2021-2022 – Journalism Is a Public Good – UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression & Media Development
Independent journalism is in peril, faced with increasing crackdowns on press freedom, ongoing threats against the safety of journalists, and the erosion of business models. In order to effectively respond to these urgent challenges, we must first understand them. The World Trends Report and the data and analysis it presents help move towards that understanding.
The newly released UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2021/2022 (161 Pages) analyses the state of media freedom, pluralism, independence, and safety of journalists over the past five years. The Report sounds the alarm on the worrying decline of press freedom levels around the world: data and original analysis confirms that 85 percent of the world’s population experienced a decline in press freedom in their country over the past five years. The Report also examines the impact of COVID-19 on already struggling news media environments, ranging from new restrictions on press freedom to failing traditional business models.
Key Findings
- Journalists are under attack. From 2016 to the end of 2021, UNESCO recorded the killings of 455 journalists, who either died for their work or while on the job. At the same time, imprisonment of journalists has reached record highs.
- New legal measures undermine, instead of bolster, press freedom. Since 2016, dozens of countries have adopted or amended laws and regulations which threaten freedom of expression and press freedom online.
- News media’s traditional business model is at a breaking point. Growing numbers of media outlets have been forced to cut down on staff or close their doors permanently. Just two companies, Google and Meta, now receive approximately half of all global digital advertising spending.
- Data can aid understanding of and support to the media sector and freedom of expression. Yet, in the countries and communities where journalism is most at risk, the health of the news system often remains a black box.
Independent journalism is in peril, faced with increasing crackdowns on press freedom, ongoing threats against the safety of journalists, and the erosion of business models. In order to effectively respond to these urgent challenges, we must first understand them. The World Trends Report and the data and analysis it presents help move towards that understanding.
Извор: WUNRN – 05.06.2022
