Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has presented a list of 34 "predators of media freedom" who threatened journalists and the right to information during 2025. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is also on the list.
"During the numerous protests that followed the deadly collapse of a train station on November 1, 2024, 89 journalists were attacked — a record in Europe. In October 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution sharply criticizing the government of President Aleksandar Vučić. Fueled by pro-government media and Vučić's supporters, smear campaigns are fueling physical violence. Propaganda is flourishing: RT Balkan, a Kremlin-backed media outlet based in Belgrade and backed by the government, launched its own TV channel in late 2024," RSF reminds.
They point out that there were at least 89 physical attacks and dozens of threats against media workers reporting on anti-corruption protests during the year, and recall the arbitrary police raid on the premises of media outlets whose activities were supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as the premises of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA). They also recall that foreign journalists were denied entry at the border, as well as the attempt to use spyware against at least two journalists.
"What Nova S and N1 are doing is pure terrorism, and we are waiting to see what the prosecution will say – we are still waiting," RSF recalls Vučić's words.
His "weapon", as it is alleged, is the use of state institutions and agencies to attack journalists.
Who else is on the list?
The list includes, among others: the Communist Party of China led by Xi Jinping, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
The list also includes the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), responsible for the deaths of almost 220 journalists. The Myanmar Peace and Security Commission and the military junta in Burkina Faso, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, are equally skilled at silencing those who report independently, RSF writes.
In Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel emerged in 2025 as the most violent criminal organization in the country and one of the most dangerous predators of journalism.
In 2025, predators of press freedom are further highlighted by their increasing use of technology to restrict free reporting. While Xi Jinping uses Chinese chatbots to spread state propaganda, Elon Musk uses his X platform to harass journalists, and the IDF, already responsible for hundreds of journalist murders, also conducts online smear campaigns to discredit journalism.
The list also included: Supreme Leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan Haibatullah Akhundzada, Vladimir Putin (Russia), Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua), Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus), Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Ali Khamenei (Iran), Nicolas Maduro (Venezuela), Viktor Orban (Hungary).
There are also: Israel Defense Forces, Communist Party of China, Myanmar military junta, Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia), Burkina Faso military junta, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Mexico), Brendan Carr (USA), Foundation Against Terrorism (Guatemala), Seng Heang (Cambodia), Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey), Yon Li Ka-chiu (Hong Kong), Roskomnadzor (Russia), Adani Group (India).
Also on the list are: Alphabet and Meta (USA), Bidzina Ivanishvili (Georgia), Vladimir Tabak (Russia), Alden Global Capital (USA), William Ruto (Kenya), Vincent Bolloré (France), Elon Musk (USA), Honest Reporting (Israel), Margarita Simonyan (Russia), OpIndia, Javier Milley (Argentina), Robert Fico (Slovakia)
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