{"id":2679,"date":"2020-11-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsmediauk.org\/media-freedom-coalition-calls-on-nations-to-protect-journalists\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T09:39:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T08:39:55","slug":"media-freedom-coalition-calls-on-nations-to-protect-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsmediauk.org\/blog\/2020\/11\/05\/media-freedom-coalition-calls-on-nations-to-protect-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Freedom Coalition Calls On Nations To Protect Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Media Freedom Coalition<\/a> has called on all countries across the world to protect the rights and safety of journalists whose ability to work freely is “fundamental to a functioning democracy.”<\/p>\n

The statement was released on Monday (2 November), the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, highlighting global death rates of journalists and the prosecution of journalists and other media workers as “the current obstacles to achieving a free media globally.”<\/p>\n

The MFC describes unrepressed journalism “as a key element of freedom of opinion and expression, both online and offline. On this day, we pay tribute to those journalists who have been threatened, subjected to violence or killed in their line of work, including female journalists, who remain disproportionately targeted.<\/p>\n

“Yet the ability of journalists to work freely is fundamental to a functioning democracy. It allows access to reliable information and counters disinformation, misinformation, and other forms of manipulation of information.<\/p>\n

“We call upon all states to advocate for a free, independent, plural and diverse media; to condemn actions that might jeopardize the safety and independence of journalists and media workers; and to hold to account those who seek to harm journalists or restrict their ability to work.”<\/p>\n

The MFC also says that the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified abuse towards journalists across the world. It adds: “This climate of impunity perpetuates the cycle of violence against journalists and the media.”<\/p>\n

The pandemic has led to many laws being devised to counter disinformation, causing harm to media freedom. There have been over 400 media-freedom violations globally as of September 2020, according to the International Press Institute.<\/a><\/p>\n

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