The Danger of Politics: Threat to the Safety of the Journalists
Do you believe that politics is dangerous? The number of murdered journalists is on the rise. They are being killed for speaking the truth or uncovering the wrongdoing of governments. Attacks to journalist include murder, abductions, harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention, or even illegal arrest.
Seventy-eight journalists killed and 326 imprisoned around the world last year, study finds. Until today, Journalists’ safety is still under threat as they expose the undergrounded dirty truth of the public officials to the public. Reporters have been murdered in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Russia and Malta. The rise of authoritarian governments and the threat of internet censorship has redoubled pressures on reporters globally, according to the human rights organization.
Freedom of expression underpins democracy. However, I am the one who starts to question the safety and rights of freedom of expression in my own country. Whenever I wrote some controversial issues, my website got attacked repeatedly. I perceive that’s a warning asking me to shut up. As the journalists pressured to keep silent over controversial issues for the sake of their personal safety, the public loses the ability to understand what was going on in the world, which makes it easier for authoritarian governments to control the mainstream crowd. Relevant news: Number of journalists killed on the job in 2018 rises
The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers with a purpose to strengthening peace, democracy and development worldwide.
# power and corruption
“Most human corruption exists within politics[…] The amount of money that goes into a campaign for a party is immense […] Politics is, without shadow of a doubt, beyond the most disturbing, dangerous, and defeatist aspect of humanity. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that compares to the destruction politics has wrought whether it be ideology versus ideology or territorial nonsense or vying for control over resources it’s all the same at the end of the day” (quote source)
“It is very dangerous indeed […] Reporters are being assaulted on a daily basis for reporting information about politicians that they do not want revealed. Politicians and often political commentators are assassinated all around the world, such as JFK [….] We need governments and policies to keep society running smoothly. Still, it is a lie to call it safe.” (quote source) Relevant posts: Threat to journalists at highest level in 10 years, report says
“They promise the people things that won’t ever happen. Politics is dangerous and in the wrong hands, you’re doomed. For the most part, Yes …But I wouldn’t use the word “dangerous” to describe politics in general. “Dirty” is more of an appropriate word in this case. Almost all of these politicians have some sort of agenda” . (quote source)
# power imbalance
# media impression and press freedom
