Somber Tones, Little Sunshine, No Rest

Michael Hedges May 3, 2019 - Follow on Twitter

Advocates for media and press freedom set out their concerns and, sometimes, praise on World Press Freedom Day. Worries certainly outweigh tributes. The UNESCO designated day to commemorate the benefits of media and press freedom to democratic well-being has been observed since 1993. This year’s official theme is journalism in times of disinformation.

In its statement (April 30). UNESCO said this year’s focus is on the effect fake news has on elections, threats to journalists and news organizations and the quandary of internet regulation. The event’s signature press freedom prize was awarded to Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone, still in a Myanmar prison. Addis Abba, Ethiopia was chosen for the main conference venue, which drew considerable participation from the African continent. By coincidence, Reporters sans Frontiérs (RSF) 2019 Global Press Freedom Index showed Ethiopia most improved in the rankings, up 40 places among 178 countries.

The impunity that follows violence toward journalists was central to a statement by World Editors Forum president Dave Callaway (May 3). He noted that big business has shrugged at the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi seven months ago in the Istanbul, Turkey consulate of Saudi Arabia, the main suspects widely believed associated with the Saudi Royal family. “The world is a tough place, they say. But the message that sends to the Saudis is that they can buy their way out of anything, even killing journalists. On the front lines of this battle are the brave journalists who strive to report the truth about the violence and corruption in this world. Some pay with their lives. Others sit unjustly in jail. They need our help, not be told the world is tough.” (See the full WAN-IFRA statement here)

“More than ever, it is a time to close ranks because truth is the bedrock of everything we hold dear as a country and people,” said a statement from the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), quoted by news portal Rappler (May 3). “We're commemorating it at a time when governments have sought to paint the free press as enemies of states to muzzle us and escape accountability. This is not a time to bend and shrink.” Rappler executive editor Maria Ressa was arrested for a second time in February after disquieting the regime with reporting about corruption. "More than any administration since the unlamented Marcos dictatorship, never have freedom of the press and of expression been under siege as during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte,” said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in a statement (May 3).

For the first time ever, Brazil’s Public Prosecutors Office (CNMP) released details to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on the murders of 64 “communicators” - journalists, broadcasters and bloggers - since 1995. Of the 16 cases that remain unsolved three date from 10 years or more. “The communicators most vulnerable do not have the structure of a large company or resources to protect themselves," said report author Emmanuel Levenhagen, one of the prosecutors, quoted by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) (April 30).

Annotating examples of recent award-winning news coverage, New York Times international editor Michael Slackman explained (May 2) taking down the NYTs paywall for three days “to celebrate their (journalist’s) work and press freedom. We are not patting ourselves on the back. These days, in fact, we may be closer to wringing our hands.” Journalist’s safety is an overarching concern: “Authoritarian leaders who once feared backlash from Washington if they went after American reporters now seem to be under the impression that they may get only a slap on the wrist — or even a nod and a wink. That is why World Press Freedom Day resonates this year, perhaps more than in the past.”

“It is good to be the media minister in a country that once again was voted the country with the greatest press freedom,” said Norway’s Culture and Media Minister Trine Skei Grande, quoted by journalisten.no (May 3). “We should not just sunbathe in the splendor. In many places around the world, liberal values are under pressure, and we see freedom of speech threatened and restricted by illiberal forces. When the media is attacked, democracy weakens. It's worrying.

“It's rare we stand at the barricades for something that is perceived as safe,” she concluded. “Today it is World Press Freedom Day and the day to raise the importance of independent and serious media. We have a long and strong tradition in Norway, which is why we are number one in the world. We should be proud of it, but never take it for granted.” Norway ranked first in the RSF Global Press Freedom Index for the third consecutive year.

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