In 2022, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that 65 newsmen — 50 professional journalists, 7 Citizen Reporters and 8 media workers — were killed doing their jobs. They were viciously hunted down by powerful corrupt mafias while carrying out their profound duties. Their work in seeking the truth came at a cost to their families and their lives. Seeking the truth has been a dangerous thing to do, and the enemies of the truth seem to be prevailing in their efforts to distort and manipulate the reality of our world.
But why is this the case? It is no secret that the free press is essential for the proper functioning of civil society and democracy. This is what is being curtailed. The enemies of democracy cannot allow the media to gain outright autonomy because it would increase accountability. This is why the media is heavily being regulated and as a result news organisations around the world have been forced to shut down. Moreover, in many countries, media outlets are state-controlled and operated as propaganda tools, which issue state-approved information to the population in order to skew reality. The truth of these nations are often manipulated or hidden because the needs of the state often supersede the needs of their population.
However, there are many nations that do recognise the need to protect their free media. In Canada, at least 29 municipalities — home to roughly 13 million people in nine provinces — have passed motions voicing support for journalism in aid of democracy. The federal government has acknowledged in its 2019 budget that, “A strong and independent news media is crucial to a well-functioning democracy.” We must realise that journalism helps people make sense of their world. It helps transform people’s understanding of how society, culture and politics work. Therefore, journalists can be agents of social and political change and must therefore be protected at all costs.
STEVEN KASZAB
CANADA
