Shaping A Future Of Rights

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“Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.”- Walter Cronkite. World Press Freedom Day is observed annually on 3 May. Its main celebration is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The day serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, May 3, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. The United Nations (UN) states that the day is observed in order to remind governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Shaping a Future of Rights . The year 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. Three decades have passed since it was proclaimed in 1993, in which we have seen substantial progress towards achieving a free press and freedom of expression around the world. The proliferation of independent media in many countries and the rise of digital technologies have enabled the free flow of information. However, media freedom, safety of journalists and freedom of expression are increasingly under attack, which impacts the fulfillment of other human rights. The UN adds that the international community faces multiple crises: conflicts and violence, persistent socio-economic inequalities driving migration, environmental crises and challenges to the health and wellbeing of people all around the world. At the same time, disinformation and misinformation online and offline proliferate, with serious impact on the institutions underpinning democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
A Culture of Misinformation and Disinformation. We live in an era of much misinformation. One has to be careful where one obtains news given that some sources of news have a political agenda and will bend the truth in order to accomplish their plan. Misinformation is false or inaccurate information getting the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead intentionally making the misstating facts. The spread of misinformation and disinformation has affected our ability to improve public health, address climate change. A culture of misinformation and disinformation also serve to undermine a stable democracy. Recently, Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million to resolve a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s promotion of misinformation about the 2020 election, averting a lengthy and embarrassing trial just as a packed courtroom was seated in anticipation of hearing opening statements. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for nefarious situations can also be seen in the current war between Russia and Ukraine. Weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 a video appeared on a Ukrainian news site that seemed to show President Volodymyr Zelensky imploring his fellow countrymen to stop fighting and urging soldiers to lay down their weapons. “There is no need to die in this war,” he seemed to say in the video, which was widely circulated on social media and appeared briefly on Ukrainian television. Russia’s techniques for spreading these narratives included the use of fake accounts, manipulated imagery like deepfakes, forged documents, and videos with fake news tickers purporting to be from respected brands like the BBC. Additionally, the narrative on Russia media clearly does not represents the facts that Russia has lost a significant number of their troops in the on-going war. Russia, like all other authoritarian governments does not have a free press and as a result the news is skewed in favour of the government. Women Journalists Under Threat. Globally, women journalists and media workers face increasing offline and online attacks and are subject to disproportionate and specific threats. The gender-based violence they are exposed to includes stigmatization, sexist hate speech, trolling, physical assault, rape and even murder. In 2021, UNESCO published The Chilling, a study on global trends in online violence against women journalists, which demonstrated the extent of attacks against women journalists and the impact on their well-being, their work and press freedom at large. UNESCO works with partners to develop practical tools for journalists, media managers and newsrooms to respond to online and offline abuse. UNESCO also partners with specialized organizations to train women media workers on the ground and through online training courses, and works with security forces to sensitize them on freedom of expression with a gender focus. UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Three women journalists have been awarded the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo CANO World Press Freedom Prize. They are: Niloofar Hamedi writes for the leading reformist daily newspaper Shargh. She broke the news of the death of Masha Amini following her detention in police custody on 16 September 2022. She has been detained in solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin Prison since September 2022. Elaheh Mohammadi writes for the reformist newspaper, Ham-Mihan, covering social issues and gender equality. She reported on Masha Amini’s funeral, and has also been detained in Evin Prison since September 2022. She had previously been barred from reporting for a year in 2020 due to her work. Narges Mohammadi has worked for many years as a journalist for a range of newspapers and is also an author and Vice-Director of the Tehran-based civil society organization Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC). She is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in Evin Prison. She has continued to report in print from prison, and has also interviewed other women prisoners. These interviews were included in her book “White Torture”. In 2022, she won the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Courage Prize. Jamaica’s World Press Freedom Ranking. Global data from Reporters without Borders (RSF) which shows that a total of 58 journalists and media workers were killed in 2022, with six killed so far since January 2023. Additionally, 544 journalists and 22 media workers were also imprisoned in 2022. In 2022, Jamaica ranked at 12 of 180 countries on the RSF world press freedom ranking, slipping five places since 2021. Factors that contributed to Jamaica’s slide in ranking included media concerns regarding the Data Protection Act, which is slated to be operational by year end, and the long overdue revision of the Access to Information Act (ATI), dating back to 2011. The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) will host its annual World Press Freedom Day Forum on May 3 at University of the Commonwealth Caribbean starting at 6:00 p.m. The discussion will centre on Artificial Intelligence, AI and whether it poses a threat to Journalism. The event will also be available on YouTube. On this World Press Freedom Day, we must be mindful that we all have a role to play in safeguarding the integrity and freedoms of a free press. It must be underscored that failure to do so erodes our democracies and infringes on our human rights. We salute our hardworking journalists as they help to shape a future of Rights. In the words of Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, all our freedom depends on press freedom. But in every corner of the world, freedom of the press is under attack. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldPressFreedomDay #PressFreedom

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