UNESCO Urges Protection of Journalists Amid Declining Press Freedom
Jakarta (ANTARA) - UNESCO is urging governments and civil society to strengthen support for independent journalism and guarantee the free flow of information amid a global decline in press freedom.
“I call on member states and all our partners to invest in journalism as a pillar of peace. Free and accurate information is essential for the public,” said UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany in a press release from the UNESCO Jakarta Regional Office on Sunday.
UNESCO emphasises that peace, recovery, and security policies must include the protection of information integrity as well as free and independent media—on a par with humanitarian, institutional, and economic aspects.
The UN agency also stresses the importance of sustainable financing to ensure media can continue to operate.
“Newsrooms around the world are struggling to survive financially and facing existential threats. Amid the unprecedented speed and scale of disinformation spread through social media and artificial intelligence, journalism is the last line of defence for society against manipulation and division,” he said.
UNESCO’s latest report on global trends in freedom of expression reveals that since 2012, global freedom of expression has declined by 10%—a drop that has only occurred during major crisis periods such as World War I, leading up to World War II, and the late 1970s during the Cold War.
UNESCO’s analysis, based on data from Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)—a global database measuring democracy and civil liberties conditions in various countries—shows that self-censorship practices among journalists have increased by 69% between 2012 and the end of 2025.
The most impactful form of censorship currently occurs from within journalists themselves, due to mounting pressures.
It is noted that journalists and media are increasingly targeted by various forms of legal pressure, from defamation lawsuits to rules and regulations restricting journalistic work.
Violence against journalists in digital spaces—particularly against female journalists—has also risen significantly.
At least 42% of them report that such attacks escalate into real-world threats or violence—doubling from 20% in 2020.
Nevertheless, amid these challenges, progress is evident. Of the 194 countries surveyed in UNESCO’s 2025 global survey, nearly half now have legal frameworks recognising community media.
They also provide financial support that reflects a growing commitment to media pluralism.
Additionally, 139 UN member states have adopted legal guarantees for the public’s right to access information.
Developments in digital tools and artificial intelligence are also driving cross-border investigative journalism and international collaboration.
As part of this year’s World Press Freedom Day commemoration, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was awarded to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, in recognition of the courage of journalists working in conditions of conflict and high risk.