August used to be known as the "slow news" month among journalists. It was silly season, when newspapers and broadcasters would put out lightish fare and politicians would try to sneak out dodgy policies... This month has been anything but.
So far this month nine journalists and media workers have been killed: in Mexico, Myanmar, Iraqi Kurdistan, Gaza and Ukraine. Two editors in Hong Kong have been convicted of sedition. Two journalists in Myanmar were sentenced to between 20 years in jail and life imprisonment. In Vietnam and Belarus, journalists were also given jail sentences. In Russia, a journalist was sentenced in absentia for spreading "fake news". The Taliban's morality police got new powers to censor the media in Afghanistan. Journalists were shot at in Venezuela, dozens were assaulted and attacked in Nigeria.
Yes, we had some positive news: releases of journalists from Russia, Belarus, and Morocco; a conviction in the killing of a US journalist - but the overwhelming trend was negative.
This matters because August is not a blip. It's not a one off. This is a long-term trend. It matters because those silenced are individuals who have helped expose the realities of war, who hold the powerful to account, who expose corruption and the abuse of power.
I used to think that journalists who reported news about other journalists were navel-gazing, self-absorbed. Who cares about what happens to journalists and journalism, right? Wrong. Now I think we don't talk about what's happening to journalists nearly enough. Because in almost every case, what happens to journalists is a precursor to wider restrictions and broader attacks in a society.
August should have been a quiet month. Instead, to me, it's ringing a loud alarm bell.
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