Environmental reporting has become perilous; journalists faced 50 attacks a year between 2009 and 2023 in all regions of the world on average
Representative photo from iStock
Environment journalists worldwide are facing increasing violence, with as many as 44 journalists killed in 15 years, according to a new report released by UNESCO on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2024. The killings were highest in Asia and the Pacific with 30 cases, while Latin America and the Caribbean reported 11.
Over 70 per cent of the total 905 journalists and agencies surveyed from 129 countries informed that they had been attacked, threatened or pressured, according to the report Press and Planet in Danger. The report was launched at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day Global Conference being held in Santiago, Chile from May 2-4, 2024.
The report noted that the violence has increased between 2009 and 2023, with 249 attacks reported. The numbers dropped to 215 between 2014 and 2018. But it showed a stark increase with 305 attacks recorded between 2019 and 2023.
On an average, journalists faced 50 attacks a year between 2009 and 2023 in all regions of the world.
The study found that these attacks came from state machinery such as the police, military forces, government officials, employees and local authorities. “Private actors — extractive industry companies, criminal groups, protesters and local communities — were also responsible for the attacks,” it added.
The attacks from state actors spiked significantly from 111 between 2014 and 2018 to 174 attacks between 2019 and 2023.
The nature of attacks included physical, assaults, harassment, arbitrary detentions, including criminal charges pressed against reporters, imprisonment, defamation among other legal attacks.
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Journalists attacked were mainly reporting topics on environmental protests, mining, land conflict, deforestation, extreme weather events, pollution, the fossil fuel industry and environmental damage.
Those covering environmental protests, mining and land conflicts faced the highest number of attacks. Those killed in Asia and the Pacific were precisely covering mining, deforestation and land conflicts.
The judicial status of the killings was also found to be in dire shape as the review shows that 19 cases remain unresolved and only five led to convictions so far, while the other five are under investigation.
The survey was conducted jointly by UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists. They found that reporting on environment was becoming increasingly dangerous, making it challenging for journalists to do their job.
Regarding conflicts of interest in newsrooms, “A 299 (33 per cent) of all the respondents indicated they have been internally censored by their editors due to conflict of interests while reporting on environmental issues while 407 respondents (45 per cent) said they have practiced self-censorship,” the report noted.
The UN report observes that the global environmental crises of climate change, biodiveristy loss, pollution and other factors impact billions globally and environmental journalism plays a crucial role in “how the world understands this”.
The report stressed, “In the face of the global environmental crisis, the importance of environmental reporting cannot be overstated, and thus advocacy groups, journalism networks, donors, multilateral organisations, and other stakeholders must emphasise the need for a free press and the safety of journalists.”
Providing funding and resources to train and better equip journalists, particularly those underfunded at the local level, is crucial for covering environmental issues safely, the report added.
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