Daily Times

The media often pays a high price for exposing the high handedness, malfeasance, and corruption of the powerful. Many in authority treat the press as public enemy number one. The consequence is that media persons, the world over, face bullying, imprisonment, disappearance, and violence for just doing their jobs.

According to Freedom House, only a small percentage of the world’s population has access to a free press. Moreover, both repressive states and major democracies are attempting to curtail press freedom. Governments are now trying to control social media and other online platforms. This move comes after the curtailment of the independence of newspapers and broadcast channels.

Furthermore, between 1992 and 2018, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed 849 murdered journalists (including 33 in Pakistan). The relentless war against the media has claimed the lives of many brave and enterprising journalists. This list includes Daniel Pearl, Daphne Galizia, Saleem Shahzad, and Jamal Khashoggi, to name a few. Others like Ben Jacobs and Cyril Almeida are up against the hubris of individuals and institutions.

Woodward and Bernstein’s defining role in exposing the Watergate scandal helped to bring down the Nixon presidency. Khashoggi’s gruesome murder certainly won’t have a similar outcome. Undoubtedly, the secretive Saudi monarchy will survive. It can depend on its formidable public relations machine, enormous financial clout and influential friends like Trump.

It seems that many leaders and states today have taken Adolf Hitler’s antipathy for a free press to heart. Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf that “the fascist state must not forget that all means must serve the ends; it must not let itself be confused by the drivel about so-called ‘freedom of the press’…it must make sure that the press is placed in the service of the state.”

Hitler – through a state-run media spouting Goebbel’s Nazi propaganda – protected the German state from the ‘drivel’ of free expression. To paraphrase George Washington, “With freedom of speech taken away, dumb and silent Germans were led by Hitler, like sheep to the slaughter of World War II.”

In contrast, President Trump can rail against the media all he wants, but his wish for a pliant media will remain unfulfilled. Thankfully – the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States guarantees the freedom of speech and the press.

The First Amendment is regarded as the core of the comprehensive protection of freedom of expression in western countries, along with this eloquent statement of the French National Assembly:”The free communication of thought and opinion is one of the most precious rights of man; every citizen may therefore speak, write and print freely.”

Nascent democracies, where the concept of a free media is yet to take hold, would do well to adopt the US and French declarations on free expression in letter and spirit. The mixed media experiences of the western world can also serve as a useful guide for emerging democracies.

The intimidation and violence faced by journalists deserve condemnation and action. In spite of disagreements on editorial policies, we must express solidarity with the media if we believe in freedom of expression and the democratic way of life.We must condemn any acts of violence aimed at media persons

Despite the constitutional safeguards, the governing classes in the west weren’t immune to using the media to spread fear, promote hatred and intolerance, with lasting effects. The Dreyfus trial, McCarthyism and the Iraq war are examples.

The freedom of speech and conscience are the bedrock of democratic societies. Thus, attacks on the freedom of speech and expression are an attack on democracy itself. Democratic societies shouldn’tallow coercion that forces them to impose media restrictions. Despite the challenges, a free press remains the main bulwark against fascism.

Furthermore,a free mediais a vital component of a vibrant civilisation. Lifting the world out of its current polarisation will require a new era of free in quiry. The advocates of free speech rightly see it as a fundamental good – its fullest extension is necessary for the development of other liberties – which should remain unrestrained.

There can be no free speech without the freedom to offend religious and cultural sensibilities. Moreover, no degree of cultural or religious discomfort can be a reason for censorship. The importance of the principle of free speech is that it provides a permanent challenge to authority and the idea that some questions are beyond contention.

The intimidation and violence faced by journalists deserve condemnation and action. In spite of disagreements on editorial policies, we must express solidarity with the media if we believe in freedom of expression and the democratic way of life. We must condemn any acts of violence aimed at media persons. These efforts are essential as they can help the wider populace understand that attacks against the mediaare a sign of intolerance and immaturity.

Conducting investigative journalism and expressing critical opinions is a dangerous business. The establishment afraid of free expression feels safer with propaganda and censorship. The demonisation of the media isintended to gag and intimidate critical voices. But silencing the messenger won’t kill the message.

The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be reached at shgcci@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, November  3^rd 2018.