There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their freedom or both, simply because they try to tell the truth. Most people probably cannot understand why they do it. The problem is that the word journalist is not a good definition of the profession, because it includes three different behaviors that have nothing to do with each other.
There are journalists who write and tell only what appeals to their master, and are called in this way even if they aren't at all worthy of the word. The very existence of this kind discredits the category because they don't do journalism, but the worst propaganda. Then there is a second type of reporter who simply makes the task for which he is being paid and no questions asked, and these too aren't journalists, just employees of a publishing group.
Finally there are the real journalists, who are a minority of the profession, but the only worthy to carry this name. Like many African journalists who end up in jail or killed because they insist on telling the truth in the face of the lies of their respective regimes. Eritrea, the last country in the world for press freedom according to Reporters Sans Frontieres, has 30 journalists in prison . Like China and Iran, but with a population much smaller. In Somalia, a country destroyed by decades of war, 6 journalists were killed by armed groups this year alone, and a Canadian journalist and an Australian are still held captive since 14 months ago. In Madagascar Ando Ratovonirina was 25 years old when he was killed as he reported an opposition rally. Bruno Jacquet Ossebì, was investigating a big case of corruption between Africa and France: he died in Congo during the fire of his house.The neighboring nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has for years been held in a permanent civil war, especially in the South Kivu region, where 2 journalists were killed this year. In Nigeria, another country where journalists suffer constant threats, Bayo Ohu was murdered on the door of his house. Other nations have governments that have often threatened, intimidated and imprisoned journalists, such as Mauritania, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Gambia and Zimbabwe.
In Central America so many journalists have been killed by organized crime or paramilitary groups, as in Mexico, 9 killed this year, 55 since 2000, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia. Other states have governments that effectively impede the freedom of the press, such as Cuba, or make it very difficult, as Honduras after the recent coup.
Asia has many authoritarian regimes that censor the press and imprison anyone who attempts to break the curtain of silence imposed by governments on their corruption, as in China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, North Korea and many other nations that theoretically are less authoritarian but journalists have been censored and arrested as South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, and even killed, as in Sri Lanka or the Philippines. In Pakistan and Afghanistan journalists are intimidated and arrested by government forces and killed by the Taliban.In Iran the situation is known for its severity, with opponents and bloggers were arrested, tortured and killed in prison. But throughout the Arab world press freedom hardly exists, except in Morocco, where still suffers severe limitations and Lebanon and Iraq, where, however, journalists are often threatened and killed by the various warring factions. In Turkey, still no justice for the death of Hrant Dint, while other reporters are being threatened, beaten and arrested. Bad situation in many countries of the former USSR and in Russia itself, where not only were never identified the masterminds of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, but this year two other journalists were killed, Natalia Estemirova and Anastasia Baburova, and two activists for human rights.
Many in the world risk their lives to tell the truth. 760 journalists were killed worldwide since 1992, 53 in 2009. People who demonstrate a far greater human dignity than so many journalists from the rich Western countries that are afraid of offending the powerful, even when at most risk only their high salaries. Or hide behind the shameful hypocrisy that journalists should be neutral, an attitude that has also precipitated the Anglo-Saxon journalism in its lowest point when Bush and Blair led the world to a war based on a flood of lies in the passive acquiescence of most of the American and British journalists. The job of a journalist worthy of the name is not only reporting what the government announces, but check if it correspond to the truth. The power that is not controlled by public opinion may secretly commit the worst abuses.
Sure, many people probably don't understand why some do not fit, do not accept the state of affairs and seek the truth, despite everything, despite threats from the Power and the indifference of many, too many of their fellow citizens. Why they do it? Some probably didn't think they could risk prison or their lives when they began their work. Others knew it and they did the same, perhaps because the truth is more important than life or rather life has little meaning without the truth, and who remains silent in the face of injustice and evil is an accomplice of their crimes.
Francesco Defferrari
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