UN Secretary-General urges to stop attacks on journalists

At least 67 media workers were killed in 2022

The UN Secretary General called for stopping threats and attacks on journalists. António Guterres delivered an address to the world on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated on May 3rd. “Freedom of the press is under attack in all corners of the world,” the Secretary General stated.

António Guterres called the freedom of the press vital for human rights. Meanwhile, as the UN Secretary-General noted in his address, “Journalists and media workers doing their most important work are being targeted both online and in real life. They are regularly harassed, intimidated, detained and imprisoned.”

The UN Secretary General cited statistics on violations of the rights of journalists. In 2022, at least 67 media workers were killed. Guterres stressed that this is 50% more than a year earlier, and called such an increase incredible. No less frightening are the numbers of violence against female reporters. Nearly three-quarters of female journalists have experienced online violence, and one in four of them have been physically threatened, according to the UN chief’s address.

António Guterres urged the world to “show a united front”, stop threats and attacks on journalists, and not detain or imprison them just for doing their job.

“Not everyone likes the truth,” commented Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the UN Information Center in Moscow, “Those who belong to the state and repressive apparatus sometimes use their position to settle scores or punish journalists. Not a single state in the world is free from this. It is imperative that UN member states live up to their commitments to protect journalists, as spelled out in the UN Charter.

Recall that at the end of April, the United States tried to “punish” Russian journalists from the pool of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Reporters from our delegation were not issued visas to house the UN General Assembly.

Regardless of the situation with visas, Vladimir Kuznetsov emphasized the importance of the states and governments of UN member states fulfilling their obligations to support freedom of speech and not hinder journalists from traveling to fulfill their professional duties.

At the same time, he also recalled the responsibility of the media representatives themselves. Kuznetsov noted that journalists work in an extremely sensitive area, on which the fate of people, communities and states literally depends. Therefore, a journalist is obliged to follow the norms of ethics and professionalism, – Kuznetsov is sure.

Meanwhile, modern professional journalism is now facing new challenges, the director of the UN Information Center in Moscow emphasized:

– Modern journalism faces enormous challenges in connection with the development of technologies related to the Internet, digital space and artificial intelligence. We see the danger coming from bots and trolls, which often turn out to be more effective in influencing the audience. Today, there is a very big danger of disinformation and fake news,” the diplomat said and added that journalism should not be a tool to achieve opportunistic, financial and political goals to the detriment of the interests of society.

“This is especially important in a period of global challenges, in particular, in the field of ecology, healthcare, in the face of growing inequality in the world and flaming armed conflicts,” concluded Vladimir Kuznetsov.