New Delhi: The International Press Institute, a global network of editors, media executives and journalists, on Friday passed a resolution saying that the impunity for those who target journalists and the free press globally must end.
The resolution points to growing attacks on press freedom – in Belarus, Myanmar, Hungary, China, Saudi Arabia and many other countries across the globe. What is even more worrying, the IPI resolution says, is that perpetrators face “alarmingly few consequences”.
“IPI members warn that unless action is taken to hold those responsible for press freedom violations to account, this repressive trend will only gain steam, jeopardising the future of independent news and, by extension, democracy across the globe,” the resolution notes.
The IPI is currently hosting its annual World Congress and General Assembly in Vienna, Austria.
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Countries are using varied methods to intimidate and pressurise journalists, the resolution continues – from spyware like Pegasus being used to unfair laws being passed:
“Already, tactics and methods for undermining press freedom are being shared and copied by governments. This includes not only violence and jailings, but also alternative methods such as surveillance. IPI members strongly condemn the abuse of spyware such as the Israeli company NSO’s Pegasus tool, which authorities from Mexico to Hungary to Azerbaijan to India have used to intrusively surveil journalists. Independent judicial authorities must carry out immediate investigations to uncover the extent of this surveillance and ensure it is not repeated. IPI members also express alarm about efforts by governments to undermine forms of digital communication, such as end-to-end encryption, that are essential for journalistic security and confidentiality.
“Another tactic is economic pressure. The insidious model of “media capture”, which involves the misuse of state resources to manipulate the media market against independent journalism, is spreading. The IPI network, while welcoming steps in the right direction, calls for further action by the European Union to stop the media takeover in Hungary and Poland as well as Slovenia, where the national news agency is being deliberately starved of resources with the aim of forcing the agency to submit to greater government control.
“IPI members also expressed grave concern over several new legal and regulatory measures that would hamper independent journalism. These include South Korea’s proposed “fake news” law, which would open media up to being sued for punitive damages for allegedly false reports, as well as Pakistan’s PMDA legislation, which would dramatically expand state regulatory control over the media. IPI calls for both measures to be withdrawn. Another key concern are existing laws or new proposals to increase online censorship and control over social media platforms, such as in Turkey.”
The resolution also asks the international community to do all it can for Afghan journalists, who are working under extremely volatile conditions ever since the Taliban took control:
“As attacks on journalists in the country grow, the Taliban’s hollow promise of respective press freedom has already been broken. The international community must do everything in its power to ensure that the extraordinary achievements of the past 20 years in terms of the development of independent and professional media in the country are not lost.”
