Press freedom: why you should be worried

Summary

The video script highlights the alarming erosion of press freedom, particularly in democracies, with journalists facing violence, imprisonment, and harassment. It features Indian journalist Rana Ayub, who endures online abuse and legal threats for her reporting on corruption. The script also discusses the global decline in press freedom, the use of SLAPP suits to silence critics, and the financial bullying of media outlets in Hungary. Despite the challenges, there's optimism as journalists continue to find ways to report the truth.

Takeaways

• 📰 Journalists worldwide face increasing threats, including imprisonment, attacks, and murder, for reporting the truth.
• 🌍 Press freedom is deteriorating not just in authoritarian states but also in democracies.
• 🇮🇳 In India, journalists like Rana Ayyub face online abuse, legal cases, and surveillance for reporting on sensitive issues like corruption.
• 📉 India has fallen to 150th place out of 180 countries on the Global Press Freedom Index, dropping eight places in a single year.
• 🌐 Geopolitical and economic issues, along with the pandemic, have been used to justify crackdowns on press freedom.
• 📈 The use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) is rising, particularly in Europe, to silence journalists through legal harassment.
• 🇭🇺 In Hungary, the government has used financial bullying to suppress independent media, driving some outlets into bankruptcy.
• 🏦 Journalists have had to innovate, like setting up reader-funded outlets, to maintain independence in hostile environments.
• 😢 The emotional toll on journalists is immense, with many experiencing anxiety, distress, and fear for their safety.
• 💡 Despite the challenges, there is optimism as journalists continue to find ways to report and expose the truth.

Q & A

What is the current situation of journalists in Mexico?

Journalists in Mexico are facing extreme violence and bloodshed, with many being killed, imprisoned, and attacked for doing their jobs.

Why is press freedom being eroded in democracies?

Press freedom is being eroded in democracies due to subtle tactics used by governments to silence independent media, often involving intimidation, surveillance, and legal harassment.

Who is Rana Ayub and what challenges has she faced?

Rana Ayub is an award-winning Indian journalist who has faced online abuse, harassment, and legal cases from the government for her reporting on Hindu nationalism and corruption in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

What is the global ranking of India in terms of press freedom?

India ranks 150th out of 180 countries on the global press freedom index, having fallen eight places in a single year.

What is the impact of press freedom on democracy?

Press freedom is essential for democracy as it allows for government accountability and public discourse. Without a free press, it is difficult to maintain a strong and vibrant democracy.

What is a SLAPP lawsuit and how does it affect journalists?

A SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) lawsuit is a legal action intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. Journalists facing SLAPP suits may self-censor to avoid the financial and reputational risks.

How many journalists were murdered in 2021 and where did most of these murders occur?

Twenty-one reporters were murdered in 2021, with nearly 40 percent of those murders taking place in democracies.

What was Daphne Caruana Galizia known for and how did she die?

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese journalist known for her investigations into corruption, including the Panama Papers. She died in a car bomb explosion, which is believed to be a targeted assassination.

How has the Hungarian government been suppressing press freedom?

The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has suppressed press freedom through financial bullying, such as withholding government advertising revenue from independent media and allowing the prime minister's wealthy allies to take over popular media outlets.

What is the role of the European Commission in addressing SLAPP lawsuits?

The European Commission has proposed a new directive that would allow journalists and activists to appeal to courts to throw out some SLAPP lawsuits, aiming to protect free speech and reduce the abuse of these suits.

How do journalists like Rana Ayub remain optimistic despite the challenges?

Despite the challenges, journalists like Rana Ayub remain optimistic because they continue to find ways around the tools used by governments to suppress them, demonstrating resilience and commitment to their work.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Erosion of Press Freedom

The script discusses the increasing violence and threats against journalists worldwide, particularly in democracies. It highlights the case of India, where journalists face online abuse, legal harassment, and physical threats for reporting on sensitive issues like corruption and nationalism. Rana Ayub, an Indian journalist, shares her experiences of being targeted by the government and facing online harassment. The script also mentions the global decline in press freedom, using India's drop in the global press freedom index as an example.

05:01

🗞️ The Impact on Democracy

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of a free press in a democracy, as it holds governments accountable and allows public discourse. It discusses how the decline in press freedom in India reflects its fall in democratic rankings. The script also covers the global trend of using strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) to silence journalists, as illustrated by the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist who was murdered after investigating corruption. Her son shares his experience of inheriting her legal battles posthumously.

10:02

🏛️ Financial Bullying of Media

The script explores how governments use financial tactics to suppress independent media, exemplified by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban's strategies. By controlling advertising revenue and influencing media ownership, the government has stifled press freedom. Veronica Monk, a former journalist for the now-defunct Index news organization, discusses the challenges of maintaining editorial independence. She and her colleagues created a new outlet, Telex, funded by reader support to circumvent government control.

15:05

🌍 Global Challenges and Hopes

The final paragraph discusses the broader challenges journalists face globally, including physical violence and legal intimidation. It features a panel discussion with Rana Ayub, who talks about the personal toll of being a targeted journalist. Despite the grim situation, there is a sense of optimism as journalists continue to find ways to report the truth. The script concludes by encouraging viewers to stay informed about press freedom issues and to support independent journalism.

Keywords

💡Journalist

A journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current information. In the context of the video, journalists are portrayed as individuals who face significant risks and challenges for reporting the truth, especially in countries where press freedom is under threat. The script mentions the murder of journalists and their imprisonment, highlighting the dangers they face for simply doing their jobs.

💡Press Freedom

Press freedom refers to the ability of journalists and media organizations to report news without censorship, restraint, or interference from the government or other powerful entities. The video discusses the erosion of press freedom, particularly in democracies, and how it poses a threat to global democracy. It is a central theme as the script explores various ways in which journalists are being silenced or intimidated.

💡Authoritarian States

Authoritarian states are political systems where the government exercises strict and centralized control over various aspects of public and private life. The script implies that while press freedom is often curtailed in authoritarian states, it is also being eroded in democracies, which is a concerning trend.

💡Democracies

Democracies are systems of government where power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through their elected representatives. The video emphasizes that the decline in press freedom is not limited to authoritarian regimes but is also occurring in democracies, which is alarming because democracies are typically expected to uphold freedom of the press.

💡Harassment

Harassment refers to a pattern of threatening or disturbing behavior that causes fear, anxiety, or discomfort. In the script, journalists like Rana Ayub face online abuse, death threats, and surveillance, which are forms of harassment intended to silence them and deter them from reporting on sensitive issues.

💡Intimidation

Intimidation is the act of making someone fear a threat, whether real or imagined, with the intention of influencing their actions. The video describes how journalists are intimidated through legal threats, physical violence, and online hate campaigns, which are tactics used to suppress their work and deter them from pursuing the truth.

💡Censorship

Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. The video discusses how governments use subtle tactics to censor independent media, which is detrimental to the public's right to know and to a functioning democracy.

💡Self-censorship

Self-censorship occurs when individuals or organizations voluntarily suppress or modify their speech, expression, or actions due to fear of legal, social, or professional repercussions. The script mentions self-censorship as a consequence of the risks and threats faced by journalists, which can lead to a lack of diverse and critical voices in the media.

💡SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation)

SLAPPs are lawsuits intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. The video provides examples of SLAPPs being used against journalists like Daphne Caruana Galizia, who faced numerous defamation suits that aimed to harass and intimidate her into silence.

💡Media Outlets

Media outlets are organizations that provide news and information to the public through various channels such as print, broadcast, or online platforms. The video discusses how media outlets are under pressure, with some being financially bullied or taken over by government allies, which compromises their independence and ability to provide unbiased news.

💡Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalism involves in-depth research and reporting on issues of public concern, often involving systemic problems or corruption. The video highlights the work of investigative journalists like Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose investigative work into government corruption made her a target and ultimately led to her assassination.

Highlights

Journalists in Mexico face increasing violence and threats.

Press freedom is eroding in democracies as well as authoritarian states.

Journalists are being targeted for reporting on sensitive issues like corruption.

Rana Ayub, an Indian journalist, faces online abuse and government harassment for her reporting.

India's press freedom has declined significantly under the BJP government.

Globally, press freedom is deteriorating year by year, even in Europe.

Geopolitical and economic issues are contributing to the decline of press freedom.

COVID-19 pandemic was used by some leaders to accelerate crackdowns on press freedom.

The decline in Indian media is linked to India's fall in democratic rankings.

21 reporters were murdered in 2021, with nearly 40% of these murders occurring in democracies.

Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist, was assassinated for her investigative work on corruption.

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are used to silence journalists.

The European Commission proposed a directive to protect journalists from SLAPPs.

Hungary's press freedom has declined due to government financial bullying and media ownership.

Index, a Hungarian news organization, was forced to close after its editor-in-chief was fired.

Telex, a new independent media outlet in Hungary, is funded almost entirely by its readers.

Journalists continue to find ways to report despite increasing restrictions and threats.

Transcripts

tonight more bloodshed in mexico another

journalist killed this week as you see

that camera person just got shot

last year record numbers of journalists

were imprisoned many others were

attacked and murdered just for doing

their jobs

i'm the international correspondent at

the economist

for many journalists being able to

report freely is becoming much harder

but this isn't just happening in

authoritarian states i'm not going to

give you can you can you stay you are

fake news

in 2022 press freedom is being eroded in

democracies too

is this the price one needs to pay to

speak the truth and governments

everywhere are using more subtle tactics

to muzzle independent media it's always

about silencing the target which is bad

news for global democracy

i want to find out what's going on

and how the freedom of the press can be

protected

just no word for it and you just feel

that

i wish it could just stop i felt like i

have been slut-shamed and i have been

made naked for the public

it was a

virtual lynch mob that is out there to

get me

rana ayub is an award-winning journalist

based in india

her work has appeared in publications

around the world

she's reported on the rise of hindu

nationalism in india and on corruption

in prime minister narendra modi's

government her work has drawn the

attention of the authorities

who are trying to shut her up i think

the authorities are trying to silence me

because they find my truth unbelievable

it's not a popular truth it's something

that reveals them exposes them they

believe that i am trying to discredit

their image internationally rana so nice

to meet you i really wanted to talk to

rana because for the past few years

she's faced unimaginable online abuse

and harassment

what i'm living right now is a nightmare

that i had not anticipated

death and rape threats i get burnt

copies of my book at my residence the

other day i was in a new studio in

bombay and i got a message on my phone

that we are standing downstairs we know

where you are

my image was morphed on a porn video and

circulated all over the country

slut-shamed into silence

many of those threats appear to come

from members of the public

online trolls who don't like what rana

stands for

but government harassment is also

becoming increasingly explicit there is

the constant fear of being arrested

there is a constant fear of being

surveilled upon

i have at least four cases which i'm

facing right now two from the uttar

pradesh police one from the enforcement

directorate one by the income tax

department i'm 100 convinced it's all by

the government

rana is not alone

in the world's largest democracy press

freedom is enshrined in the constitution

but harassment of journalists has

increased under the bharatiya janata

party who came to power in 2014.

prime minister modi the leader of the

party has been described as a predator

of press freedom

pressure has increased on media

organizations to toe the government line

there's a pattern of critical

journalists being intimidated with

online hate campaigns police violence

and even criminal prosecution

it's a living breathing claustrophobic

feeling

i've worked as a foreign correspondent

in india and to witness today's state

silencing of its media is

shocking india is 150th out of 180

countries on the global press freedom

index having fallen eight places in a

single year

and it is by no means the only democracy

languishing in the bottom half

the index is compiled by reporters

without borders

a charity that campaigns for independent

journalism

its director of international campaigns

is rebecca vincent press freedom has

steadily deteriorated around the world

year by year even our democracies when

we look at the performance of for

example europe which has long been the

region that respects press freedom the

most even there

why is press freedom

getting worse and in particular why in

democracies we've had geopolitical

issues we've had economic issues which

also impact the media i mean we also saw

some leaders taking advantage of

attention being on the pandemic to maybe

accelerate pre-existing crackdowns or

start to implement new restrictions and

then of course covert related

restrictions as well in some countries

we saw real backlash against independent

reporting targeting of journalists who

were actually reporting the truth on

figures in their country or or taking a

critical approach to their to their

governments

i guess you think about the media as an

important part of democracy it's the way

in which you'd hold a government

accountable it's the way in which people

members of the public can share their

stories and what they want and need and

so

if you don't have that mechanism you

don't have that dialogue it's pretty

hard to imagine how you can have

a strong and vibrant democracy

another index compiled by the economist

intelligence unit uses media freedom as

one of the indicators to measure how

democratic a country is

i believe that the

decline of the indian media really

explains the steep downfall of india as

democracy how can you continue to be a

democracy when you do not have a vibrant

press

[Music]

not long after we interviewed rana her

bank accounts were frozen by the

government

constant surveillance harassment and

abuse are taking their toll

look at me i've been unable to work i

was supposed to step out to go and

report election season in india

and i'm fighting a case and i'm fighting

battles i have to go to court to get my

account unfreezed you don't know what's

coming and you want to do your work you

want to report you want to tell the

world

your story and you don't want to tell

the world that it's difficult to do

journalism and

you can't do it and i don't know what's

what the future holds for me

for some journalists the attacks can be

fatal

21 reporters were murdered in 2021

and nearly 40 percent of those murders

took place in democracies

[Music]

the country's leading investigative

journalist described as a one woman

wikileaks daphne carolina galicia died

when a car bomb exploded in her vehicle

galizia led the panama papers

investigation some feel her murder is a

sign of threats to freedom of speech

i never imagined that

someone would

target my mother in this way in 2017

daphne caruana galicia a maltese

journalist was murdered

the 53-year-old galicia was a specialist

in reporting on corruption her son

accused senior politicians of being

complicit

daphne's investigations into the maltese

government and business elite had made

her the most read journalist in the

country

she was just so

so fierce in the way that she defended

those stories and in the way that she

defended the facts of the case

um the way that she defended her sources

but her work also created many enemies

who on earth would have an interest in

reporting me to the police

and asking for my arrest because of an

article about leader of the opposition

[Music]

in the years leading up to her

assassination daphne endured threats

intimidation and attacks

as well as another less conspicuous form

of harassment

by time she was killed she was facing 47

libel suits

five were criminal defamation there

cases that could have put her in jail

those lawsuits didn't die with daphne

much to their horror her family

inherited all of the cases

this to me was unbelievable i mean

my mother had just been murdered and we

inherited this

entire sort of structure which had been

set up to threaten my mother it was just

passed on to us

these lawsuits are known as strategic

lawsuits against public participation

or slaps

they're a powerful way for people with

deep pockets to deter scrutiny

some of the slaps against daphne came

from government politicians including

the prime minister of malta himself the

cases against my mother

where were taking up

the vast majority of her time it was

just all designed to sort of harass

intimidate her make her life miserable

it was really superhuman that

that she was able to continue her

reporting

over the past few years there has been a

rise in the use of slaps against

journalists particularly in europe

in poland one newspaper alone has

received almost 60 many of which have

been brought by politicians from the

ruling party

very often there isn't a case well the

point is you don't actually need a case

because you're not trying to achieve

justice it's always about silencing the

target the whole point of a slap case is

to harass to intimidate and to make an

example of the defendant to other people

and to wear that person down so that

they no longer pursue the story

fighting a case can cost the defendant a

fortune

often the only option is to take the

content down

most people are not able or willing to

take on these risks these financial

risks these reputational risks and

finding it so it can result in

self-censorship that is incredibly hard

to to counter it it's hard to fight back

against and in fact self-censorship in

that way can be one of the biggest

challenges to free expression globally

as well as continuing to fight the

lawsuits matthew and corrin campaign to

make it harder for slaps to be brought

against journalists and at the end of

april 2022 the european commission

proposed a new directive that would

allow journalists and activists to

appeal to the courts to throw out some

slaps

the laws have to be changed so that they

no longer can be abused in the interests

of plaintiff every time

i learn about a journalist being

targeted in this way

i feel for them in the same way that i

felt about my mother at the time

it sort of hits me in the same way

this is why we've taken this up as a

campaign i mean we have to do something

to stop it

it's not just the individual journalists

who are being targeted

whole media outlets are coming under

pressure too

in 2022 hungary's prime minister victor

orban was elected for a fifth time

it's been over a decade now since mr

orban first came to power and in that

time here in hungary press freedom has

gone into decline

the government's weapon of choice seems

to be financial bullying

much of the advertising revenue in

hungary comes from the government

by not placing adverts with independent

media companies the government has been

able to destroy their income and drive

some of them into bankruptcy

and the prime minister's wealthy cronies

have taken over many of the country's

most popular media outlets

veronica monk worked for hungarian news

organization index for almost two

decades

index was the largest and most

influential online news daily

in hungary

everyone wanted to know what's happening

in the country they just clicked on

index and got unbiased news

but veronica found that being able to

report freely was becoming much harder

[Music]

in the last couple of years of index it

became more and more obvious that our

independent operation

will not be possible anymore

some very

very well known oligarchs

came and go

on the on the top of the ownership

structure of the company who owned index

then the editor-in-chief was fired in

recent weeks the company have expressed

concern that their media and editorial

freedom is under threat from external

forces and just two days ago the

company's editor-in-chief chabot stall

well he was sacked

it was a very clear move a very clear

expression that they

don't want to let us work independently

anymore

on the day index's editor-in-chief was

fired more than 70 of its journalists

quit

the same day at the evening there was a

large protest on the streets of budapest

thousands of people were marching on the

street shouting beside freedom

i was at home totally tired crying my

eyes out but i knew that the only

mistake that we can do if we do not try

to stick together and create something

new because those people thousands of

them

express that they want to consume fat

based quality journalism

together veronica and her colleagues set

up a new independent organization

telex so this is telex this is our our

newsroom this is our new office we moved

in couple of months ago

could you tell us a bit about sort of

setting this up or what does it involve

starting a media outlet from scratch

first of all it was extremely tiring we

needed to find out how we will have

money

we knew that we cannot rely on

advertisement revenue because of the

political influence of the advertisement

market so we decided okay let's turn to

our readers we put a message on youtube

less magic let's write addish mulik i

said something like guys you know us you

know what we can do please give us money

it became really successful

in the first month we collected one

million euros so we could launch we

could hire almost the whole team and we

could start the operation very quickly

almost two years on around 600 000

people read telex every day its funding

comes almost entirely from its readers

but hungary remains a hostile

environment for journalists

many people are really so much involved

emotionally in politics they don't care

about the facts anymore

nearly 80 percent of hungarian media is

owned by allies of orban's government

despite the efforts of telex

freedom of the press continues to

deteriorate

being a critical juror is hard it's

really hard to get into press

conferences for instance or know about

press conferences so we wanted to talk

with the meps there was like a fencing

so basically they stopped you to ask

questions

this is the fourth time that the urban

government got two-thirds of the

parliament seats which gives them a

large potential in every fields in the

hungarian life

i expect difficulties i expect that

access to information will be as

difficult as before and i'm really

concerned or i could say afraid what

comes next

joining us tonight is the extraordinary

independent investigative journalist

rana ayub

at the frontline club in london rana

ayub is a guest on a panel discussing

attacks against female reporters

that i've felt that i'm better off keno

on my own and going a different way

that just caused me so much anxiety and

distress why do we have to lose one

journalist to violence it's inspiring to

witness their bravery and ambition but

it's also shocking is there any reason

for optimism

that the press might get freer over time

i do believe there is spoke but i also

know it's going to be a challenge for

each one of us

it's a depressing story

but even at this time when there are so

many attacks against journalists

what you do see is that reporters find

ways around the tools that governments

are using against them

be it technology be it physical

harassment

reporters keep finding ways to do their

work

and that has to be a reason for optimism

to read more of our coverage on press

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