NEW YORK: Marking World Press Freedom Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has highlighted an increase in violence faced by journalists covering environmental issues, which has made the profession increasingly dangerous.
In a message, the UN chief said journalists and media workers have an important role in educating and informing the public about the world’s current environmental and climate emergency which stands as a threat to future generations.
It is through this work that people can have a greater knowledge of environmental factors affecting the world and advocate for change, he said. However, based on recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, journalists, particularly environmental reporters, face violent attacks, and even death, for simply doing their job.
He said that dozens of journalists covering illegal mining, logging, poaching and other environmental matters have been killed in recent decades. But, in the majority of cases, no one has been held to account.
Analyzing the violence environmental journalists face, UNESCO’s report found that journalists and news organizations reporting on environmental matters dealt with about 750 attacks in the past fifteen years. the Secretary-General added.
