WASHINGTON: Global press freedom has hit a 13-year low, threatened by US President Donald Trump’s media bashing and restrictions pursued by both democratic and authoritarian governments, a watchdog said Friday. A survey by Freedom House, a US-based human rights organization, highlighted growing concerns over efforts by governments around the world to clamp down on media and dissent. “Political leaders and other partisan forces in many democracies — including the United States, Poland, the Philippines, and South Africa — attacked the credibility of independent media and fact-based journalism, rejecting the traditional watchdog role of the press in free societies,” said Jennifer Dunham, who headed the research.