London On the 10th anniversary of its plan to protect members of the press, UNESCO warns that increasing attacks on the press and freedom of expression around the world are also increasing crimes against journalists.
The UN agency’s document lays out guidelines for defending the work of the media and emphasizes impunity in cases involving journalists such as murder, arbitrary detention or intimidation.
UNESCO notes that 455 journalists were killed between 2016 and 2021, despite advances in promoting press freedom over the past decade, according to the agency’s monitoring.
Crimes against journalists go unpunished
The UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Problem of Impunity argues that “an informed, active and engaged citizenship is impossible without freedom of expression and especially freedom of the press”.
10 years after the creation of the document, unfortunately, immunity was emphasized. Ten years ago, UNESCO’s plan already highlighted that failure to investigate and resolve crimes against journalists is a serious problem that countries need to address:
“The scale and number of attacks on the media worldwide – the vast majority of which were carried out with impunity – have contributed to the high levels of personal risk journalists and media professionals face in the conduct of their jobs.
As the ultimate form of censorship, a journalist is killed every five days for providing information to the public.”
The scenario has practically not changed and it is possible to say that it has gotten worse. The agency cites a 2021 study that found that 86% of cases between 2006 and 2020 remain unresolved.
In another poll released on November 2, the International Day for the Elimination of Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) made an even more gruesome cut: over the past decade, Eight out of every ten murders of journalists in the world went unpunished.
Brazil is one of the members of the “club” of 12 countries, where attacks on the press are frequently repeated without the perpetrators being held accountable.
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Although the country is not among the countries with the highest number of murders, it stands out in international news with physical and verbal attacks against members of the press.
To reduce all crimes against journalists, UNESCO has undertaken several global projects and initiatives in recent years that promote freedom of expression and safety for journalists and call on nations to provide a safer environment for professionals.
The 10th anniversary celebrations of the UN Action Plan will be held in November with an event in Vienna, Austria.
The meeting aims to strengthen coalitions and the implementation of actions in the face of threats to journalists and freedom of expression occurring around the world.
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Women main target in online crimes against journalists
Over the past 10 years, UNESCO has taken many measures to minimize crimes against journalists and put more emphasis on cases involving women professionals – the main targets of deliberate attacks on social media and victims of constant government harassment.
For example, the #IzharMeraHaq or “express my right” campaign in Pakistan was one of the campaigns that mobilized women to exercise their right to freedom of expression and access to information online.
The UN agency states that the issue of gender remains one of the biggest challenges for media professionals, and alarming data proves this.
Recent research by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) found that: 73% of female journalists have experienced online violence.
Survey respondents found that online abuse is not just limited to hate speech, but also threats of sexual or physical violence, many of which are real.
One-fifth of journalists interviewed said they had been attacked or abused offline as a result of online threats.
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Most of the journalists surveyed said they had been attacked by anonymous or politically involved individuals. About 11% reported to the police and 8% took legal action.
Victims resort to self-censorship in social media and journalism practice to protect themselves. The minority, only 25% of the total, sought support from their employers. The survey revealed that most help seekers did not receive help, and some were even asked what they had done to provoke the situation.
As a result, one in ten interviewees abandoned their roles, jobs or journalism as a result of the online violence they were exposed to, harming not only their careers but also the power of critical journalism and the gender diversity of the journalistic media.
In March, UNESCO and ICFJ published two unpublished parts of the same survey that focused on what news organizations should do to help women who are victims of online violence.
While the researchers found that many newsroom responses to online gender-based violence were absent or insufficient, some newsrooms found stronger and more effective actions.
This includes employers publicly defending their journalists, establishing roles as online safety editors, and reporting on the internet violence crisis.
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source: Noticias
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