Media should put the spotlight on journalists’ rights

Katherine Johnson
Columnist

Reporters Without Borders, an organization that emphasizes freedom of the press and journalists’ rights, recently started a new campaign called Censorship Paradise. Their goal is to expose the lack of free speech in countries such as Thailand, Mexico, and Vietnam.

These three countries are popular tourist destinations for many. The group claims that they’re not “calling for a boycott of these destinations,” but rather “want travelers to see what is behind the scenes.”

So, what’s really happening? In Mexico, numerous journalists who covered drug trafficking have been murdered in the last ten years. In Vietnam and China, journalists are jailed for 15 to 20 years for criticizing their government.

While as a college student you may not be considering a trip to another country in the near future, it’s important to be informed on how the press operates outside the U.S. Being Americans, we know nothing but freedom of the press, which is key to any democracy. Besides informing the general public, journalists act as a check on the government, and influence public opinion.

By restricting freedom of the press, citizens in these countries aren’t receiving accurate coverage and are uninformed. This hinders their growth, and is also a step in the wrong direction for human rights and democracy on a global level.

Americans should be concerned with this violation of rights because freedom of the press is essential to advancement. Although you may be thinking, “what can I do?” The first step is to be informed about the issues and spread awareness.

Knowledge is the key to pressuring these countries to change their ways. If more people become aware of the situations facing journalists, the governments of these countries will be compelled to respond.

As a country, we’ve always been one of the first to respond when foreign governments have mistreated their citizens. This raises the question of how this issue has managed to stay off our radar.  Since we’re so interested in spreading democracy, freedom of the press should be one of our top priorities to ensure in other nations.

Recently we’ve seen many citizens take the act of promoting their cause into their own hands through the use of social networking, such as in the Arab Spring. This is their only option without freedom of the press. In hopes of spreading democracy and human rights, we should also campaign for journalists’ rights on their behalf.

Preventing everyone from vacationing to these countries is unrealistic, but maybe it will make you think twice. To make a difference on a smaller level, you may spread awareness, write to government officials or even donate to the campaign. If we draw our government’s attention to this problem and make them act on it, we’re in the process of making a change.

We may take simple rights like this for granted since they’ve always been known to us. It’s eye-opening to step back and realize that many don’t enjoy these freedoms, and risk their life just by reporting on what’s happening in their country. As a society that relies on freedom of the press, it’s essential that we’re aware of the realities in other countries. Opening our eyes to this problem is the only way to promote a much needed and crucial change in the lives of journalists abroad.