Report by UNESCO: “Media freedom and journalism are under attack around the world. AI-fuelled disinformation is confusing and polarizing audiences, government censorship is sharply rising, physical and online violence towards journalists is increasing, and the journalism business model is failing. At the same time, funding for public media is declining, and drastic cuts to international aid and media development budgets have reduced the amount of reliable, independent journalism available to audiences globally.
This report explains why these cuts and attacks matter – and what is at stake when journalism declines and disappears. It synthesises the latest academic research on the value of journalism and its role in economics, national security and crises. The report is focused on public interest journalism, that is: reporting that is independent, accurate and ethical, and that seeks to inform the public about important issues affecting their lives, enable debate, and hold power to account.
The evidence collected here demonstrates that this journalism can have a profound and positive impact on societies and individuals globally. Its role supporting democracy is very well established: journalism shares the information citizens need to cast meaningful votes, it is a check and balance on power, and it acts as a conduit between citizens and elected officials.
But journalism’s impact goes far beyond that. As the evidence in the report indicates: Journalism is an economic enabler: it can reduce corruption, lower the cost of doing business, encourage the fair and transparent distribution of resources, and support economic growth and development. Journalism supports national security: it makes societies more resilient to disinformation and the interference of malicious actors, and reduces the risk of conflict and war.Journalism improves the response to crises: it provides information that saves lives, and improves preparation and response to disaster and crises.Journalism is also a surprisingly cost-effective way to achieve these positive outcomes, and it offers a high return on investment. As the evidence in this review shows, every $1 spent on journalism, can result in more than $100 in savings to the public through improved public services and reduced corruption. Journalism’s most significant impact, however, is that it plays a preventative and protective role – as part of a healthy information infrastructure…(More)”.
