276. World Press Freedom Day is just a joke
Today is World Press Freedom Day, with UNESCO supporting media outlets under pressure or censorship and honouring journalists who have died while on the job. The year 2025 was the deadliest for journalists globally.
These are difficult times for the media and journalists. With wars and conflicts raging around the globe, journalists face threats, violence, and detention, including online harassment.
International law clearly states that journalists should always be protected. They need the freedom to do their work without unnecessary interference, fear of violence, harassment, intimidation, persecution, or expulsion.
This protection is especially vital in conflict zones, where journalists reveal the realities of war, such as atrocities and possible war crimes.
The fact remains that the murders of journalists and media workers—such as those involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the crises in Gaza and Lebanon, and in Africa—are going unnoticed globally.
There is no accountability as the world order is changing, and international norms are not being followed. Israel is the biggest culprit.
A recent report by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War project revealed that Israel’s conflict in Gaza has been the deadliest for media workers, with Israeli forces having killed 232 Palestinian journalists since October 2023.
More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined, the report found.
Such cases must be fully investigated, and those responsible held accountable.
Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), a prominent Paris-based NGO advocating for press freedom, reported that global press freedom has declined to its lowest point in the past 25 years.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo condemned violations of media freedom worldwide and paid tribute to journalists killed while reporting in conflict zones.
In this scenario, does the day hold any significance?