Global hunt of journalists is feeding totalitarianism

A central problem is impunity

In countries where journalists are killed or detained, few perpetrators are held accountable. Due to the lack of effective judicial or international mechanisms, attacks on press freedom rarely result in justice. The UN's observance of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists highlights how, worldwide, the environments of silence enable further abuses. When journalists are killed in war zones, the cost is not only personal but collective. Newsrooms shrivel, investigations halt, and local communities remain in the dark as they lose their watchdogs.

There is an urgent need to effectively address the persecution of journalists, which necessitates a multilateral response that is effective and encompassing.

International solidarity and accountability: Global institutions, press freedom organizations, and donor states must monitor violations, impose sanctions, and push for prosecutions. The perpetrators of targeted killings, mass arrests, or digital repression can't be allowed to do so with impunity.

Supporting independent journalism: Secure communication tools, safe houses, and legal support networks should be established. States that repress journalists should be sanctioned and pressured to adopt and enforce laws that protect journalists, safeguard their workflows, and hold perpetrators of threats, violence, or censorship accountable.

International organizations and democratic countries should provide emergency visas or safe passage programs specifically for threatened journalists, enabling them to escape immediate danger.

Protecting journalism in conflict zones: Journalists must be recognized as civilians under international law. Humanitarian law must translate into operational protections, transparency around attacks, and complete investigations when facilities are struck.

Digital safety and counter-harassment tools: Platforms must play a role in preventing coordinated abuse, especially targeting vulnerable journalists, and news organizations should train their staff in digital security.

Targeted sanctions: Sanctions should focus on officials or agencies responsible for persecuting the press, rather than broad sanctions that harm the general population.

Financial support for journalism: Independent media need sustainable funding, especially in regions where they are marginalized or under threat. Such financial support can come from a combination of sources, including democratic nations, which have funds earmarked for press freedom. Private donors, NGOs and philanthropic organizations, such as the Open Society Foundations, can also contribute.

The persecution of journalists around the world is a barometer of our broader freedoms. Indeed, when it is safe to question authority, to report injustices, and to reveal the truth, society moves toward greater openness and justice. When journalists are silenced-whether by bullets, by bars, or by bigotry-the freedom to know, to dissent, and to act is severely impaired.

Censorship and crackdowns on the press create a society where people lack the information they need, fostering authoritarianism, reducing government accountability, and preventing the public from questioning policies or measures taken by authorities, thereby challenging democracy at its core.

The threat to the free press is global in scale. When a journalist is silenced, a whole society becomes blind. Protecting journalists is not a luxury; it is the world's last defense against tyranny. To defend the free press is to defend and protect democracy itself.