Protecting the Rights of Journalists and the Freedom of Media

MUNiSC General Assembly 2

Forum: General Assembly 2 Student Officer: Ethan Young-Gun Choe, Deputy President

Introduction Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world from birth until death. These rights apply to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, background, religion, etc. The 19th Article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, seeking and receiving information and ideas through any media." Knowing the truth is crucial for all aspects of life. The society relies on journalists to provide us with accurate information to recognize and address contemporary issues in the world. Journalists are human beings trying to report accurate news to the world. Threatening journalists and not allowing them to carry out their rightful work is a clear violation of their human rights.

Background At the Charlie Hebd office in 2015, nine journalists were killed in a suicide bombing, and another journalist was killed in a shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan. In addition, 20 more innocent lives of citizens were taken away, along with many more seriously injured. The AFP chief executive Fabrice Fries noted that the Nine Journalists and one journalist killed in Afghanistan tragedy reminds the danger that the journalist team is continually facing. Still, more importantly, it is threatening the cornerstone of democracy: journalists. The cause of the tragedy was a bomber disguised as a TV cameraman who installed a bomb at the site. Journalist casualties have been a growing trend simply because of the work they do since 1990. The United Nations (UN) has reported more than 2500 journalists being killed until the present day. Although the severity sounding minuscule compared to the number of deaths global contemporary issues such as human trafficking and denied access to clean water has brought, the journalist casualties need to come to a halt. Countries need to take advantage of the size of the issue at the moment and immediately address the problem before the number of casualties begins to proliferate persistently. For now, the problem only seems to aggravate with the rise of IS across Syria and Iraq and the observed increase in the death of journalists in areas other than the Middle East such as South America, South Asia, and North America. To properly prevent these atrocities, the creation of collective legislation with the United Nations is vital.

International Actions According to the International Press Institute, it has been claimed that the International Press Institute (IPI), Al Jazeera Media Network, International News Safety Institute (INSI) and the Africa Media Initiative (AMI) has been leading to promote a culture of safety within the media industry by raising awareness among journalists about international standards and promoting best practices in the newsroom for protecting journalists and media staff on dangerous assignments or working in hostile environment. Over the years, the International Declaration on the Protection of Journalists has been drafted to ensure the journalist's safety strictly. However, to significantly lower the chances of cases where journalists are in danger, the International Press Institute must emphasize the responsibilities of states without any impunity. Furthermore, the promotion of guidelines and remedies should be necessary for the ultimate goal. Along with the ever-growing population, Number of journalists killed worldwide from protecting the rights of human beings are 1995 to 2018 becoming a primary goal for the United Nations. Reporters are no exceptions and certainly deserve the freedom of speech and safety. The international declaration was presented from March 19 to 21 and was based on thorough research and analysis of existing mechanisms in the aspects of journalist's safety. The declaration is mainly designed to impact the ongoing efforts to reduce the risks journalists face in covering the news. Unfortunately, despite the ongoing efforts, the issue only seems to get worse.

Places of High Concerns Afghanistan Although journalist bombing has killed 53 people, which might sound minuscule compared to a typical global crisis, this issue is continuously growing, and Afghanistan is one of the most endangered countries. Afghanistan suffered deadly bombings in 2018, and nine journalists have lost their lives due to an intended murder Afghanistan was known as the deadliest country for targeting first responders and journalists in 2018 journalists. The media sector of Afghanistan has been one of the few successful sectors that had provided accurate and undisputable stories that include media stations like Tolo, Ariana News, etc. Unfortunately, the constant pressure applied from bombing has caused trauma and tension on the media team that could lead to inaccurate or poorer quality news. It has been said that Afghanistan will be under

© MUNiSC 2020 MUNiSC General Assembly 2 more restrictions that would reduce the danger in major cities monitored by the government; however, the support does not seem to be effective or sufficient to impede attackers.

Syria According to the RSF, 11 journalists and media activists were killed in 2018. A journalist in Syria named Redwan Bezar has successfully survived two attacks in 2017 while attempting to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa, which is a place that is dominated by the IS terror group. The reporter has stated himself in an interview that every time he leaves his house to liberate other regions, he feels that it would be his last time. It was confirmed that Bezar and his crew were targeted by IS suicide attacks. Courtney Radsch, who is an advocacy director, said it is very challenging to protect journalists who are currently employed in conflict zones as it is hazardous even to enter the danger zones. With constant threats that are everywhere in the danger zones, it even lowers the incentives for people to inspect the areas themselves, which leads to properly. There are further casualties every year. MEDCs are planning to give subsidies Important cities in Syria where journalists have been killed that cover up for the costs caused by the terrorists. A Washington judge from the United States has sent the Syrian government 302 million dollars for a 2012 death of journalist Marie Colvin. The Syrian government has never responded to the suit, but more importantly, millions of dollars are not the solution to make up for a person’s one and only life. Solutions to prevent the deaths in the first place are essential instead of searching for means to financially resolve the crisis.

The Stances of the P5 Nations: United States of America Even though the United States is an economically developed country, the country itself suffers from this issue. The United States recognizes that the problem is growing and has stated that journalists have never before been subjected to as much violence and abusive treatment as they were in 2018. It is reported that assuming that the trend continues, the nation predicts that journalists could be listed as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The United States has a total of 6 killed journalists so far and has joined the list of the world’s deadliest countries for the first time in 2018.

United Kingdom Although no journalists were killed in the United Kingdom, 15 UK journalists have been killed reporting on conflict since 2000. 13 out of 15 deaths of these journalists have been in the Middle East. The United Kingdom is incensed by the tragic incident, mainly because all of

France Similar to the United Kingdom, France has been a victim of the issue outside of its own nation. French TV journalist Gilles Jacquier was murdered in Syria on a government-sponsored trip. France is hoping for quick solutions to prevent further casualties in the future.

China South China has been known as the danger zone recently, and journalists that are near the conflict zone in Hong Kong are always under both physical and cyber threats. Fortunately, there have been no journalists that were seriously injured or killed.

Russia Just like most of the P5 nations, Russia has experienced some tragic events outside of the country and wishes for measures to terminate the ongoing incident.

Glossary Human Rights: Rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): An international document that states basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human beings are entitled.

United Nations (UN): An international organization formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among its member countries

International Press Institute (IPI): A global organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices founded ion 1950.

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