The free press is in peril. More than 80 percent of people live in a country where media freedoms are in retreat, whether down to state oppression, violence, financial rout, censorship, nefarious tycoons or murderous gangsters. Dozens of journalists are killed every year; hundreds more languish in jails.

This matters. The key role of a free media – to challenge those in power – helps make for a better society. To let it die is to let dangerous men like Putin, Erdoğan and Trump spread their toxic versions of reality.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. It is not a moment to celebrate. The past decade has not been good for media freedom.

But if there is a ray of hope, it is this: it has never been easier for all of us to help. To subscribe, contribute, donate or otherwise underwrite the work of reporters and editors who want to tell their audiences the truth, to hold power to account, to stand up to oppression and censorship.

This is the basis of the Guardian’s financial model. And it unambiguously works. More than 1.5 million people around the world support us. Championing press freedom is one of their principal motivations. It keeps us independent, beholden to no one, free from commercial or political influence, unafraid to challenge powerful people who might otherwise apply financial pressure.

You can join them. Support the free press today.