AA / New York / Serife Cetin
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said journalists were putting their lives at risk to do their jobs and expressed outrage at the number of journalists killed by the Israeli army in Gaza.
Guterres released a video message on Friday to mark World Press Freedom Day.
He began by indicating that the world is experiencing an unprecedented environmental emergency, threatening both current and future generations.
Guterres said journalists and media professionals have a duty to inform and educate people about this situation, adding: “It is not surprising that powerful people, companies and institutions are doing their best to stop the environmental journalists.”
Saying that environmental journalism is an increasingly dangerous profession, Guterres noted that many environmental journalists have been killed in recent decades and in the vast majority of cases, no one has been held to account. .
Guterres also reported that UNESCO has recorded 750 attacks on journalists covering environmental topics over the past 15 years.
“Journalists put their lives at risk to do their work,” he said, adding: “I am appalled by the high number of journalists killed by the Israeli army in Gaza.”
Guterres stressed that the UN commends the valuable work of journalists and media, saying: “Without press freedom, we will have no freedom.”
Finally, he noted that press freedom is not “an option” but “a necessity”, calling on governments, the private sector and civil society to come together to protect press freedom and the rights of journalists.
*translated from Turkish by Ayse Betul Akcesme
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