It’s been almost a year. The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov on October 8th. The two journalists had been rewarded for their “effort to safeguard the freedom of expression”.
By granting the Peace Prize to two journalists simply doing their job independently, the Nobel Committee acknowledged the essential nature of their mission : informing. Meanwhile, UNESCO delivered the report “Freedom of expression and media development” in March 2022, which recognizes journalism as a “public good”.
It seems clear that independent journalism is being recognized, by a plurality of organizations, as the indispensable democratic tool it is. On the other hand, 85 percent of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in their country, according to UNESCO.
Journalism without freedom is like jurisdiction without law : it still is a tool, but it loses its main goal. When the writer is submitted to censorship, threats, or pressure he becomes a communication device. Therefore, journalism must be independent.
How is independent media right now ? It is difficult to estimate how many independent newspapers exist in the world. It is however possible to explore the evolution of the risks journalists take in their work. Of course, 39 reporters have been killed in 2022 and 500 are imprisoned around the globe (Reporters without Borders), but other indicators can illustrate the deterioration of security practing the profession.
Judges take on the Nobel Prizes
Since they won the prestigious prize, Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov have experienced a tough return home. So tough that the anniversary of their victory might sound dreary. Maria went back to the Philippines, a reality in which her media, Rappler, is one of the fiercest opponents of the former president, Rodrigo Duterte. Under his regime, press freedom implied constant judiciary cases, threats on her media, and sometimes on her life.
These last months, she is facing a six-year prison sentence, for cyber libel. She also faces a penalty as Rappler CEO, the media being accused of foreign financing. The new president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. elected in June does not seem to be the liberator of the freedom of expression either. Maria Ressa’s problems are not over yet.
In Dmitri Muratov’s Russia, the president’s dictate is no secret. Along with the right to protest, free speech at its lower level since the Soviet era. Even before the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s tolerance of independent journalism was low. It’s not easy to win a Nobel Prize.
Since February 22nd, the pressure of Roskomnadzor – the controlling and censoring organization in Russia – has become unbearable for Muratov’s media Novaya Gazeta, which had to suspend its publication in March. On the internet, the Nobel Prize laureate continued his mission, and in August, he launched Novaya.media, accessible anonymously in Russia. But on September 15, Russia’s Supreme Court sounded the death knell of the newspaper, no longer allowed to publish.
The Nobel Peace Prize is never just a reward. It is an invitation for others to follow the right trail. By awarding the two journalists, the Swedish institution targeted all journalists in the world who work for freedom of expression. This opinion was shared by the laureate Maria Ressa “this is really for every journalist around the world”, she said.
The Philippines and Russia are not the only places where journalists must fight for their independence. In Central African Republic, Jean Sinclair Maka Gbossokotto dedicated his life to the truth.
#CAR : « I don’t believe in the official theory of heart or respiratory problems…For me it is simply poisoning…»
Central African Republic, the suspicious #death of #journalist Jean Sinclair Maka #Gbossokotto https://t.co/jjpPkz22Rm via @Mondafrique
— Coordination Ɖʋkʋnɖǝ (@_Dukunde_) May 7, 2022
The vocation of his newspaper Anti-Intox RCA was to fight fake news that gangrenated public life in his country. Very critical of the Central African power and its partner Wagner (the Russian private military company), The motto of Jean’s media was “Our mission, to become the arbiters of truth”.
In February, while writing an article embarrassing for the government – “France, a friend that has become undesirable” – the 36 year old journalist died under strange circumstances. After an evening with an unknown person, Jean woke up sick and quickly suffocated with a curious white foam in his mouth. Few believe the theory of “respiratory problems”.
More recently, in Iran, journalists suffered yet another aggression to their freedom of expression. Nilufar Hamedi, a Shargh reporter, has been arrested after bringing the light on the killing of Mehsa Amini – the 22 year-old woman arrested by the morality police for not wearing the headscarf correctly.
Being the first to make this story public, the reaction of the Iranian government was not long in coming. Her apartment was searched, her material seized, and she was arrested and transferred to Evin, a famous prison in Teheran. She is one of the eight journalists arrested in this case.
Nilufar Hamedi is a reporter who published the news about #MahsaAmini. Nilufar was arrested yesterday and her house was searched.
It was a high risk to publish such a sensitive news, but she did it bravely. Do not leave #نیلوفر_حامدی #NilufarHamedi alone#OpIran #IranProtests https://t.co/o8iOkFJHQ7— Āzād #MahsaAmini #NikaShakarami (@persianated) September 23, 2022
It is more unusual to find countries that cherish independent journalism than to find these stories. Of course, it would be sweet to think that these events only take place in developing countries. Who can assert that in Western countries, journalists are independent ? In France, according to Julia Cagé, nine billionaires own more than 80% of the national media. In the United Kingdom, Evening Standard the Daily Mail the Daily Telegraph, or The Sun, each newspaper has its billionaire at its head.
It might not be such a big deal if owners respected the editorial independence of the newspapers. Unfortunately, many of these billionaires tend to impose their vision on what should be published. Rupert Murdoch, the owner of The Sun does not hide from it : “If you want to judge my thinking, look at The Sun”, he said during the Leveson inquiry – a public investigation of the British press.
As for France, the buyout of Europe 1 by Vincent Bolloré led to mass resignations. Many journalists denounced the drastic change in the editorial line imposed by the new management. All of them agreed that this new line promotes controversy over facts and division over independence.
In Western countries, the decline of freedom of expression is directly related to the economic model of big media. Since the internet became the main platform of distribution, big media had to increase their advertising income.
In 2020, the pandemic caused the first decrease in global advertising spending. That meant fewer resources for media. Therefore, media rely more and more on their owner’s money, which enables the latter to interfere in the choice of the newsroom.
If the internet has shaken the economic model of traditional newspapers, it allows the appearance of new medias. It is not as expensive as it used to be to create new independent media. In these conditions, many do not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity. This unexpected pluralism might be the solution to the crisis that independent journalism is facing.