There is one interesting thing about institutions. When they work well, we don’t really notice them or give much thought to why things work. We take them for granted.
One of the easier things to take for granted is freedom of speech. When we are subjected to a variety of opinions in the press (print, electronic, and others) – rarely do we think about the many underlying institutions that allow them to persist. It is when those institutions don’t exist that we notice the resulting gaps, whether its a lack of different opinions or anything else.
Risking personal life just to tell the story? Risking the life of the family to expose corruption? Facing intimidation for asking questions? These are the real issues journalists around the world are dealing with. And “the climate of fear” that journalists face globally is not a dream – its a reality.
Noting that the number of journalists who are killed on the job has actually declined, the latest report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) still points out some disturbing trends in regards to press freedoms around the world. Arrests on bogus charges, murders under murky circumstances, and proliferation of self-censorship are just some of the issues covered in detail.
Some interesting stories emerge from CPJ’s own blog:
- In Egypt, the coverage of the report was largely scant in the government media outlets unlike in the country’s more independent media sources
- In Kenya, the government’s attempt to shut down the media was circumvented by text-message reporting
- In Georgia and Russia media outlets engaged in extensive propaganda over the conflict in North Ossetia, rather than unbiased reporting
- In the Middle East, governments are trying to bring satellite television access under control
- In Argentina, journalists are fighting for their right to scrutinize politicians
Published Date: February 11, 2009