Sierra Leone has experienced a dramatic decline in press freedom, falling 23 places in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), driven largely by violations observed since President Julius Maada Bio’s re-election in 2023.

The country now ranks 79th out of 180 nations globally, with an overall score of 57.06 out of 100. This represents a steep drop from the 2025 ranking of 56th, where Sierra Leone had scored 66.36.

The index measures the health of media environments across five indicators: political, economic, legal, social, and security contexts.

RSF noted that while the law guarantees freedom of the press and press offences were decriminalized during President Bio’s first term, the reality on the ground has worsened since his 2023 reelection.

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“Several press freedom violations have been observed since his reelection in 2023,” the organization stated in its country report.

The legal framework itself remains relatively progressive. A provision in a 1965 public order law penalizing defamation was repealed in 2020, and media regulation is now handled by the Independent Media Commission (IMC), which RSF describes as “free of governmental and political control.” Laws affecting the media are drawn up in consultation with key stakeholders, including the IMC and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).

However, the legal indicator still scored 77 out of 180 (62.75 points), indicating room for improvement.

The economic indicator was Sierra Leone’s second-weakest performance, ranking 96th with a score of just 39.74. RSF reported that most media outlets are concentrated in the capital, Freetown, and journalists are “poorly paid and lack the equipment they need to work properly.”

This economic vulnerability creates an opening for political influence. “Politicians exploit to influence coverage in exchange for financial, material or logistical support,” the report stated. While politicians are legally only allowed to create newspapers, not radio or TV stations, RSF said “many media are influenced by politicians due to a lack of financial resources and poor management.”

The government provides quarterly budgetary support to SLAJ, the main journalists’ union, but does not subsidize independent media outlets.

The security indicator was Sierra Leone’s poorest performance, ranking 112th with a score of 57.70 – a dramatic fall from 71st in 2025, when the country scored 85.17.

RSF warned that “elections are often marked by violence against journalists, especially by political activists, and by fear of Internet shutdowns.” Journalists face harassment and arrests by police, who can confiscate their equipment. Threats, online intimidation campaigns, and even attempted murder have occurred when journalists work on sensitive investigations.

On the social front, Sierra Leone ranked 54th with a score of 70.88 – down from 45th in 2025. While journalists are generally free to cover most social issues without censorship or reprisals, RSF noted that “the use of social media to relay political propaganda, disinformation, and hate speech is an increasingly frequent practice.”

According to RSF, at the end of 2022, Sierra Leone had a total of 531 media outlets, including 228 radio stations, 242 newspapers, 24 magazines, 26 local TV stations, and 11 digital satellite TV stations – though “many of them were operating irregularly.”

Radio remains the most popular medium, followed by TV. Community radio stations cover much of the country, while local TV channels rarely extend beyond cities. Leading privately owned media outlets include AYV TV channel, Democracy radio station, and the Awoko and Standard Times daily newspapers, alongside the state-owned broadcaster SLBC.

Journalists are free to investigate all subjects, including politically sensitive ones, but “often find it hard to obtain information about public institutions.”

The 2026 index shows Sierra Leone now ranks 79th globally, reflecting a significant erosion of press freedoms compared to just one year earlier. The decline places the country under renewed scrutiny as it prepares for the 2028 general elections, a period RSF has identified as historically high-risk for violence against journalists and potential internet shutdowns.

The full report is available on the RSF website.