Reporters Without Borders Lists Trump as Press Predator
Reporters Without Borders added Donald Trump to its 2026 Press Freedom Predators list, which names 33 individuals and organizations.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Media
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Reporters Without Borders added Donald Trump to its 2026 Press Freedom Predators list, published on Monday to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The list also names Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, who is newly listed.
Why it matters
Reporters Without Borders accuses Trump of deliberately wielding the power of his office against media organizations whose reporting he dislikes, citing an intensified campaign since his return to the White House for a second term. The group also says Alphabet and Meta's dominance of digital advertising puts media outlets under economic pressure.
The 2026 list names 33 individuals and organizations, including Alphabet and Meta alongside Vincent Bolloré and Elon Musk. The United States ranks 64th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, but the extraction does not detail how the list's criteria were applied to each entry.
The players
Reporters Without Borders
An international press freedom organization that publishes the annual Press Freedom Predators list and the World Press Freedom Index.
Donald Trump
The current President of the United States, who was added to the 2026 Press Freedom Predators list.
Vladimir Putin
The President of Russia, who remains on the 2026 Press Freedom Predators list.
Xi Jinping
The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China, also named on the 2026 list.
Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi
The President of Egypt, newly listed on the 2026 Press Freedom Predators list.
The details
The list names the Israeli military, the Chinese Communist Party and criminal groups in Mexico alongside political leaders. Alphabet and Meta are included because of their dominance of the digital advertising market, while Vincent Bolloré and Elon Musk also appear on the list.
Timeline
- Second term of Trump's presidency: Trump returned to the White House and intensified his campaign against the media.
- 2001: The Predators list was first published, and it has appeared at irregular intervals since.
- Monday, November 2, 2026: The 2026 list was published to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
Media Landscape
The 2026 Predators list extends the Reporters Without Borders tradition, published at irregular intervals since 2001, of naming heads of state and corporations it accuses of threatening press freedom. Its inclusion of Alphabet and Meta alongside national leaders reflects the group's argument that digital advertising dominance has become a press freedom issue.
For readers following international news, the list signals that press freedom pressures now come from both state leaders and digital platforms that shape how stories reach audiences. Readers who rely on news from outlets facing economic strain may notice changes in the range and depth of coverage over time.
The takeaway
Press freedom is now shaped by political power and advertising markets alike, so readers can benefit from checking which outlets they rely on and how those outlets are funded. Following Reporters Without Borders' published rankings offers a clear view of how these pressures are assessed across countries.
Further reading
For broader context on press freedom and newsroom pressures, explore Media coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by dpa International.
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