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United Nations, May 3 (AP) — The U.N. chief warned on the eve of World Press Freedom Day that the media is under attack in every corner of the world and urged all countries to stop targeting the truth and those who report it.
Secretary-General António Guterres called a 50% increase in killings of media workers by 2022 “unbelievable” and stressed that press freedom “is the foundation of democracy and justice” and that it is under threat.
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In 2022, at least 67 media workers will be killed. In addition, digital platforms and social media make it easier for extremists to spread false reports and harass journalists.
“The truth is threatened by disinformation and hate speech that seek to blur the lines between fact and fiction, science and conspiracy,” Guterres said.
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Guterres said the collapse of the media industry had shut down local news organizations and that the media “in the hands of a few” was threatening free speech.
New laws passed by governments around the world are also under threat, such as Russia’s 2022 law that could face up to 15 years in prison for anyone publishing military information that Moscow considers false.
Russia detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges in late March, a claim the Journal denies. The Biden administration says Gershkovish was wrongfully detained and has been working to secure his release.
Guterres has strongly criticized media workers for being attacked both online and offline, saying they are routinely harassed, intimidated and detained. He added that nearly three-quarters of female journalists had experienced violence online, and a quarter had received physical threats.
Guterres made the remarks in a video message from the United Nations marking the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, first declared by the UN General Assembly in December 1993 and mandated to take place on May 3 each year.
The Secretary-General said the world must come together to stop threatening, attacking and jailing journalists for doing their job, and stop lies and disinformation.
“When journalists stand up for the truth, the world stands with them,” he said.
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, who organized the commemorative event, said that the arrival of the digital age has changed the entire information landscape.
She said that while digital platforms offer new ways of expression and information, “they also provide fertile ground for those who spread disinformation, hate speech and conspiracy theories.”
“We find ourselves at a new crossroads,” Azoulay said. “Our current path is leading us away from informed public debate … towards greater polarization,” she warned. “The other path is something we have to imagine together to ensure that information can remain in the public interest and accessible to all.”
In 2021, UNESCO launched a model course on media and information literacy for teachers “to develop critical thinking styles to navigate these new trends,” Azoulay said.
Given that the business models of digital platforms are based on clicks, she said, they “tend to favor sensationalism over truth.”
That’s why, Azoulay said, UNESCO organized a global conference in February to address the issue, with the goal of ensuring that “technology contributes to our shared values and advances human rights rather than harms them.” More than 4,000 participants Interested parties attended the meeting. In a “decisive step,” she said, Unesco will publish later this year a set of guidelines on online content vetting and selection — just as broadcast did almost 20 years ago, she said.
Tuesday’s commemoration is the first of more than 60 events in 60 countries and 40 in New York City to highlight the world’s Press freedom wears 30th anniversary and unacceptable decline of media freedom.
He cited statistics released last year by Unesco, which said 85 percent of the world’s population had experienced a reduction in their freedoms in the past five years.
Canela said a recent UNESCO survey found that journalists covering protests in 65 countries in all regions were attacked, while other recent data showed that the judicial system was increasingly harassing journalists in all regions, “160 countries still preserve freedom of expression under criminal laws” which can lead to jail time for journalists.
The Presidents of the UN General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the UNESCO General Conference and the Human Rights Council signed a joint statement urging “a safe and enabling environment for journalists to carry out their work independently and without undue interference ”—and to promote and uphold the right to freedom of opinion and expression. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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