Marking Sunday International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journaliststhe United Nations calls for justice for those who have been silenced, and protection for those who continue to speak truth to power – both in conflict zones and on the internet where abuse spreads rapidly.
“Media professionals around the world face increasing dangers in their search for the truth – including verbal abuse, legal threats, physical attacks, imprisonment and torture. Some are even killed,” the UN said Secretary General António Guterres in his message marking the day.
Cold cases
“Worldwide, almost nine out of ten murders of journalists remain unsolved.” He noticed that Gaza is “the deadliest place for journalists in any conflict”urging ‘independent and impartial investigation’.
Mr Guterres warned that impunity “is not just an injustice for the victims and their families – it is an attack on press freedom, an invitation to further violence and a threat to democracy itself.”
He called on all governments to “investigate every case, prosecute every perpetrator and ensure that journalists everywhere can work freely.”
Online aimed at women
The UN Agency for Culture and Education UNESCOwhich leads global efforts to defend press freedom, is at the forefront of this year’s campaign focusing on the increasing use of digital technology to target female journalists.
Under the theme Chat GBV: Raising awareness about AI-facilitated gender-based violence against women journalists, UNESCO warns that the rise of generative artificial intelligence has increased the reach and impact of online abuse.
“When an AI-generated deepfake of a female journalist goes viral, it’s not just her image that’s under attack – it’s her credibility, safety and voice,” the agency said.
Such attacks are part of what experts call Technology-facilitated gender-based violencea growing form of harassment intended to silence, humiliate and discredit women in the media.
Threatened and attacked
UNESCOs The cooling study has shown this 73 percent of female journalists have faced online threats, and one in four have experienced offline attacks as a result.
More broadly, 58 percent of young women and girls worldwide have experienced harassment on social media platforms, underscoring the scale of the problem.
“Digital spaces must be made safe for those who gather and report the news,” the Secretary-General said. “When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voices.”
The message from the UN and working journalists is clear: justice for crimes committed against them simply for doing their jobs should be non-negotiable, and digital spaces must be reclaimed from those who weaponize technology to spread fear and hatred.
Read more about the UN’s efforts here and UNESCO’s global campaign here
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