Press Freedom Index: 10 African Countries Score Better than US

 Reporters without Borders posted recently its "RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: Economic Fragility a Leading Threat to Press Freedom."

RSF ranked 180 countries for the 2025 index.  Ten African countries, led by South Africa, Namibia, and Cabo Verde scored better than the United States, ranked number 57, although Sub-Saharan Africa generally experienced a decline in press freedom.  The five lowest ranking countries were Eritrea, North Korea, China, Syria, and Iran.  

The 2025 RSF index shows that today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival.  

Secretary Blinken's Visit to Africa Follows One by China's Foreign Minister

 Modern Diplomacy published on 18 January 2024 an article titled "Blinken to Refocus on Africa as Russia, China Make Gains."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Angola 21-26 January.  The trip follows one by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Egypt, Tunisia, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo.  The article implies there is a connection on the timing of Blinken's visit to the one by Foreign Minister Wang.  

Comment:  The media tend to see these visits as an example of US/China/Russia competition, especially when they occur one after the other and when one or more of the same countries are visited.  But Secretary of State visits unrelated to world crises such as the war in Gaza are usually planned months in advance and normally have no connection to visits by other world leaders.