Samoa has fallen to its lowest rating on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index, scoring 59 out of 180 countries.

In 2025, Samoa was at 44; however, this year’s rating puts it lower than most Pacific countries except for one featured on the index. New Zealand has a rating of 22, Fiji is on 24, Australia is on 33, Tonga is on 51, while Papua New Guinea comes in at the lowest on 73.

RSF stated that despite the vitality of some of its media groups, this Pacific Island archipelago’s reputation as a regional model of press freedom has been undermined in recent years by pressure from governments confronted with political instability.

Samoa’s best ranking was in 2023 when it was ranked at 19, even better than Australia. In 2019, Samoa was ranked 22, 21 in 2022, 19 in 2023, 22 in 2024 and 44 in 2025.

RSF, when describing the media landscape in the country, stated, “The fight for press freedom has long been symbolised by the Samoa Observer, an independent daily founded in 1978, that has resisted threats, harassment and the torching of its headquarters, and thus enjoys a reputation admired by editors throughout the Pacific.”

In its analysis on the Asia Pacific region, RSF said that on paper, virtually every country in the region recognises press freedom. In practice, the principle is systematically violated.

RSF said that even in more democratic environments, legal frameworks are increasingly being weaponised to silence newsrooms.

“Even in established democracies, legal provisions can undermine press freedom. In Japan (62nd), the state secrecy law continues to have a chilling effect on journalism as there are no adequate protections for source confidentiality to counterbalance it, which breeds self-censorship. In South Korea (47th), government measures introduced to combat the spread of "false information" have drawn criticism from press freedom organisations, yet another example of the persistent tension between tackling disinformation and preserving the right to report.

“No country in the region features in the top 20 of the World Press Freedom Index. New Zealand (22nd) remains the region's model for press freedom, despite slipping six places. Other Asia-Pacific democracies, such as Taiwan (28th), Timor-Leste (30th) and Australia (33rd), face real challenges to upholding the right to reliable information, yet continue to offer broadly protective environments. They stand as exceptions in a region where press freedom is being steadily eroded.”