Telex from London. Jodie Ginsberg (Index): monitoring and protection of journalists needed
Not enough is being done to protect journalists. Governments have a responsibility in creating a safe environment.
This message from Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the London-based Index on Censorship was sent to Ossigeno per l’Informazione on the occasion of the Concert for Press Freedom that was held in Rome on 21 June 2018 at the House of Jazz in Roma as part of the European Musica Day, to be read during the event.
Index on Censorship believes that journalism and media freedom are essential to democracy. Societies need to protect courageous journalists who risk their lives to investigate crime and corruption. The murders of journalists such as Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta and Jan Kuciak in Slovakia sent shock waves through Europe, but not enough is being done to protect journalists. The work of organisations such as Ossigeno per l’Informazione is vital. Monitoring threats and attacks against journalists helps to protect them and to raise awareness about the dangerous circumstances that they work in. What must follow is action by governments, in Italy and elsewhere, to ensure that journalists can work without danger and that the public has the information they need to thrive.
