Challenges facing the Press

FE Team | Published: May 06, 2024 22:27:25

At a time when journalism as a profession is facing multifarious challenges the world over, the observance of the World Press Freedom Day demands a thorough review of the global as well as country-specific regimes for upholding journalistic integrity. The building block of this profession, without doubt, is democratic values and maintenance of individual and social liberty at its most unblemished. This explains why the Press has been given the appellation 'Fourth Estate". Indeed, the Press has faced challenges all through, only more so in autocratic and undemocratic regimes in the Third World countries. But against all odds, the profession has not only prevailed but also flourished. It has done so because of its steadfast and pro-people role. It is in time of great national and international crises, journalism is put to its optimal test and in most cases it has come out in flying colours to prove its worth.
Right at this time, journalism finds itself at a crossroads not only because regimes -- irrespective of free or restrictive -- are growing hostile to the free Press but also because powerful people almost everywhere have slid to moral degeneration in order to advance their undue interests. Then the climate change for the worse and irresponsible social media together with the appearance of artificial intelligence (AI) on the scene have brought journalists face to face with unprecedented challenges. It is against this background, a discussion titled, "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of Environmental Crisis" was arranged by the Editors' Council at the National Press Club on Saturday last. The focus was obviously on the environmental journalism and the intimidation and danger journalists covering issues concerning environment have to encounter. Although State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat assured his government's unreserved support for environmental journalists, the task at the field level proves highly daunting. The stakes are too high for the people, who are responsible for degrading local geomorphology by grabbing lands or filling rivers or lifting sands, to surrender their holds on such sources because of authentic reports on their misdeeds.
The problem here is that such influential people have easy access to corridors of power and unless journalists who could not care less for their own lives or are very naive hardly show the temerity to report on such issues of collective interests. Then there is the danger of lawsuits brought against such reporters on false charges. Self censorship is the net result in such a socio-political environment. Because money can buy allegiance and all that is needed to pacify any opposition, it is not only environmental journalists but others covering highly contentious issues have to face similar dilemmas.
But preservation of environment and waging a war on its pollution should have brought all parties together in order to find a sustainable solution to such problems. Unfortunately, corruption and moral aberration have left hardly enough space for such a broad coalition of society. The same is true for cementing a wider global partnership. Charlatanism of big powers which incidentally are the worst polluters has stood in the way of implementing the successive climate agreements including the Paris Agreement reached at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21). There is a need for looking at the problem objectively both at national and international levels to save the planet before it turns uninhabitable for living organisms including humans.