Pope Leo has marked World Press Freedom Day by paying tribute to journalists killed while reporting in conflict zones and condemning violations of media freedom around the world.
At the end of his weekly Sunday prayer in a sunny Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the Pontiff said that the day highlighted both the importance of independent journalism and the growing threats faced by reporters.
World Press Freedom Day, sponsored by the UN cultural agency UNESCO is intended to show support for media organisations that come under pressure or censorship. It is also an opportunity to commemorate journalists who have been killed at work.
“Today we celebrate World Press Freedom Day … unfortunately, this right is often violated, sometimes in blatant ways, sometimes in more hidden forms.”
Pope Leo
The Roman Catholic leader urged the faithful to remember journalists and reporters who have lost their lives pursuing the truth, particularly in conflict areas. “We remember the many journalists and reporters who have been victims of war and violence,” the Pope said.
A report last month by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War project found that Israel’s war on Gaza was the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded, with Israeli forces having killed 232 Palestinian journalists since October 2023.
The report found that more journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined.
In past speeches, the leader of the Catholic Church has described journalism as a pillar of society and democracy, and information as a public good that must be safeguarded and defended. The Pontiff has often thanked reporters for sharing the truth, saying that doing their job could never be considered a crime, and frequently calling for the release of journalists who have been unfairly detained or prosecuted.
Last week, the leading Paris-based press freedom NGO, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, found that freedom of the press around the world has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century.
For the first time since RSF started producing the index in 2002, it said that more than half of the world’s countries fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom – “a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide.”
Journalists Facing Growing Online Abuse
Meanwhile, Media Freedom Coalition issued a statement on World Press Freedom Day, saying that journalists not only have to deal with increased physical danger; they also face growing online abuse particularly women.
It added that media organisations have to contend with increasing state censorship, greater financial pressures, a significant rise in disinformation that undermines public trust, and the challenges brought by new technology, including AI.
“In fact, global media freedom is under the most sustained attack in decades – at a time when it is also increasingly important to our mutual security and prosperity.”
Media Freedom Coalition
The statement added that amid the high level of conflict in the world today, “we call upon states to support a free, independent media as a contribution to ‘Shaping a Future at Peace’.”
The coalition also appealed to states to protect those reporting on conflict, and work towards ending impunity for crimes against journalists.
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