Two reports released in December highlight shrinking democratic freedoms and the consequences for public interest journalism in an increasingly autocratic world. 

UNESCO’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global report 2022/2025, Journalism: shaping a world at peace, documents a historic 10% decline in freedom of expression globally between 2012 and 2024.

The V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2025: 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? puts almost three out of four people in the world under autocratic rule.

Whilst the the report, documenting data to December 2024, does not include the US on its watchlist, it warns: “The scale of what is happening in the US is unprecedented and prompts a closer look at what seems to be the fastest evolving episode of autocratization the USA has been through in modern history”.

Source: V Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2025

So what can journalists do when autocratisation moves from the abstract to the newsroom—when pressure replaces protection, and access gives way to control?

A panel of senior legal experts, representing the world’s top news agencies, offered examples from the modern ‘Dictator’s Playbook’ – and advice on how to respond – at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust Conference 2025 in London in October.

Katharine Larsen, Deputy General Counsel: Litigation, for Reuters; Karen Kaiser, Associate general counsel for Associated Press, and Randy Shapiro, representing Bloomberg’s global newsroom council, illustrated the extent of this shift – in breadth and scope – with personal case studies worldwide that reflect the circuitous sophistication of efforts to silence critical reporting.

“They’re growing exponentially, they’re thoughtful, well funded, and they come in every form and from every dimension: we’re seeing physical, digital, legal attacks,” noted Reuter’s Karen Kaiser.

Increasingly, they work by weaponising neutral-looking laws, denying access, and exhausting newsrooms through litigation and bureaucracy, noted the panel. 

“The tactics against journalists and against the press are constantly changing, becoming so much more sophisticated and complex and nuanced which makes them harder to spot and harder to tackle and requires us as lawyers to equip ourselves better,” explained Katharine Larsen. 

Censorship in the second quarter of the 21st century no longer looks like bans or shutdowns. Instead, we see revoked credentials, restricted access, visa and border uncertainty for foreign journalists,  explicit retaliation against editorial independence and abuse of financial, security, or privacy laws.

“These threats are systemic, interconnected, and evolving. None of them happen in isolation,” said Larsen.

Defending public interest media today demands legal readiness – and clear understanding that journalism itself is the public interest worth defending.

CHECKLIST

What newsrooms can do

LEGAL AND STRATEGIC

• Challenge retaliation early and publicly to establish constitutional principles before patterns normalise.
• Coordinate across outlets (via press freedom groups) when access or credentialing rules change.
• Track non-media laws (financial, market, national security) being used against journalists.

EDITORIAL AND POLICY

• Document public-interest checklists rigorously, especially in privacy-heavy jurisdictions.
• Prepare for cross-jurisdictional takedown risks before publication.
• Budget for litigation as a core operational cost, not an exception.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Shift from country-based to person-based risk assessments, considering:

• Nationalities
• Languages
• Reporting history
• Transit routes
• Maintain comprehensive plans covering legal, digital, physical, and communications risks.

_________________

BEFORE REPORTING

☐ Assess access risks
Could credentials, press pool access, visas, or permits be revoked?
Is access being conditioned on language or framing?

☐ Map legal exposure
Are non-media laws (tax, fraud, market abuse, national security) relevant?
Could privacy or contempt rules limit identification?

☐ Document public interest
Record why this reporting matters
Keep notes showing responsible editorial decision-making

☐ Confirm legal support
Is legal backing clear for staff and freelancers?
Do reporters know who to call if something goes wrong?

BEFORE PUBLISHING

☐ Check cross-border impact
Could this trigger legal risk outside the reporting country?
Is geoblocking or delayed publication needed?

☐ Run a privacy & retaliation review
Are individuals named under investigation but not charged?
Could publication trigger access retaliation?

☐ Prepare for pushback
Anticipate takedown demands, lawsuits, or credential threats
Align newsroom and legal responses in advance

TRAVEL AND DIGITAL SAFETY

☐ Border hygiene
Use loaner laptop and burner phone when possible; remove sensitive apps, notes, and auto-downloads; store data in the cloud with no local access

☐ Know your devices
Disable auto-saving of messaging app media
Understand what data is visible if your phone is searched

☐ Carry only what you need
Do not travel with sensitive documents or source material

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

☐ Escalate immediately
Contact legal and editorial leadership
Do not handle alone

☐ Document everything
Who said what, when, and why
Keep emails, notices, and written instructions

☐ Show up
Ensure legal representation
Publicly defend journalistic principles when appropriate

ONGOING

☐ Update risk plans regularly
☐ Share intelligence with peer newsrooms
☐ Budget for legal defense as a core cost
☐ Advocate for anti-SLAPP and press protections

 This checklist was drawn from advice given by the panelists at the Trust Conference. ChatGPT was used to order the advice.