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Reporters are routinely harassed, imprisoned, and killed around the world, UN officials and media groups warned Tuesday. Press freedom is also under attack.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave a speech in advance of World Press Freedom Day and called for media outlets all around the world to support journalists.
He described press freedom as the “foundation of democracy and justice” and the “lifeblood of human rights,” saying in a video message that “all our freedom depends on it.”
But journalistic freedom is being attacked everywhere in the globe, Guterres continued, speaking at a meeting in New York City’s UN building.
Three imprisoned Iranian women, two journalists and a human rights activist, received the 2023 World Press Freedom Prize from UNESCO, bringing attention to the issue.
Although Guterres did not point the finger at any particular nations, other speakers brought up specific instances, like the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia on spurious espionage charges.
According to Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour, “the fight for press freedom, the fight for Evan’s release is a fight for everyone’s freedom.”
The allegations against Gershkovich have been criticised by dozens of news outlets as being unsubstantiated, and US President Joe Biden has termed his detention “totally illegal.”
Other journalists raised the issue of the profession’s increasing risks.
Journalist Masih Alinejad, who is Iranian-American and lives in exile, stated, “I’m from Iran, where being a journalist is a crime… (and) can land you in jail, can get you assassinated, can get you tortured.
“Threatened By Misinformation”
Reporters Without Borders estimates that in 2022, 55 journalists and four media professionals died in the line of duty.
Disinformation and hate speech, which aim to muddy the distinctions between fact and fiction and between science and conspiracy, are a threat to the truth, according to Guterres.
Similar concerns were raised by others, including the head of UNESCO, which is hosting a commemorative event at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday.
The need for “professional, free, independent journalism” is greater than ever, according to Audrey Azoulay, who said that the digital age was transforming the entire landscape of knowledge.
She argued that intimidating and harassing journalists was inappropriate.
Censorship has increased, according to Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard.
She noted that, regrettably, many countries now restrict content as a matter of course when it comes to limiting society’s access to knowledge.
Iranian reporters Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi, who assisted in bringing attention to Mahsa Amini’s death while in police detention in September, as well as human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi were the recipients of the UNESCO prize.
