PROTECT AND STRENGTHEN JOURNALISM FOR VIBRANT DEMOCRACY

Editorial . . . . . . 

Journalism and the media are essential for a healthy democracy. With the advancement of technology, journalism and traditional media outlets are no longer the only options. Even if social media, digital media, and even web media have grown in popularity, journalism still has a vital role to play and has the potential to affect many positive changes. The public’s trust in journalism has declined as a result of a few individuals or groups defaming it in the name of journalism. The fact that 274 journalists were imprisoned globally in 2020, the most in a single year in three decades, and that 400 journalists lost their lives between 2016 and 2020 while carrying out their occupations or as a result of their work, must not be forgotten. Only 13% of the cases that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been tracking since 2006 are currently considered to have been resolved in court, and 73% of the surveyed female journalists reported having experienced online violence while performing their jobs. One of the most urgent issues is ending impunity for crimes committed against journalists in order to ensure everyone has access to information and the right to free speech. Over 1,200 journalists were killed between 2006 and 2020 as a result of their work gathering news and informing the public. According to the UNESCO observatory of dead journalists, murderers escape justice in nine out of 10 cases. Impunity increases violence rates and is frequently a sign of escalating hostilities as well as the collapse of the legal and judicial systems. While killings constitute the harshest form of media control, journalists face a wide range of dangers, including kidnapping, torture, and other physical attacks as well as harassment, especially online. Threats of violence and attacks, particularly against journalists, engender fear among media workers and obstruct the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and information among all citizens. The United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is the organization’s first coordinated effort to address attacks on journalists and the issue of crime-related impunity from a multi-stakeholder and comprehensive perspective. It brings together representatives from the UN, national governments, the press, and civil society organizations. The subject of journalist safety has received more attention from the UN since the plan was adopted, as shown by the rise in declarations, resolutions, and other normative texts, as well as the UN Secretary General’s Call to Action for Human Rights. One of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to safeguard journalists. The Plan also aided in the development of international coalitions of governments and civil society, as well as improvements on the ground, such as the introduction of national safety regulations in at least 50 countries. November 2 has been declared the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists” by the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163, which urged Member States to take decisive measures to challenge the existing culture of impunity. The day was named in honour of the two French journalists who died on November 2, 2013, while reporting from Mali. This historic resolution condemns all assaults and violent crimes against journalists.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community in a message to show the political will necessary to fully investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists and media workers. He also urged the international community to stand in solidarity with journalists around the world. Let’s encourage fact-based, responsible journalism. When the public backs journalists and the media who seek out the truth and justice, this is feasible. False or hateful news must be shunned if the media is to regain the public’s trust. The government must assist and safeguard the journalists at the same time. Together, we can put an end to attacks on journalists. Do not forget that journalism is a public asset that needs to be safeguarded.