NPC Podcast: World Press Freedom Index highlights drops in U.S. and elsewhere

Hostility towards journalists and the news media is escalating dramatically worldwide, led by political leaders and authoritarian regimes, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders on April 25.

In the latest episode of Update-1, National Press Club member Viola Gienger, a journalist who has reported from more than 30 countries and supported independent media in the former Soviet Union and the Balkans, interviews Margaux Ewen, the North America director for Reporters Without Borders. Ewen discusses how the U.S. and other key nations ranked in this year's index and what might be done to shore up public support for freedom of the press.

Update-1 is produced by Mike Hempen. The podcast can be heard on the Club website or on iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn.