Did you know that we celebrate World Press Freedom Day tomorrow (i.e. 3 May)? Based on an initiative from UNESCO, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day in 1993. Since then, it has been celebrated each year on 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek. The declaration calls for free, independent, pluralistic media worldwide where free press is seen as essential to democracy and a fundamental human right.
This year’s celebrations will take place in Medellin, Colombia:
Press freedom, safety of journalists and impunity will be the topics of UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2007. Due to the 10th anniversary of UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, this year’s World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated in the city of Medellin, Colombia. The murder of Guillermo Cano, director of the Colombian daily newspaper “El Espectador,” is significant as regards unpunished crimes against journalists. Guillermo Cano Isaza was assassinated on December 17, 1986 in front of the newspaper’s exit in Bogota by two hired killers.
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So how is press freedom and journalism doing? Not very well – in fact, it is a high risk occupation and the statistics are grim:
The Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Barometer proves that countries involved in violent conflict are dangerous places for media professionals – with 37 journalists killed in Iraq since the beginning of 2006, 3 in Sri Lanka and Colombia, 2 in Afghanistan. But also the figures from countries like Mexico (7 deaths), Russia (3) the Philippines (2) and China (2) show that the lives of journalists are threatened even in states that do not have discernible war zones.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently published details about 580 journalists that were killed in the line of duty worldwide between January 1992 and August 2006. According to these data, 71,4% were murdered, 18,4% died in crossfire or in combat-related circumstances and 10% during other dangerous assignments. Print reporters face the greatest risk of death, except in few parts of the world like the Philippines and India where radio journalists and TV reporters have a higher risk of being killed.
“Journalist deaths typically spike in times of war, from about 26 in years without major conflict to roughly 46 in years of significant warfare. Several of the deadliest countries for journalists – Iraq, Algeria, Colombia, and Bosnia, for example – reflect the wars that have endangered all citizens.”
In times of violent conflict, the dangers journalists are exposed to are more imminent than in ordinary times. Independent, precise and professional information is particularly vital under these circumstances. 137 journalists and media staff have been killed since the beginning of the Iraq war, which is the deadliest conflict for media professionals since the Second World War. Recent conflicts in Lebanon or in Somalia have shown that, once more, journalists working in conflict zones are particularly vulnerable, despite the fact that “attacks against journalists and media equipment are illegal under international humanitarian law, which protects civilian persons and objects, as long as they are not making an effective contribution to military action.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists is marking the day with an article that highlights how press freedom and working conditions for journalists are deteriorating in full view. In Backsliders, the CPJ opens:
New York, May 2, 2007–Three nations in sub-Saharan Africa are among the places worldwide where press freedom has deteriorated the most over the last five years, a new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. Ethiopia, where the government launched a massive crackdown on the private press by shutting newspapers and jailing editors, leads CPJ’s dishonor roll. The African nations of the Gambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo join Russia and Cuba among the world’s worst “backsliders” on press freedom.
“Democracy’s foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “These three African nations, as diverse as they are, have won praise at times for their transition to democracy–but they are actually moving in reverse on press issues. Journalists in Ethiopia, Gambia, and DRC are being jailed, attacked, and censored, a picture far worse than what we saw only a few years ago.”
1. ETHIOPIA
Leader: Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Indicators: Imprisonments rise from two to 18. Dozens forced into exile. In 2006 alone, authorities ban eight newspapers, expel two foreign reporters, and block critical Web sites.
Key fact: Only a handful of private newspapers now publish, all under intense self-censorship2. GAMBIA
Leader: President Yahyah Jammeh
Indicators: Editor Deyda Hydara murdered in 2004. The Independent, a leading newspaper, is targeted by arsonists and closed by the government. Criminal penalties instituted for defamation.
Key fact: Eleven journalists jailed for extended periods in 2006.3. RUSSIA
Leader: President Vladimir Putin
Indicators: All three national television channels now under state control. Eleven journalists murdered in the last five years; no cases solved. Imprisoned journalists rise from one to three.
Key fact: New law defines “extremism” as including “public slander toward figures fulfilling state duties.”
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Human rights need the advocacy and protection of a free press and freedom of expression. Let us show our respect for those who battle in journalism’s front lines. There would be very little to blog about without the reports of these brave professionals.
