“It is a difficult time right now to be a journalist, but is it the most important time also to be a journalist”—Raffy Lerma, Filipino photojournalist and conference speaker
Journalism today undergoes many pressures from actors trying to capture or intimidate media in order to hamper journalists in their daily work and by doing so, influence the flow of information. In addition, the ongoing revolution in communications technology and the rise of major Internet companies pose another challenge to independent journalism and – through that – to the value that press freedom has for society.
Therefore, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila and UNESCO, in partnership with Free Press Unlimited, TEMPO and Malaysiakini, jointly organized a special digital conference with the theme “Journalism without Fear or Favour”. More than 200 participants joined in the online conference held on 9 December 2020.
Dr Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of UNESCO Office in Indonesia, in his opening remarks, underlined that “in order to have press freedom, ensuring the safety of journalists, both men and women, is essential.”
In a joint video message, Ambassadors of the three Embassies H.E. Lambert Grijns (Jakarta), H.E. Aart Jacobi (Kuala Lumpur), and H.E. Saskia de Lang (Manila), conveyed that the Netherlands is committed to defend and advocate for freedom of the press, especially the safety of journalists. Freedom of expression is one of the central themes of the Dutch foreign policy and is ingrained in the Constitution.
During the open discussion segment, six journalist, photojournalist, and cartoonist from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines shared the challenges they experienced including harassments, threats, and attacks both offline and online. The session was moderated by Ms Ruth de Vries (Free Press Unlimited).
COVID-19 pandemic has certainly impact journalists as well. As Ms. Annabelle Lee, a journalist with the newsportal Malaysiakini noted that “the main challenge is how to continuously get the information to reader” but “also keep ourselves safe and minimize the risk of transmission” and that “it is a constant risk assessment we have to do” as journalist.
“It has become very hard for us to verify the stories coming in especially on social media. There is a lot of misinformation going on in social media” said Ms Amalia Bandiola-Cabusao, Editor-in-Chief of Mindanao Times in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on journalists.
The discussion also touched on legal restrictions on freedom of expression. When asked about the responsibilities of journalists to challenge restrictions, award-wining Malaysian cartoonist Zunar offered “this is my philosophy, how can I be neutral, if even my pen has a stand?”
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, even though a press law has existed since 1999, Mr Laban Laisila, Head of Newsroom at Narasi TV, argued that “the law is insufficient to protect journalists…and for the press to operate safely in the digital space.”
The issue of the safety of women journalists was also highlighted. Ms Evi Mariani, journalist and editor of the Jakarta Post recounted incidents of women journalists who received sexual harassment and the struggle to do something about it. She said “we realized that if we decide to blow the case up, our journalists will feel victim-blaming from the society who has normalized sexual harassment as something small.”
H.E. Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Human Rights Ambassador, provided the closing remarks, firmly stating that “whether we are in a pandemic or not, human rights, universal human rights are for everyone regardless of who you are; where you from; what you do; and what you believe in”.
UNESCO is the UN specialized agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and access to information. Media and Information Literacy is part of UNESCO’s core programme. UNESCO actively contributes to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 16 related to access to information.
- #JournalistsToo: 73 % of women journalists participating in UNESCO/ICFJ survey have experienced online violence in the course of their work
- Global survey on violence against female journalists launched
- World Press Freedom Day
Watch the recorded video here