3rd of May – on UN’s international day of Press Freedom, Reporters without borders launched the 20th Index on Press Freedom at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.
MEKK @ OsloMet was a co-organizer together with the Fritt Ord Foundation.
Assistant Director-General of Reporters Without Borders, Thibault Bruttin presenting the findings. Record 28 countries rated ‘very bad’ in the press freedom index.
The 2022 index assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries. It highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalized and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.
MEKK’s Kristin Skare Orgeret introduced the topic ‘Press freedom under attack and led the panel discussion with Knut Olav Åmås, Fritt Ord Foundation & Thibault Bruttin, RSF.
At the international level, democracies are being weakened by the asymmetry between open societies and despotic regimes that control their media and online platforms while waging propaganda wars against democracies. Polarisation on these two levels is fuelling increased tension.The invasion of Ukraine (106th) by Russia (155th) at the end of February reflects this process, as a propaganda war accompanies the physical conflict.
Russian journalist Marfa Smirnova from Dozhd (Rain), now in exile in Georgia explains how she continues to operate from a neighbouring country.
Also the incredibly brave Ukrainian journalist Oksana Rumaniuk, Cherine Abdel Azim from Hebdo-Al-Ahram and Cherine Abdel from Avrillon & Huet, France participated on video. You can see it all here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60_wkF4_Akc
