The Press and Information Office (PIO) has launched the “Journalists Matter” campaign, as part of the Council of Europe’s campaign for the protection and safety of journalists, which will run from 2023 to 2027. In this context, the PIO organised on Monday in Nicosia a discussion, entitled “Protecting journalists, protecting democracy.” Aliki Stylianou, PIO Director, who moderated the discussion, said that the campaign “is an opportunity for all member states to go a few steps further towards free and pluralistic media, quality news, a healthy media ecosystem, healthy democratic processes and societies.” She further pointed out that the safety of journalists is recognised at the international level as a precondition for freedom of expression and democracy. In addition, Stylianou expressed her gratitude towards the Council of Europe for trusting the PIO to launch the campaign from Cyprus. She also said that the decision to carry out the comprehensive campaign at the European level was taken at the Conference of Ministers responsible for Media which was organised by the PIO at Nicosia in June 2021. On his part, Patrick Penninckx, Head of the Information Society Department of the Council of Europe, said that journalism is necessary for a democratic society, adding that there are mishaps and crimes committed at the expense of journalists. “We have to establish mechanisms to make journalists be able to protect themselves” he pointed out. Penninckx went on to say that disinformation has become part of the warfare in Ukraine. During the presentation of the campaign, Penninckx noted that journalists are recognised by the European Court of Human Rights as “public watchdogs.” He explained that the objective of the campaign is the safety of journalists in all situations. He further said that the target groups of the campaign include journalists, media outlets, public officials, elected bodies and political parties. In addition, Patrick Penninckx said that common events on the best existing practices from countries who implement national action plans will be organised during the campaign, which consists of 4 pillars: ‘prevention’, ‘protection’, ‘prosecution’ and ‘promotion of information, education and awareness raising.’ The key international partners of the campaign, as Penninckx said, are the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, the United Nations (notably UNESCO), the European Union, the Office of the OSCE Representative on Media Freedom and others. He also expressed his willingness to “put forward the positive role of journalists as public watchdogs.” Replying to a question, Patrick Penninckx said that “we need to have a clear vision of the news, adding that the key question is ‘What type of society do we want to pass on to our children?'” Replying to a question about Julian Assange, he said that “we regularly discuss the issue and try to come to a common position.” “We are using persuasion” in this matter, he added. Invited to comment on a remark that journalists often meet various obstacles when they try to investigate an issue, he spoke of “journalistic, economic and politic dependency.” Matthew Caruana Galizia, journalist, Director of “The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation” and son of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, said that his mother’s assassination in October 2017 is linked to corruption in Malta. He further added that the family started to speak out a few days after the murder to counter disinformation coming from the government of Malta. He went on to say that the main reason behind the murder of journalists is that the victims were investigating corruption, adding that the core of his family’s campaign in Malta is the fight against corruption. “No country can fight corruption alone,” he pointed out. Galizia also said that journalists from different countries “are increasingly working together” to investigate cases of corruption. “We need to go beyond lip service,” he underlined. Replying to a question, he said that “it is not the business of a government to decide what is disinformation or not.” On his part, Herman Grech, Editor-in-chief of “Times of Malta” and Director of the play “They Blew Her Up”, said that he had investigated the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. He pointed out that today the attacks against the press by totalitarian regimes are conducted differently compared to Nazi Germany. “A discourse by a far-right populist government against the press is a recipe for disaster,” he went on to say. Furthermore, Grech spoke of the “crucial role” that journalists have to play, adding that “a system of corruption has killed Daphne Caruana Galizia.” He also pointed out that journalists need to speak out and defend the interests of journalism. “It is for our interest to fight for truth,” he concluded. Replying to a question, Grech said that media outlets should rethink the way they operate, especially in terms of fact checking. Replying to another question, he pointed out that it is becoming difficult to recruit new journalists, while some good journalists are driven out of the profession. On Tuesday 4 April, the Press and Information Office in collaboration with the Nicosia International Festival present the play “They Blew Her Up”. The play, in English with Greek supertitles, outlines the events surrounding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, journalist and anti-corruption activist, through testimonies. The performance will take place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre.
Source: Cyprus News Agency