SUNBURY (TNS) — Each year, journalists and others who care about a free and vibrant press mark Sunshine Week, which came around last week.
It’s a time to emphasize the importance of Right to Know and Freedom of Information statutes and to remind everyone that those laws exist so that anyone can access records and seek to hold elected officials accountable — not just journalists.
This year as we continue to watch and read about the tragedy of Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine, the week has, more importantly, been a time to consider the importance of press freedom, its importance to democracies and how often it comes under attack around the world.
There are many worldwide who want to propagate misinformation; those who seek to stifle the ability to report facts or express opinions that don’t support their perspectives.
People who desire absolute control — as Russian president and dictator Vladimir Putin clearly demonstrates — want nothing to do with the honest reporting of actual facts or anything that doesn’t align with their beliefs.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified this week that a total of 726 civilians had died during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine as of March 15. Of those, 52 were children. It also reported 1,174 people were reported to have been injured. The organization made it clear that the real numbers could be much higher. They are undoubtedly correct about that.
Three of the people killed in the past week have been journalists.
American freelance journalist Brent Renaud was shot and killed last Sunday. Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and his Ukrainian colleague, Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova were killed on Monday.
Life is precious and the loss of a journalist is no more or less tragic than any death in this or any other war.
But the importance of journalists being willing — and free — to put their lives on the line to report the truth cannot be overstated.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, 1,435 journalists were killed between 1992 and 2022 reporting around the world. On its website, the committee stresses that it “cites only those cases in which the motive has been confirmed.”
In other words, it tracks those who were targeted for death specifically due to the danger honest reporting brings to totalitarian causes.
At this point, it’s unknown whether the three journalists reporting in Ukraine were targeted, but considering how desperately Russia wants to control information, the likelihood is strong.
Ukraine is a democracy (although with flaws), something Putin desperately does not want.
Democracy is endangered when independent journalists are silenced.
The devastation occurring before our eyes in Ukraine is being brought to us by a large, determined group of international journalists. Their courage and tenacity are to be admired as well as the remarkable bravery of the Ukrainian people defending their nation.
Unfettered news-gathering is key to gaining an understanding of what is happening and helping to form our response.
It is the one way to make certain the world knows the dangers Putin and those of a similar mind bring to humanity.
The effort to shine the light of honest reporting on them must never be impeded or taken for granted.
