States globally are intensifying their control over information, with press freedom reaching its lowest point in a quarter-century, according to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. This systemic decline in media access serves to protect accumulated power and suppress challenges to existing distributions of authority, forcing individuals to risk severe penalties to access independent news.
Fiona Crack, Global Director, BBC News, stated that “democratic values are under threat globally and this pressure goes hand-in-hand with the reduction in press freedom.” She added that “draconian actions taken by authorities around the world stop journalists doing their job and withhold information from people, increasing international instability and uncertainty.”
State Apparatus Tightens Grip
The Iranian government passed legislation one year ago making the use, buying, or selling of Starlink devices punishable by up to two years in prison, criminalizing access to independent information. A clandestine network has emerged to smuggle Starlink satellite technology into the country, with one individual, “Sahand,” reporting he has sent over a dozen contraband items since January to enable internet access.
In Russia, access to BBC News Russian has been severely restricted since the fifth year of the conflict in Ukraine, with the service’s website and most social media platforms blocked by state authorities. Russian authorities intentionally slowed YouTube in 2024, further limiting avenues for independent media consumption. The Russian state has labeled several BBC News Russian staff members as “Foreign Agents,” exposing them to criminal prosecution for their reporting.
Belarus witnessed an unprecedented post-election media crackdown in 2020, leading to the imprisonment of 22 media workers, according to the independent Belarusian Association of Journalists. Over the past six years, Belarusian authorities have blocked, banned, and declared almost all independent publications and their social media pages as extremist, effectively making engagement with them a crime for audiences inside Belarus. As of March 2026, the Belarusian state has made it illegal for individuals to share BBC News Russian content, extending its information control.
BBC News Persian staff and their families face threats, harassment, and abuse for their reporting, with family members in Iran subjected to repeated interrogation and passport confiscation one year ago.
Workers and Citizens Bear the Cost
Individuals like “Sahand” engage in clandestine networks, smuggling Starlink satellite technology into Iran to enable internet access, risking severe consequences including imprisonment for themselves and their contacts. Sahand stated, “If I was identified by the Iranian regime, they might make those I’m in touch with in Iran pay the price.” He believes that if “even one extra person is able to access the internet, I think it’s successful and it’s worth it.”
Many Iranians bypass state restrictions by utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs) to access independent information, demonstrating a persistent struggle against information blockades. Similarly, audiences in Russia rely on VPNs to access BBC content on various platforms, circumventing state-imposed digital barriers.
The BBC News Persian audience in Iran fell sharply following internet shutdowns at the start of the 2026 protests, illustrating the immediate impact of state control on information flow. Despite this, BBC News Persian had been reaching 27.5 million people each week on Instagram, almost half the adult internet population of Iran, at the start of the 2026 protests.
Adapting to Repression
The BBC World Service states it is adapting to reach audiences through innovative and diverse ways, including launching an emergency lifeline radio programme and a weekly newsletter for BBC News Persian. BBC News Russian has shifted its podcast output to a dedicated Substack page following the ban on all platforms in Russia in 2022 and the subsequent slowdown of YouTube in 2024. BBC News Russian journalists also produce a weekday newsletter with mirror links, attempting to provide access to content without the need for a VPN, a technical workaround to state censorship.
The BBC World Service frames its efforts as fighting reductions in media freedom and providing for audiences who need them most, acknowledging the global threat to “democratic values” and the pressure on press freedom. These adaptive measures operate within the existing framework of state power, seeking to bypass rather than dismantle the mechanisms of information control.