To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, together with his Czech and Slovak counterparts Jakub Kulhánek and Ivan Korčok, released a joint opinion piece for the Austrian newspaper “Die Presse”. In the article, they emphasize the importance of journalism in supporting our shared values.
We have to show that our commitment to a free press knows no lockdown,
the three Foreign Ministers wrote in their article, which also highlighted some concerning recent developments. They noted that access to reliable information and high-quality independent media had become even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there is the frequent impunity for attacks against journalists and restrictions on reporting as a means of political repression and an assertion of power.
Verbal attacks by leading politicians, some of them bordering on hate speech, create the impression that journalists are our enemies, and that attacks on them are legitimate,
the Ministers wrote. They called for continued efforts by the international community to resolve current problems as well as closer cooperation between governments, journalists, media companies, international organisations, civil society, public prosecutors and the judiciary.
The three Foreign Ministers stressed that
Journalism is the oxygen of any democracy,
adding that
we must work tirelessly on this issue, and constantly remind ourselves and others of our duty to comply with all our human rights obligations.
In addition, The World Press Freedom Conference took place from 29 April to 3 May, which also included events to mark the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration. The Windhoek Declaration is still considered to be a key document in the fight for a free, pluralistic media, as Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasised in a video statement to the conference on 2 May.
The enduring relevance of the Windhoek Declaration was further underlined by a joint statement by the Groups of Friends for the Safety of Journalists. The statement has been signed by more than 40 countries, including Austria.
