In defense of journalists
By Tara Sonenshine, Professor of Public Diplomacy at The Fletcher School
Reporters can be pesky and pushy, sticking microphones in people’s faces or shouting questions from afar.
Politicians often blame the media, and there is certainly plenty of room to criticize a press that has grown exponentially, from local newspapers to online news sites, from radio to podcasts, from networks to cable, and citizen journalists documenting everything on iPhones. Not to mention the rise of misinformation, disinformation and artificial intelligence in newsgathering. The world is awash with media — not all of it good.
But journalists shine light on dark places, reveal hidden truths, uncover scandals and warn citizens of dangers like bad weather or terrorist plots. Journalists demand accountability from corrupt officials. And they risk their lives to cover war in dangerous places like Ukraine.
Journalists are often treated like criminals: locked up, mischarged, detained, constrained, kidnapped — even killed. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 67 journalists and media workers were killed last year — it’s the highest number since 2018, and an increase of almost 50 percent from 2021.
Take the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, held on espionage charges since his arrest on a reporting trip last March. A U.S. citizen wrongfully detained, according to the U.S. government, Gershkovich is now being told by Russian authorities that his court date will be extended by three months, until August. Neither his trial nor any associated documentation will be made public.
All around the world, journalists are in danger, facing political, economic, physical and technological threats. The 2023 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, evaluated the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories. The most recent findings reveal a “bad” environment in seven out of 10 countries, with 31 countries at a “very serious” level of threat.
For example, the Middle East and North Africa are highly physically dangerous environments for journalists, with large numbers of reporters missing or held hostage.
French reporter Olivier Dubois spent 711 days as a hostage in Mali, while five other journalists were killed in the region, in Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda. The Sahel region of Africa is becoming a media desert. We simply won’t know what’s happening there.
Another increasingly dangerous place for reporters to work is Mexico, where more journalists were killed in 2022 than in any other year, due to drug cartels and general lack of security and protection. Overall, Latin America has become hostile to journalists trying to cover instability and violence. It’s been deemed the deadliest region for the press, with 30 journalists killed last year alone.
Turkey, a NATO member, has one of the worst records on media freedom, with the number of journalists jailed doubling in the past year, making it the fourth largest jailer of journalists globally behind China, Iran and Myanmar.
In addition to physical threats, journalists in conflict zones encounter emotional stress and trauma, which extends to their families and friends at home. Press freedom comes with enormous burdens on those protecting it.
But here is a new threat you may not have considered as a challenge to reporters: propaganda. The rampant spread of “fake news,” misinformation and disinformation is poisoning the well for legitimate journalists. Governments are detaining, arresting and kicking out legitimate reporters under the guise of cleaning up the propaganda ecosystem.
Disinformation also lowers trust in good journalism. Reporters face increased hostility for everything from doctored photographs to conspiratorial narratives, making it harder for them to sift through sources and remain trustworthy.
America is no exception. A recent report by the Knight Foundation and Gallup found that “only 26 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the news media—the lowest level since both organizations began tracking view in 2017.”
Whether it is at home or abroad, online or offline, journalists must do their jobs so that we can do ours. We cannot live in a world where those who bring us stories we need to know are targets. Without legitimate journalism, we will be lost in a fog of uncertainty in uncertain times.
(This post is republished from The Hill.)