MANILA, Philippines — At least 99 journalists were killed and thousands more were attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned in 2018 on spurious charges or without due process, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported.
The agency, which advocates for freedom of the press, noted that more than 1,000 journalists have been killed while carrying out their work in just over a decade.
“In nine out of 10 cases, no one was held accountable,” UNESCO said, “Women journalists are often at greater risk of being targeted, including through online threats of sexual violence.”
During an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Association of UN Correspondents last Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that the vast majority of those detained and attacked are local journalists working in their own countries and communities and that “most of the journalists and media workers killed, injured and detained were covering politics, crime, corruption and human rights” and not conflict.
Calling this state of affairs “outrageous,” the UN chief stated that: “when journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price” as “no democracy is complete without press freedom.”
“Journalism and the media are essential to peace, justice, sustainable development and human rights for all – and to the work of the United Nations,” Guterres noted, paying tribute to reporters who “go to the most dangerous places on earth, to bring us important information, to give a voice to people who are being ignored and abused, and to hold the powerful to account.”
He also said: “In the two years since I became Secretary-General, the media has brought to light dramatic human suffering in conflict zones, major cases of corruption and nepotism, ethnic cleansing, premeditated sexual and gender-based violence and more, from every corner of the globe. In some cases, these reports were the basis for further investigations by independent observers and human rights reporters.”
He lamented that freedom of the press was increasingly “shrinking” worldwide.
The UN chief called on governments and the international community to “protect journalists and media workers, and to create the conditions they need to do their essential work, and to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of attacks on them.”
The UN General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council have condemned attacks on journalists and expressed support for media freedom through many different frameworks and processes, including the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity – a strategy to support the environment journalists need to perform their vital work. In addition, the UN General Assembly has designated Nov. 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
Deploring the increasing amount of misinformation in the digital age, the UN is stepping up its work in media and information literacy, to help people with the knowledge and skills they need to detect deliberate disinformation, counter hate-speech and defend media freedom.
The organization is also working on monitoring violence against journalists, “an important indicator for sustainable development.”
Finishing on what he termed as “a positive note,” the UN chief said the digital age is also full of opportunities.
“There are many clear signs that the public is starting to understand how important it is to look for information sources that are authoritative,” Guterres said, adding that “the public will always need reliable information and analysis provided by free and diverse media.”