment or a comprehensive register of every offender. RSF Director-General Thibaut Bruttin acknowledged its subjective nature, saying documentation and public identification could help prevent attacks from becoming normalised.
It also differs from the World Press Freedom Index. The index assesses national conditions, while the list focuses on particular individuals and organisations and the methods attributed to them.
Why It Matters
Putting political leaders, tech billionaires and large companies on a global “predators” list shows that attacks on journalism have changed. Media freedom is now limited not only through bans, violence and detention, but also through legal threats, online manipulation and public attacks on journalists.
Bangladesh is not directly named on this list. However, its 152nd position in the World Press Freedom Index shows a serious and ongoing problem with media independence. When powerful groups weaken journalism, public accountability suffers around the world.
What We Think
Naming global leaders and major companies as threats to press freedom brings attention to the attacks on journalism and public truth. Using courts and digital platforms against independent journalists directly attacks democratic accountability as much as direct censorship.
Bangladesh’s absence from this particular list may seem like a little relief but its media-freedom ranking is still very low. Yet it may serve as a motivation to make space for journalists to report independently, with legal protections that hold up when powerful interests seek to pressure or intimidate them.