A new report shows that the Baltic countries are leading the way in supporting media freedom internationally.

Lithuania topped the Index, Estonia ranked 4^th, while Latvia came 9^th out of the countries measured. 

However four G7 members - the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and Japan - were placed in the lowest ‘bronze’ category, scoring 10 points or less in the Index.

And although the US ranked equal 12^th in the Index, a time lag in reporting means that this does not capture its significant cuts to aid spending in 2025 under the Trump administration, which have had a substantial impact on international media assistance.

The Index on International Media Freedom Support (IMFS) is the first index to evaluate countries' foreign policy support for media freedom. 

 

McGill researchers who examined the writing skills of teenagers in Montreal found that the performance in French of English-French bilinguals was similar to that of near-monolingual francophones. Bilinguals were defined as teens raised in anglophone or bilingual (English-French) households and who had had significant exposure to French through attending French-language school. Further, the English writing skills of the bilingual participants were found to be on par with their French writing skills.

A lack of childcare access in Michigan has been found to dramatically inhibit labor participation, especially for women, single parents and young families. Researchers found that when families live further from a licensed childcare provider in Michigan, they are significantly less likely to participate in the workforce.

A peer-reviewed study in Information Systems Research shows that AI-powered social media bots can increase user engagement on posts, but they fall short of encouraging users to post more overall.

Women are overlooked in the government’s current drugs strategy, researchers claim.

A study by University of Staffordshire, Expert Citizens CIC and the Centre for Justice Innovation highlights gender inequities in drug and alcohol services, with its authors calling for improved treatment and support for women with substance-use issues.