By John Ogunsemore
The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) has expressed strong support for journalists and media organisations defying odds amid the unprecedented assault on press freedom by state and non-state actors globally.
This is contained in a joint press statement issued by members of the executive board and published on the IPI website on Thursday, April 10.
Established in 1950, IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists with a mandate to defend media freedom and support independent journalism.
In the statement signed by 22 members, the board said the 75th anniversary of IPI offered an opportunity to affirm its unwavering commitment to the institute’s founding mission of defending press freedom and the rights of journalists wherever they are threatened.
“We — leading journalists, editors, and publishers from 21 countries around the world — are united in our unwavering commitment to the principles of press freedom and the indispensable role that a free media plays in supporting free and democratic societies.
“The media serve a critical function in holding the powerful to account, exposing government overreach and abuse, and protecting our fundamental rights and liberties,” the board stated.
It noted that the world is in an unprecedented moment of geopolitical instability and change, marked by rising authoritarianism and tremendous strain on institutions of free society.
“IPI was founded 75 years ago, also at a time of great global uncertainty and division, in the aftermath of the Second World War and as the Cold War loomed. IPI was founded on the belief that freedom of the press and quality, fact-based journalism helps build a better, freer, and more peaceful world.
“For more than seven decades, we have stood at the forefront of advocating for the rights of journalists in the face of political pressure, censorship, and repression.
“We have stood with journalists seeking to report the truth from behind the Iron Curtain, with those fighting censorship in apartheid-era South Africa, with reporters braving dictatorships in all corners of the globe, and with those risking their lives to document the truth in wars past and present.
“Throughout these decades, IPI has remained steadfast to its mission of defending press freedom and the rights of journalists wherever they are threatened.
“Today, we stand in solidarity with our members and colleagues across the globe, who continue to report even as governments and other powerful actors attempt to vilify, discredit, or silence their work,” the statement reads in part.