World Press Freedom Day

Over the last two years; there have been at least 300 internet shutdowns in more than 54 countries, severely restricting people’s access to information , according to UNESCO .The shutdowns can take different forms, such as a complete block on Internet or the blocking of access to social media platforms . The first major shutdown happened in Egypt in 2011, during the Tahrir Square protests. Hundreds of arrests and killings followed. Iran has been under an internet shutdown for 66 days, cutting access for 90 million people and threatening access to information. 2024 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns since 2016.

  Freedom of expression globally is on the decline according to UNESCO which says that self-censorship has also increased significantly in the face of authoritarian regimes. The World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report shows a 10 per cent decrease in freedom of expression since 2012. UNESCO’s Sylvie Coudray says that decline “mirrors only three moments in the last century.” World War I, World War II and the height of the Cold War. Watch the full interview !

  The occupied Palestinian territories, which includes Gaza and the West Bank, is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. The UNESCO is supporting journalists there providing guidance on fact-checking and safety guidelines, as explained by Hala Tannous who is based in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Watch the full interview!

States which allow journalists to be attacked also need to be held accountable , according to Belgian correspondent, Wilson Fache, who has reported from war zones for more than a decade. "I see again and again and again journalists and reporters being targeted," he tells UN News.

In Gaza, nearly 300 reporters have been killed since Hamas-led terror attacks against Israel on 7 October 2023, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR. That makes the devastated enclave the world’s most dangerous place for journalists. “ Don't let depression attack journalists or democracy will die ,” stressed Rawan Damen, Director General of the organization Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism at a conference on the future of journalism Gaza convened by UN-partner EBU in Geneva last week.

Press freedom requires safe access for credible news gathering to build trust in a fractured world , says Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.

How do you work safely as a reporter when violent crime gangs control your patch? That’s the challenge facing Haitian print and radio journalist Jean Daniel Sénat, who explains that he and his colleagues are “constantly under threat” from criminal groups. The UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists points to 14 media workers killed in Haiti since 2021. Sometimes the danger comes from an unexpected source: the police, who suspect some journalists of working for gangs as they are able to enter gang-controlled neighbourhoods, Jean Daniel alleges.  Read the UN News story here