Attacks on the media—historically the guardian of a country’s democracy—have hit a decade-long high. The President trumpeting about “fake news” is just the start. According to a Time magazine article published last week, “a new report has found that journalists face more danger than at any other time over the past 10 years, with 78 journalists killed and a further 326 imprisoned [most on anti-state charges] while doing their job or for their work in 2017.”
The report, released by Article 19, a human rights nonprofit organization in the UK dedicated to defending freedom of expression and information, reveals the dismal news that freedom of expression has continuously declined over the past decade, with a significant downward turn in the last three years. Even the U.S., with its strong protections related to freedom of expression, hasn’t been spared.
The reasons behind this disturbing trend boil down to a:
- Demise of media freedom
- Substantial increase in the intimation of journalists, including verbal and physical attacks
- Rise of ‘strongman’ politicians with authoritarian tendencies
Sound familiar?
In this country, we take freedom of the press for granted. Maybe it’s time we quit doing that.
Kudos to Time magazine for recognizing the critical role that journalists play in preserving—and fighting for—liberty and justice for all. “For taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and for speaking out, the Guardians are the Person of the Year,” Time editor Ed Felsenthal wrote.
By naming this group of journalists who have been attacked for their work, including Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi who was recently killed at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Time is shining a light on the “manipulation and abuse of truth” that has become so common today.
Have we had enough of that? I know I have.
If you have an opinion regarding what we can do about this, I’d love to hear it.
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