Strengthening Threats to Press Freedom in the Midst of Environmental Emergency
The climate crisis is at hand. However, the safety of journalists reporting on environmental damage is increasingly threatened.
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Environmental damage caused by irresponsible tin mining practices around the city of Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, was reported on Saturday (27/4/2024).
Threats to freedom of the press are strengthening amidst environmental emergencies that threaten lives. Threats of violence and even the murder of journalists all over the Earth are still occurring as the climate crisis gets worse.
The climate crisis is already looming. Disasters are increasing everywhere. The Earth's temperature has reached a record high, glaciers in Antarctica are shrinking, and environmental degradation is becoming increasingly severe.
However, there are still many parties who are less concerned about this phenomenon. Journalists and media are expected to be a means of voicing these issues and raising awareness to face the impacts of the climate crisis.
On World Press Freedom Day, Friday (3/5/2024), United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted the role of journalists in reporting on environmental damage. He said the world is experiencing an unprecedented environmental emergency that poses a major threat to current and future generations.
"The community needs to be aware of this and journalists and media workers have a crucial role in providing information and educating them," he said through the United Nations' Youtube channel.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres
The media reports on climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, and environmental injustice. Such reporting has increased people's understanding of the current state of environmental destruction, thus enabling them to take concrete actions to fix it.
Journalistic work documents environmental degradation. This proves that there is environmental vandalism that can be used to demand accountability from parties contributing to the damage.
Also read: Attacks on Press Freedom Around the World
According to Guterres, it is not surprising that some companies and institutions with great influence will stop at nothing to prevent environmental journalists from doing their work. Freedom of the press is under siege and environmental journalism is becoming an increasingly dangerous profession.
"A number of journalists who have covered illegal mining, illegal logging, wildlife hunting, and other environmental issues have been killed in the past few decades. In most cases, no one has been held accountable," he said.
Without facts, we cannot fight misinformation and disinformation. Without accountability, we will not have strong policies. Without press freedom, we will not have any freedom.
Guterres stated that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report mentioned that in the past 15 years, there have been 750 attacks on journalists and media reporting on environmental issues. The frequency of these attacks continues to increase.
The legal process is also being abused to censor, silence, detain, and discredit environmental journalists. On the other hand, the new era of climate disinformation focuses on weakening proven solutions, including renewable energy.
"However, environmental journalists are not the only ones at risk. Around the world, media workers also risk their lives in efforts to report everything, ranging from war to democracy," he said.
Guterres admitted to being surprised by the high number of journalists who died during Israel's military operations in Gaza. The UN acknowledges the outstanding work of journalists and media workers in ensuring the public receives information and engagement.
Journalists took cover behind a car as Israeli troops took positions during clashes with Palestinian fighters near Gevim Kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza, on Saturday (7/10/2023).
"Without facts, we cannot fight misinformation and disinformation. Without accountability, we will not have strong policies. Without freedom of the press, we will not have any freedom at all. A free press is not a choice, but a necessity," he said.
UNESCO reports that at least 749 journalists and media reporting on environmental issues have been targeted with murder, physical violence, detention and arrest, as well as online harassment during the period of 2009-2023. More than 300 attacks occurred during 2019-2023, which is an increase of 42 percent compared to the period of 2014-2018.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated that without reliable scientific information, environmental crises would be difficult to address. "However, the journalists whom we rely on to investigate these issues and ensure access to information face high and unacceptable risks worldwide. Additionally, misinformation related to climate change is a very serious problem, rampant in social media. We must reaffirm our commitment to defending freedom of expression and protecting journalists worldwide," she said.
Press freedom index
Based on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday (3/5/2024), press freedom throughout the world is being threatened by those who should be the guarantors of press freedom, namely political authorities. This index monitors the state of journalism in 180 countries.
Also read: Press Freedom is Repressed from Various Sides
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President and vice president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka briefly answered journalists' questions after receiving the appointment letter as president and vice president from the General Election Commission at the KPU RI Building in Jakarta on Wednesday (24/4/2024).
Of the five indicators used in the ranking, the political indicator has experienced the biggest decrease, with a global average decrease of 7.6 points. RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocande said that with more than half of the world's population participating in elections in 2024, they see a worrying trend revealed by the index.
"The political forces' role in protecting press freedom is increasingly diminishing. This weakening sometimes occurs in conjunction with more hostile actions that weaken the role of journalists or even instrumentalize the media through campaigns or disinformation," he stated.
In the index, Norway still holds the top position with 91.89 points. The other top five positions are held by Denmark (89.6 points), Sweden (88.32 points), the Netherlands (87.73 points), and Finland (86.55 points).
Meanwhile, the bottom five ranks are occupied by African and Asian countries, namely Eritrea (16.64 points), Syria (17.41 points), Afghanistan (19.09 points), North Korea (20.66 points), and Iran (21.3 points). Indonesia, on the other hand, occupies the 111th position (51.15 points). This ranking has decreased compared to last year, where it occupied the 108th position (54.83 points).
