On Sunday, the United Nations (UN) marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists by renewing calls for justice and greater protection for media professionals, both offline and online.
“Media professionals around the globe face mounting perils in their pursuit of truth, including verbal abuse, legal threats, physical attacks, imprisonment, and torture. Some are even killed,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message commemorating the day.
He noted that “nearly nine out of ten journalist killings remain unresolved” and highlighted Gaza as “the deadliest place for journalists in any conflict.”
Guterres called for “independent and impartial investigations” into such attacks, warning that impunity “is not only an injustice to the victims and their families, it is an assault on press freedom, an invitation to further violence, and a threat to democracy itself.”
He urged governments worldwide to “investigate every case, prosecute every perpetrator, and ensure that journalists can do their jobs freely everywhere.”
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which leads global efforts to defend press freedom, has this year turned the spotlight on the growing use of digital technology to harass and silence women journalists.
Under the theme Chat GBV: Raising awareness on AI-facilitated gender-based violence against women journalists, UNESCO warns that the rise of generative artificial intelligence has intensified the reach and harm of online abuse.
“When an AI-generated deepfake of a woman journalist goes viral, it’s not just her image that is attacked, it is her credibility, safety, and voice,” the agency said.
A UNESCO study titled The Chilling found that 73% of women journalists have faced online threats, and one in four experienced physical attacks as a result. In addition, 58% of young women and girls globally have reported harassment on social media platforms.
“Digital spaces must be made safe for those who gather and report the news,” said the Secretary-General.
“When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice.”
The UN reiterated that justice for crimes against journalists must be non-negotiable, and efforts must continue to reclaim digital spaces from those who use technology to spread fear and hate.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
