2022, the deadliest season for journalists, says UNESCO

Harare- THE year 2022 has become the most deadly season for journalists since 2012, with 71 journalists having been killed since January, UNESCO director general Audrey Auzolay has said.

She noted this in her statement to mark the 10th annivessary of United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of impunity.

” According to our Observatory, 955 journalists have lost their lives since 2012.
” “Seventy-one have been
killed since January, making 2022 already the deadliest year since 2018,” she noted.

She said UNESCO has adopted a groundbreaking document to acknowledge the vital work journalists
do –for example when they report on conflicts and crises, or when they inquire into the
workings of power and investigate corruption and other forms of injustice –as well as
the risks they face when doing this.

“Indeed, the safety of journalists, their freedom of expression and the free flow of information are pillars of democratic life, and a prerequisite for all human rights.
“This is why, in 2012, the international community endorsed this Plan of Action to protect
journalists, prevent crimes against them and pursue their perpetrators.
To achieve these goals, we must work collectively. And much progress has been made by Member States, United Nations agencies, international organizations, judicial actors
and civil society to implement concrete measures nationally, regionally and globally,” she said.

She added that UNESCO has developed guidelines and toolkits, and trained over 24 000 judicial actors and 11 500 law enforcement and security officials on issues related to freedom of expression and the security of journalists, including those in the digital world.

She however bemoaned the continuous killing of scribes.

“Despite these efforts, journalists continue to be killed at an alarming rate.

“Therefore, on this anniversary,we must renew our commitment to protecting journalists
everywhere, all the time. This means in situations of conflict and crisis, of course, and UNESCO is supporting journalists in Ukraine and Afghanistan, for instance. It also
means in times of peace –for that s when most journalists have been killed in recent
years,” she said.

She added:

” We must step up our efforts online, where new forms of violence have
emerged, especially towards women –three in four women journalists have experienced
online harassment according to UNESCO data.”

Recently, a number of local journalists have been physically attacked in the line of duty.

Local organisations like Perch Media Trust have been vocal in the fight to protect journalists.