Watch out for more of the Trump effect

While press freedom around the world has long been in decline, 2025 brought a whirlwind of new pressures for journalists and newsrooms, including in democracies. The speed and scale of US President Donald Trump’s attacks on journalism during his first year in office has been deeply shocking and had reverberations worldwide - including in the UK. The Trump effect has been most visible here in his recent, outrageous pursuit of the BBC, but it can also be seen in a wider emboldening of the anti-press movement - a trend which is likely to continue in 2026.

Nottingham County Council’s attempts in September to prevent local journalists from reporting on its actions was straight out of the Trumpian playbook, and with Trump showing no signs of letting up – and political leaders lacking backbone in their defence of press freedom – we can expect more of the same next year. While the Reform party has been most vocal in its attempts to discredit the press, there has been a cross-party trend of politicians denying access to journalists whom they perceive as critical, a type of interference which has no place in a democracy.

Divisive politics in Britain has also fuelled a rise in physical and verbal attacks on journalists, meaning that newsrooms – particularly in the regions – will find it increasingly challenging to balance the safety of their teams and their duty to report freely and fairly on issues of public interest. 

Throw in a public consultation on the future of the BBC, and 2026 could prove to be an important year for UK media freedom. It’s time for everyone - politicians, certainly, but also every one of us – to wake up to the threat to reliable information and do everything possible to defend and support quality journalism. Because without it, democracy itself will struggle to survive.