“The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history,” one of the world’s top democracy researchers says in a new report. The researchers compile detailed datasets and produce “liberal democracy index” scores for 202 countries and territories altogether. Many aspects relate to freedom of expression. V-Dem calls government censorship of the media the “preferred weapon of choice” for dictators and aspiring autocrats around the world. And, to be sure, the group’s rankings for freedom of expression in the US remain far higher than in most countries.

Source: CNN March 18, 2026 14:43 UTC