Censorship or Death-orship: Protecting the Freedom of Expression for Journalists

We are living in a time where several regions of the world are experiencing ongoing violence, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the war in Gaza. Rising tensions between countries like China and Taiwan, and other countries like Lebanon becoming involved in the violence of the Middle East, only make the situation worse. There are also hundreds of events that occur across the world every day, ranging from political updates to the latest news on Hollywood’s favorite couples.

Figure 1. Frank Masi, Evan Jonigkeit plays Specialist Coughlin and Tina Fey plays Kim Baker in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Paramount Pictures, https://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/468312463/whiskey-tango-foxtrot-cant-quite-find-its-footing.¹

The only reason we have information about these conflicts, or any event for that matter, is because journalists from all over the world are placed in dangerous situations to provide their employers more credit for frontline journalism. Very little protection is granted to journalists in a war zone, and even if they make it through the violence, media workers across the nation face threats of censorship, imprisonment, and death. Because of the lack of protection, as well as strict media laws in hundreds of countries, 129 media professionals were killed in 2023, with 427 journalists held in custody.² As of November 2024, 78 journalists and media workers have been killed,³ and 574 have been detained.⁴ The majority of these deaths stem from working in ongoing war zones like Gaza and Ukraine. Every country faces its own issues when it comes to silencing media workers, with some worse than others.

Reporters Without Borders, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the right to freedom of information, conducts an annual study that determines a global score for 180 countries. Each country’s score is determined by two key points of analysis. First is a quantitative tally of abuses against journalists and media workers in connection to their work.⁵ The second is “a qualitative analysis of the situation in each country or territory based on the responses of press freedom specialists to an RSF questionnaire available in 24 languages.”⁶ Essentially, the higher the number, the worse the situation is regarding violence and indirect crimes targeted at media workers.

Compare the RSF scores of two countries involved in a current conflict: Russia and Ukraine. Russia’s RSF score is 29.86, putting them in 162nd place. Ukraine, on the other hand, is 65, putting them in 61st place. The contrast between the two is astounding and can be attributed to the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as the leaders who are currently in power.

After the war began, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin cracked down on independent media sources, ensuring nothing unfavorable about his actions came to light. Since February 2022, Putin has banned, blocked, or declared almost all of the independent media outlets within the country “foreign agents” or “undesirable organizations”. Any other news source has been subjected to heavy military censorship.⁷ Russia has always been tough on spreading information that might harm the nation’s reputation, but the biggest shift was seen after Putin came to power and has been increasingly more aggressive.

It’s hard to find information about those who have been killed in Russia over the last two years. When you do manage to find something, the articles are sparse and leave the death at being involved in a conflict zone or getting caught in the crossfire, often pinned on Ukrainian soldiers. Every piece of media is controlled by Putin, so it makes sense that he is keeping the deaths of media workers under wraps to save face.

Yet one of the most notable cases of Russian violence against journalists is the case of Anna Politkovskaya. Politkovskaya was a notable Russian journalist who was assassinated in her Moscow apartment on Oct. 7, 2006. She was known for her work covering the Second Chechen War, a conflict that opened the door for the press to openly bash the Kremlin, regardless of consequences.⁸ Before her death, she faced consistent threats, was jailed, forced into exile, and poisoned during her career.⁹ Her colleagues continue to question the involvement of the Russian government in her death, especially after Putin pardoned a man in November 2023 who was supposedly involved in organizing the assassination.¹⁰

Politkovskaya’s story isn’t the only instance of death either. With one journalist being killed and 40 in detainment this year alone.¹¹ It is safe to say Russia has a history of targeting media workers. This isn’t unexpected; it is just easier to see given the current situation.

Anna Politkovskaya, Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Rex Features, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/who-really-did-kill-russian-journalist-anna-politkovskaya-9535772.html.¹²

On the other side of the conflict, Ukraine, now ranked 61st, has climbed 18 places in just one year; this has been the best indicator in this rating since the independence of Ukraine.¹³ As a result of the Russian occupation, the advertising market’s collapse, a lack of personnel due to media personnel being mobilized, and the destruction of equipment and resources in bombardments, a total of 233 Ukrainian media outlets have had to close since 24 February 2022, according to the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), RSF’s local partner.¹⁴

Independent media outlets have remained open, untouched by government restrictions, and working through constant missile strikes. Journalists have continued to ask the tough questions, refusing to be shut down by other international media, ensuring their personal accounts of the violence are published to showcase the graphicness of the situation.

With a 100-place gap between the two, it’s easy to tell which country values independent media and which does not. Ukraine has lost 92 journalists¹⁵ between the start of the war and now, compared to Russia’s 11. Ukrainian media workers are losing their lives while trying to gather information for investigative stories and first-hand accounts, whereas Russian journalists have lost their lives for speaking out. Regardless of what country they are from, it's disheartening to see that over 100 media workers total have died just between Russia and Ukraine.

The bigger issue is examining the causes of their deaths and acknowledging the disparities that persist between the two nations, as well as every other nation across the world, and how to find ways to protect the freedom of expression for journalists and media workers around the globe, not just in those two nations.

To start, laws targeting journalists should be repealed. Compromises could be made with government officials to ensure changes and agreements between media outlets and the government but still establish new freedoms within the press. For example, if Russia were to allow foreign media to operate or reestablish independent media on a local scale, Russian journalists would be legally allowed to speak their minds, even if under mild government restrictions for the first few years. These small yet mighty legal shifts will make all the difference when it comes to jumpstarting a shift in any given country. Once momentum builds and captures public attention, the ball starts to roll and makes its way into the public eye; there’s no going back.

A more formal recommendation was made in A Pressing Concern: Protecting and Promoting Press Freedom by Strengthening Consular Support to Journalists at Risk by the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom,¹⁶ a paper that outlines legal approaches to protecting journalists. It recommends that “upon the detention of a journalist foreign national or dual national, the host State must immediately contact the consulate of the journalist’s home State.”¹⁷ There are countless cases of journalists being detained abroad because they unknowingly violated a country’s press rule or are simply facing punishment for being an international reporter in a country that prefers not to have outside voices making their way in. Implementing those training courses, as well as unbiased guidelines for situations like these, holding media workers against their will becomes a less polarizing issue.

The panel also suggests that “journalists have a right to be free from arbitrary detention and benefit from the same rights and protections as other individuals in detention.”¹⁸ Just because someone is a journalist doesn’t mean they should be subjected to more intense interrogations, punishments, or completely arbitrary treatment. Quite honestly, it’s that simple.

On the societal and industry level, providing training courses for media workers can help prepare them for the field. These courses would provide them with relevant skills and information, such as basic safety instructions for working in a conflict zone and details about country-specific media laws.

Forming grassroots organizations to ensure journalists’ safety gives workers the ability to find resources wherever they’re stationed, as well as receive support outside of their home government. Creating hotlines for media workers to use instead of starting a lengthy process with their home country’s government officials ensures someone can have access to immediate help, whether it be medical, legal, or personal. Early warning and rapid response mechanisms, to give journalists and media workers, when threatened, immediate access to authorities competent and adequately resourced to provide effective protective measures, add another level of physical protection when someone is working in an active conflict zone. All of these are suggestions countries can take on a local scale to ensure the safety of their journalists. Additionally, those same organizations can advocate for legal reform, making a bigger impact than just media outlets alone.

Figure 3. [A journalist entering an area with active conflict, showing his innocence and lack of relation to the conflict], Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Council of Europe, https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/freedom-of-expression-in-times-of-conflict.¹⁹

Gradually implementing these laws and moving forward over time creates a flourishing media presence in almost every country. A complete and immediate shift is the best-case scenario but also unreasonable. There are certain recommendations that should take form immediately, like eliminating obscene rules against media workers and unfair treatment while detained, but other aspects of the plan require time and cannot be implemented instantly. Starting new programs and organizations and shifting a government’s opinion is a long process and can only be expected to work in full if the proper timeline is put in place. We can use the stories of detained media workers, like Anna Politkovskaya, to inspire audiences and legislative bodies to look past the industry of the press and see the people behind it, to help re-establish and protect the freedom of expression that journalists rightfully deserve.

Bibliography

Rex Features. Anna Politkovskaya. Accessed on January 5, 2025. Photograph. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/who-really-did-kill-russian-journalist-anna-politkovskaya-9535772.html.

Committee to Protect Journalists. “123 Journalists and Media Workers Killed in 2024 / Motive Confirmed or Unconfirmed.” Accessed on January 7, 2025. https://cpj.org/data/killed/2024/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&motiveUnconfirmed%5B%5D=Unconfirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&type%5B%5D=Media%20Worker&start_year=2024&end_year=2024&group_by=location.

—-“Russia: Thirteen Murders, No Justice.” Accessed on January 7, 2025. https://cpj.org/reports/2006/11/russia-murders/.

Cotler, Irwin. A Press Promoting and Protecting Consular Strengthening by Freedom Risk. Human Rights Institute, November 16, 2020. https://mediafreedomcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/A-Pressing-Concern_Protecting-and-Promoting-Press-Freedom.pdf.

Council of Europe. [A journalist entering an area with active conflict, showing his innocence and lack of relation to the conflict]. Accessed on January 5, 2025. Photograph. https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/freedom-of-expression-in-times-of-conflict.

—-“Ukraine, National chapter: Journalists Matter, Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists.” Accessed on January 3, 2025. https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/ukraine-national-chapter.

Masi, Frank. Evan Jonigkeit plays Specialist Coughlin and Tina Fey plays Kim Baker in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Accessed on January 5, 2025. Photograph. Paramount Pictures. https://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/468312463/whiskey-tango-foxtrot-cant-quite-find-its-footing.

National Union of Journalists. “2023 "one of the worst years" for killing of journalists says IFJ.” May 14, 2024. https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/2023-one-of-the-worst-years-for-killing-of-journalists-says-ifj.html.

Reporters Without Borders. “2024 Press Freedom Index.” Accessed on January 7, 2025. https://rsf.org/en/index.

—-“More than 100 Journalists Victims of Russian Crimes during Two Years of Covering War in Ukraine.” Accessed January 7, 2025. https://rsf.org/en/more-100-journalists-victims-russian-crimes-during-two-years-covering-war-ukraine.

Vinograd, Cassandra. “Why Anna Politkovskaya Was a Pillar of Press Freedom.” The New York Times. November 14, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/world/europe/anna-politkovskaya-profile.html.

1. Frank Masi, Evan Jonigkeit plays Specialist Coughlin and Tina Fey plays Kim Baker in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Paramount Pictures, https://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/468312463/whiskey-tango-foxtrot-cant-quite-find-its-footing.

2. “2023 "one of the worst years" for killing of journalists says IFJ.” National Union of Journalists, May 14, 2024, https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/2023-one-of-the-worst-years-for-killing-of-journalists-says-ifj.html.

3. “123 Journalists and Media Workers Killed in 2024 / Motive Confirmed or Unconfirmed.” Committee to Protect Journalists, Accessed on January 7, 2025, https://cpj.org/data/killed/2024/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&motiveUnconfirmed%5B%5D=Unconfirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&type%5B%5D=Media%20Worker&start_year=2024&end_year=2024&group_by=location.

4. Ibid

5. “2024 Press Freedom Index.” Reporters Without Borders, Accessed on January 7, 2025, https://rsf.org/en/index.

6. Ibid

7. Ibid

8. Cassandra Vinograd, “Why Anna Politkovskaya Was a Pillar of Press Freedom.” (The New York Times, Nov. 14, 2023), https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/world/europe/anna-politkovskaya-profile.html.

9. ”Russia: Thirteen Murders, No Justice.” Committee to Protect Journalists, Accessed on January 7, 2025, https://cpj.org/reports/2006/11/russia-murders/.

10. Vinograd, “Why Anna Politkovskaya Was a Pillar of Press Freedom.”

11. Reporters Without Borders, “2024 Press Freedom Index.”

12. Anna Politkovskaya, Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Rex Features, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/who-really-did-kill-russian-journalist-anna-politkovskaya-9535772.html.

13. “Ukraine, National chapter: Journalists Matter, Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists.” Council of Europe, Accessed on January 3, 2025, https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/ukraine-national-chapter.

14. “More than 100 Journalists Victims of Russian Crimes during Two Years of Covering War in Ukraine.” Reporters Without Borders, Accessed January 7, 2025, https://rsf.org/en/more-100-journalists-victims-russian-crimes-during-two-years-covering-war-ukraine.

15. Council of Europe, “Ukraine, National chapter.”

16. Cotler, Irwin. A Press Promoting and Protecting Consular Strengthening by Freedom Risk. (Human Rights Institute, November 16, 2020), 9-114. https://mediafreedomcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/A-Pressing-Concern_Protecting-and-Promoting-Press-Freedom.pdf.

17. Colter, A Press Promoting and Protecting Consular Strengthening by Freedom Risk, 14.

18. Colter, A Press Promoting and Protecting Consular Strengthening by Freedom Risk, 96.

19. [A journalist entering an area with active conflict, showing his innocence and lack of relation to the conflict], Accessed on January 5, 2025, Photograph, Council of Europe, https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/freedom-of-expression-in-times-of-conflict.