The theme of 2022 World Press Freedom Day, “Journalism under Digital Siege”, underlines the many new digital threats journalists are faced with, and demands responses from all concerned stakeholders.
Social media platforms should increase transparency about any actions to stop the spread of disinformation and to promote trustworthy information instead.
Human rights-based governance is needed to ensure that internet companies do more to tackle disinformation, online hate speech and potentially harmful content. This must be consistent with international standards on freedom of expression, access to information and the safety of journalists.
Privacy standards must be strengthened in regard to threats to the right to privacy by digital technologies and practices such as data retention, artificial intelligence, spyware, and arbitrary surveillance.
Legal actions are needed to prevent and prosecute illegal surveillance of journalists, both by public and private parties, while there should be strengthened legal protection for journalists to keep their sources confidential.
Platforms and police services must take strong steps to prevent and eliminate online attacks against journalists, orchestrated campaigns of harassment, intimidation, and violations of privacy.
Intensified measures need to be taken to protect women journalists, who are especially violently targeted online and offline, such as by increasing responsiveness to their situation and developing tools to identify and fight online violence.
Of immediate concern is the economic viability of media, as many outlets continue to bleed advertising revenues to Internet companies, resulting in news deserts and existential threats to media pluralism and independence.
Member States, Internet intermediaries and civil society all have a role to play to break the digital siege on journalism, and to find multistakeholder solutions to the challenges.
World Press Freedom Day 2022 is an opportunity to put into action the commitments made by all UNESCO member states as regards the principles of the Windhoek +30 Declaration. The Windhoek +30 Declaration continues to be relevant in regard to its recognition that press freedom, independence, and pluralism are prerequisites to guarantee information as a public good that serves as a shared resource for the whole of humanity.
Now media viability, transparency of digital platforms, and citizens empowered with media and information literacy have been added to the core tasks.
This year we walk-the-talk on implementing the Windhoek+30 Declaration with practical steps to do our part to help secure information as a public good as an urgent need today, and as a legacy for those who come after us.
