TORONTO — The World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) issued Monday an urgent call for guaranteed commitments on protecting media independence and safeguarding freedom of expression during global crises.
“The role of professional journalism in providing accurate and verified news content is critical to countering the spread of misinformation and disinformation that proliferate during crisis situations and which can, quite simply, risk lives. An independent media also serves the public interest through rigorous scrutiny and the holding to account,” reads the WBU statement.
Exceptional measures introduced by governments in response to public emergencies should not be used to undermine the ability of media to report freely on those emergency situations, whether they are pandemics or protest movements, says the statement.
“Yet we have seen journalists being targeted and undermined while trying to do just that. In recent documented cases, for example during the George Floyd protests in America, news reporters — including those representing members of the WBU — have been subjected to unacceptable acts of aggression and intimidation, impinging on their ability to operate freely and risking their personal safety,” continues the statement.
“The freedom of the media to report unhindered on unfolding events — and the rights of citizens to have access to trusted information for deciphering them — is fundamental to free speech and society. It must not be compromised in any circumstances.”
Established in 1992, the WBU is the coordinating body for broadcasting unions who represent broadcaster networks across the globe. The Toronto-based North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) acts as secretariat for the WBU.
