Executive Summary

In 2025, Latin America saw an uptick in violence against reporters and declining press freedoms, despite improvements in previous years. Indeed, the region of  Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most risky area worldwide for journalists to operate. Deteriorating social, political, and criminal situations in many countries in the region, including the expansion of organized crime, impunity, and the decline of traditional media outlets, drive this trend. These factors are unlikely to fade absent significant changes in law enforcement and socio-political norms. The situation in Mexico is particularly dire, and we do not see any indications that the high level of violence against journalists there will end in 2025.