Abstract
Murders of many reporters around the world go unnoticed, says
The fact that staff of a satirical magazine could be slaughtered for simply publishing comment and jokes seemed to cross a line that those adopting the “Je suis Charlie” slogan and gathering in protests believed essential to defend.
However, for many living beyond Western Europe or the United States, that’s a line that has long ago and frequently been crossed. The brutal murder of journalists for nothing more than publishing their views is commonplace in many parts of the world.
Figures compiled by the International News Safety Institute show 105 journalists and media workers lost their lives in 2014, in countries including Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Ukraine and Mexico, with shooting being the most common cause of death. According to INSI, an average of two journalists a week – every week – have lost their lives over the last decade. And in more than 90 per cent of cases, the killers are never found – often the murders are never properly investigated. Murder can be the most efficient means of censorship.
Some deaths, such as those of James Foley or Steven Sotloff in Syria, receive maximum media attention – and indeed are intended to intimidate and spread a bloody propaganda message.
Others are hardly noticed internationally. For example, Nerlita Ledesma who wrote for one of the Phillippines’ biggest newspapers and was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle on her way to work in January.
In more than 90 per cent of cases, the killers are never found. Murder can be the most efficient means of censorship
Or Khalid Mohammed Al Washali, a correspondent with the Yemeni TV channel Al Masirah who died at the start of the year, one of four victims of a roadside bomb blast, allegedly carried out by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Or Robert Chamwami Shalubuto, a broadcast journalist for state media in the Democratic Republic of Congo, shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in December.
Most of those murdered are not famous Western correspondents, but local journalists investigating crime or corruption – working on issues which embody the crucial ties between free expression and a healthy democracy. Because there is no doubt that the silencing of a critical voice damages free and open societies.
In the face of brutal intimidation, self-censorship becomes the new norm in some societies – allowing crime and corruption to flourish. The effective curbing of a free press can follow from the murder of even one or two key journalists, especially if they are famous and those who ordered their killings are not brought to justice.
The growing bands of freelancers and bloggers, on whom international journalism increasingly depends, are more vunerable
Examples include the case of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya – killed in Moscow in 2006 – and the Sri Lankan Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was shot dead in 2009 in Colombo after predicting his own death in an editorial published afterwards. Or the attempted murder of Pakistan TV host Hamid Mir who survived after being shot six times by unidentified gunmen in Karachi last year.
In many ways, those who work for established news organisations face fewer risks. They have employers with resources and support to offer and with influential voices. The growing bands of freelancers and bloggers, on whom international journalism increasingly depends, are more vulnerable – working on their own without support.
The United Nations has passed resolutions demanding member countries ensure the safe working of journalists – but resolutions have little effect with gangs in fractured countries. There has been much debate about including journalism safety in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to be published later this year. Such a move would recognise the importance of free speech to a healthy society and would attract funding and support to ending impunity – the crucial first step in addressing this problem.
But there are also strong voices who do not believe the media should be included in the UN goals or that free expression is a “first-order” human right alongside the right to life and health. These voices must be countered.
It’s essential that we all recognise that the killing of journalists is about more than just a right to speak. Free expression is crucial to the healthy functioning of any democracy, of any economy and to a society free of fear.
“Je suis Charlie” has to be about more than the victims of the Paris attack. It has to be about the murders of journalists taking place every week around the world. Because every time a journalist is killed for speaking out, or a murder goes unpunished, another corner of the world sinks into darkness.