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The pen, the sword, and the keyboard

09 May 2022

  • UNESCO highlights evolving threats to journalists in the digital age
BY Sumudu Chamara During the past few years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, journalists and media institutions have faced a plethora of hardships. While the pandemic affected the livelihoods of many journalists and media institutions in South Asia, other challenges such as increased pressure from state and non-state actors and digital threats have been on the rise.  South Asia’s situation concerning press freedom was extensively discussed at the South Asia celebration of the World Press Freedom Day 2022 held in Colombo on 4 May under the title “Journalism under Digital Siege”, which was attended by local and international experts.  Their main focus was how rapidly evolving digital platforms, especially social media platforms, have affected the field of journalism, safety of journalists, freedom of expression, and access to information. In addition, how situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic and other political, social and economic developments affected journalists and journalism was also discussed.  World Press Freedom Day 2022  Speaking at the event, UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office Director and Representative to Bhutan, India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka Eric Falt raised the importance of freedom of expression and media as cornerstones for ensuring that information remains a public good. Adding that the last two years have been extremely challenging for the press, he highlighted that media workers across South Asia have been battling the Covid-19 pandemic and that it has affected their professional and personal lives.  “They showed immense courage in the face of collapsing healthcare systems, limited institutional support and digital surveillance. Exact figures are unclear, but around South Asia, hundreds of media workers have died as a result of Covid-19 and many more have seen their livelihoods severely impacted due to Covid-19.  “We also saw a record number of violations of media freedom during the last year, which included intimidation and even killing. In Afghanistan, hundreds of journalists fled the country after the takeover by the Taliban. The fact of the matter is that journalists, as bearers of verified information, are at the forefront in times of crisis. They are always among the first respondents.”  In this context, he said, there is no doubt that journalists’ emotional and physical safety must be better recognised and ensured, and urged governments in South Asia to recognise journalists as frontline workers and to better prioritise journalists’ wellbeing.  “This year’s theme chosen by UNESCO, i.e. ‘Journalism under Digital Siege,’ shows an appropriate spotlight, in particular on the negative aspects of freedom of expression, journalism and privacy. Most of the surveillance takes place online or in digitally mediated environments, which has been made possible by recent developments in big data collection and artificial intelligence (AI). One of UNESCO’s most recent world reports, entitled ‘Threats that Silence’, highlights how surveillance and hacking are compromising journalism, and how this phenomenon has been corroborated by independent researches and investigative reporting.”  Falt also pointed out the threats posed by growing use of surveillance tools by various parties, and why the sale and use of such tools should be monitored to ensure the safety of journalists. “There are growing voices among UN human rights experts calling for global temporary prohibition on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology to both state and non-state actors. From UNESCO’s perspective, the increasing sophistication of surveillance software and its growing use against journalists and human rights defenders are detrimental to free and independent journalism.  “Surveillance through these tools can illegally expose information gathered by journalists, and can hamper any attempts at investigative journalism. It can also put at stake the protection of whistleblowers and violate the principle of journalist source protection, which is universally considered a prerequisite for freedom of the media and has been enshrined in the UN resolutions.”  Moreover, Falt underscored how women journalists are also facing threats to their lives and professions, especially through digital technology platforms, and added that women journalists face double risks, as they are targeted on account of both their profession and gender. Speaking of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize (with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov), Falt noted that a study has revealed that around 60% of attacks against Ressa were designed to undermine her work and professional credibility.  He explained: “One of the most dominant forms of attack was to claim that her professional journalism constituted fake news, questioning therefore her professional credibility. Around 14% of abuse in relation to her work was sexist, misogynist and explicit, and went largely beyond the work of Ressa as a journalist.”  “The 2022 South Asia press freedom report states that controlling the online space was a preoccupation of governments across the region during the past year. Journalists bear the brunt of these practices and self-censor in order to protect their fragile livelihoods. What is clear is that South Asia has seen a dramatic growth in digital media usage in recent years, which has of course been further accentuated by the pandemic.  “During the lockdown, the average time spent by individuals in general on social media sites saw a huge spike. Of course, it can be seen as an opportunity to engage with a larger section of people in the shortest time possible. But, it also came with the menace of misinformation and increased the struggles of traditional media to survive in this digital stage. The lack of transparency of digital platform operations and the freehand given to any individual to propagate hate speech and misinformation online is negatively impacting journalists and journalistic practices in general.”   In this context, he said it is important to call for transparency of online platforms and greater privacy protection in order to improve public trust in digital communications as a source of digital communications and as a source of reliable content.  “We must encourage internet companies to strengthen journalism by being more transparent in their operations,” he stressed.  Part 2 of this article will be published in The Morning tomorrow.


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