The publication on May 3, 2026—World Press Freedom Day—of the annual report by the National Union of Tunisian Journalists on the state of press freedoms comes amid a particularly challenging national context, marked by an alarming erosion of civil liberties and a growing narrowing of the public sphere. The significance of this report therefore lies not only in the fact that it documents the violations suffered by journalists, but also in the fact that it offers an in-depth picture of the transformations the regime in power has undergone since July 25, 2021, as well as its relationship to freedom of expression, the right to diversity, criticism, and accountability.
It is clear that freedom of the press is not limited to a single professional sector that can be separated from the broader system of rights and freedoms. It is, by its very nature, a telling indicator of the state of the entire political society. It is often the first of these freedoms to be curtailed when public life begins to close in on itself, because the cost of silencing the press is lower than that of silencing the entire society, and because controlling the flow of information is the most effective way to control the entire public sphere.
When a journalist faces the threat of legal action, administrative pressure, or restrictions on access to information, this reflects not only a professional crisis specific to the media sector, but also a deeper imbalance affecting the very nature of the relationship between those in power and society as a whole.
The report takes on added significance in light of Tunisia’s sharp decline in the World Press Freedom Index published by the organization “Reporters Without Borders.” While the country ranked 73rd globally in 2021, appearing as one of the relative exceptions in the region, Tunisia has fallen to 137th place globally in 2026. This decline cannot be reduced to mere technical figures or a few isolated incidents: it reflects a continuous political and legal trajectory marked by the gradual contraction of spaces of freedom, the rise of control, threats, surveillance, and attempts to dominate the public sphere.
In this context, the Union’s report paints a particularly bleak picture of the situation facing the press and the media, documenting attacks, legal proceedings, and administrative and on-the-ground obstacles targeting journalists. But what the report reveals that is most alarming is not only the number of violations, but their evolving nature: pressure is no longer exerted primarily through direct censorship or explicit bans, as in traditional authoritarian regimes; it is increasingly being exerted through repressive legal, judicial, and administrative instruments, producing an even more dangerous effect: the spread of fear and the expansion of self-censorship.
In this regard, the report expresses deep concern over the increasing use of Decree-Law 54 and other repressive legislation in cases related to freedom of expression and journalistic work. Instead of being used to protect rights and guarantee media freedom, these laws are often used as tools to deter, pressure, and silence critical voices, thereby creating a climate that forces journalists to consider the legal consequences before even thinking about publishing a story. This is where the real danger lies: when censorship ceases to be an external mechanism and becomes a fear internalized by the journalist themselves.
The report also draws attention to the gradual erosion of the right of access to information, as evidenced by declining transparency, increasing difficulties in accessing official data, and the refusal of a growing number of public institutions to communicate with the press. This situation is not merely a professional problem for journalists; it undermines citizens’ right to information, as the lack of reliable data paves the way for rumors, misinformation, and the—albeit weak—monopoly of the official narrative of events.
But as the report shows, the crisis runs deeper than mere cyclical constraints: it is a complex structural crisis that is undermining the very foundations of the media sector. On the one hand, media companies are facing crippling economic vulnerability due to declining advertising revenue and the lack of clear public policies to support an independent and responsible press. Many of them are thus teetering on the brink of bankruptcy or dependent on funding sources that could compromise their editorial independence.
At the same time, the precarious nature of journalists’ professional and social situations continues to worsen: widespread precarious employment, low wages, a lack of job security, and inadequate social security coverage. In such a context, it becomes extremely difficult—and in some cases impossible—to speak of robust investigative journalism or genuine editorial independence, because a journalist whose livelihood and job security are threatened is more exposed to pressure and more vulnerable to political or economic demands.
Added to this is the erosion of media regulation and governance mechanisms, as well as the paralysis of the institutions that safeguard pluralism and independence, which exacerbates legal and institutional opacity and makes the sector even more vulnerable to interference by the executive branch or to financial and political influences.
Ultimately, the most troubling aspect of the report is that what is happening does not appear to be the result of isolated malfunctions or a temporary crisis, but rather a gradual transformation of the very nature of the public sphere: from a space based on pluralism and open debate to one that is closing in on itself more and more each day, where the relationship between the government and the media is being redefined on the basis of loyalty, silence, or excessive fear.
That is why this report should not be read as merely a trade union or professional document, but as a deeply political document that is fundamentally linked to human rights. It warns that the erosion of press freedom is not just a problem for journalists, but a sign of a broader crisis affecting the future of civil liberties and democracy in Tunisia: when the free press is weakened, it is not only the journalist who loses out; it is society as a whole that is deprived of one of its main tools for understanding, democratic oversight, and the defense of truth
