The White House on Wednesday dismissed claims that President Trump is to blame after the United States fell to No. 45 on Reporters Without Borders’ annual ranking of press freedoms around the world.
“I certainly would reject the idea that the president or this administration has halted freedom of the press,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.
“I think we’re one of the most accessible administrations we’ve seen in decades,” she said, adding that it’s “ridiculous” to say otherwise.
The U.S. was downgraded from a “good” to “fairly good” rating in the report released Wednesday. Only 9 percent of the 180 countries examined by Reporters Without Borders received a “good” marking for their treatment of journalists. Since 2016, the U.S. has dropped from No. 41 to No. 45.
Pressed on Trump’s controversial treatment of reporters, Sanders said the administration supports a free press, but “we also support a fair press and I think that those things should go hand-in-hand.”
Among the countries that received abysmal ratings for press freedom were North Korea, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and China, while Norway and Sweden earned the highest ratings.
