From Mexico to Sierra Leone, independent journalism ‘on knife-edge’ of extinction after crippling year

Newsrooms around the world holding governments to account and providing life-saving information to the public are close to collapse, writes Gemma Fox, The Independent’s deputy international editor

Mexico is considered the world’s most dangerous country for journalists (AFP/Getty)

At a time when access to reliable information can be a matter of life and death, newsrooms around the world are on the brink of collapse after a crushing year of nosediving revenues and systematic attacks on journalists. 

The industry was already on the edge, falling newspaper sales coupled with audiences resistant to the idea of paying for online news leaving newsrooms dangerously dependent on advertising and donor funding.

And so while readership numbers soared over the past year for many organisations, a decimation of profits has triggered widespread layoffs and shrinking operations during a period of rampant disinformation. Coupled with global lockdowns and travel bans restricting vital on-the-ground reporting, journalists warn they face their toughest time yet.