The EU commemorated International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists by saying that the Covid-19 pandemic should serve as a wake-up call on the importance of having access to reliable sources of information.
For every journalist who wins the Pulitzer Prize each year, 100 get shot. In the past fourteen years (2006-2019), close to 1,200 journalists have been killed, and many more were injured, tortured, kidnapped, illegally detained, intimidated or harassed in both conflict and non-conflict situations. In nine out of ten cases, the killers go unpunished. If free and reliable reporting is always an essential condition for democratic systems, in these difficult times of pandemic and disinfodemic it has become even more vital to preserve the citizenship´s right to be informed. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the EU reaffirms its commitment to defend the right to freedom of expression and to information, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, and improve the working environment for journalists, their protection and safety.
“Journalists play a fundamental role in the functioning of democracies, in ensuring accountability of those in power, and in providing timely and factual information”, reads the EU statement jointly issued by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Vice-President Věra Jourová to mark the date. “They help shed light on hidden issues and help us understand the world’s complexities. The information that they provide is important for our choices, whether related to health or elections, and affects our viewpoints”.
