On Tuesday, the 2nd of May, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres voiced concerns about the drop of the freedom of press around the world. He condemned attacks on journalists and the spread of disinformation.
In preparation for the World Press Freedom Day, Guterres released a video in which he addressed journalists and media all over the world.
“All our freedom depends on press freedom,” he said, calling it “the foundation of democracy and justice” and “the very lifeblood of human rights”.
“But in every corner of the world freedom of press is under attack,” he added, opening the conference in the UN headquarters of New York.
The UN secretary general did not mention the names of journalists currently incarcerated or blamed any specific countries. Other spokesmen did mention certain cases, including the detainment of Wall Street Journal rapporteur Evan Gershkovich in Russia, where he is accused of espionage.
Other journalists mentioned the rising dangers in their profession.
According to data from Reporters Without Borders, in 2022 a total of 55 journalists and four media workers were killed while performing their duties.
Guterres said “truth is threatened by disinformation, and hate speech seeking to blur the lines between fact and fiction, between science and conspiracy”.
He added that journalists receive threats, get detained and imprisoned.
UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay mentioned that the digital age changes the entire information picture, making “professional, free, independent journalism” more important than ever before.
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