Journalism, Press Freedom and COVID-19

"Free, independent and pluralistic media play an indispensable role in informing the public during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Everyone has the right to comprehensible, accessible, timely and reliable information concerning the nature and level of the threat COVID-19 poses..." - Groups of Friends on the Safety of Journalists at UNESCO, April 15 2020

Published in the run-up to the annual celebration of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), the brief Journalism, Press Freedom and COVID-19 [PDF] from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) offers an overview of key findings gleaned from reports and statements made across the UN system, technology companies, the media, and civil society about the role of free and independent media in countering COVID-19. It also covers the impact that the crisis has had on journalism.

Providing some statistics to track trends on the scope and spread of a "disinfodemic" that fuels the pandemic, the brief describes an onslaught of misinformation and disinformation that has spread quickly. In much of the disinfodemic, there have also been themes of xenophobia, racism, and hate speech. UNESCO suggests that the problem is not only the volume of falsity, but also its combination with emotional content and the fact that it is spread by actors with influence.

In response, social media, social networking, and search engine companies have addressed the disinfodemic through:

• Content moderation: removing, downranking, or labelling COVID-19 disinformation. But sometimes legitimate expression is caught in the net, and wrongly identified and taken down.
• Donations to fact-checkers and journalists.
• Efforts to direct users towards official health information, including by partnering with national public health and international organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Advertising policies: attempting to ban advertisements that include COVID-19 disinformation.

Despite these positive developments, UNESCO argues that more transparency from social media, social networking, and search engine companies is needed to understand the true extent of the problem and the impact of their responses.

Independent media has also played a role - aided by the fact that, in countries around the world, journalism is being considered as an "essential service" and journalists as "essential workers", with permission to continue reporting and to be exempt from movement restrictions. Confirming that the news media provide an invaluable service to the public in the crisis, there has been a boost in some outlets' audiences. Many online media outlets have dropped their paywalls and provided coverage of COVID-19 pandemic free of charge, in the name of public interest.

Other challenges that have emerged are detailed in the document; in brief, they include:

• Restrictions on human rights on the basis of states of emergency sometimes go beyond those permitted by international law. This jeopardises the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, which UNESCO recognises as key to combating the disinfodemic.
• Besides the danger to physical health, journalists are being attacked, arrested, and detained, often on the charge of spreading "fake news" or rumours, sometimes used to repress critical reporting. Thus, the risks they face are physical, legal, psychological, and digital.
• The economic impact of COVID-19 has led media organisations to lay off and furlough journalists and stop print operations, with some outlets at risk of extinction. Of those who do survive, the fall in revenue from private advertising may jeopardise their ability to provide independent coverage.

The issues outlined in the brief lead UNESCO to suggest ways concerned stakeholders can stand up for journalism, in these areas:

• Human rights: Efforts to fight the disinfodemic should respect international standards for human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy. Actions by authorities in this area can include supporting journalism in many ways, as well as practising transparency and respecting privacy in line with international standards.
• Access and accessibility: Reliable, life-saving information should be made available through proactive disclosure by governments. Closing digital gaps between men and women, old and young, developed and developing countries has become increasingly urgent.
• Knowledge: A premium should be put on promoting fact-based science and policies, and on journalism's contribution to these.
• Engagement and empowerment: Outstanding reportage on the crisis can educate and inform, promote solutions and peace, and stimulate citizen participation and governmental accountability. Media and information literacy (MIL) can provide individuals with the critical thinking needed against the disinfodemic.
• Transparency: Technology companies need to provide statistics about their fight against the disinfodemic, and their decisions on content should respect international human rights standards.
• Solidarity: Media organisations should be offered support by technology companies and by governments, with guarantees of editorial independence and a plurality of media as part of the package.
• Multi-lateral and multi-stakeholder cooperation: Forces should be combined within and between countries in the face of the pandemic and the disinfodemic.
• Global monitoring: Research co-operation should be reinforced in all regions of the world in order to more fully track the impact of COVID-19 responses on press freedom.

The brief is part of UNESCO's World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development series, supported by the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (see Related Summaries, below).

Further resources on efforts by UNESCO and partners to defend free expression and access to information during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found in UNESCO's Resource Center of Responses to COVID-19.

Click here for the 18-page brief in PDF format in English.
Click here for the 18-page brief in PDF format in French.
Click here for the 18-page brief in PDF format in Spanish.