If you like elections, and for keen political observers they remain the most compelling of dramas, then 2024 is your year. About 70 countries are going to the polls, representing half the world’s population. One senses a period in which the geopolitical climate for the next few years will be set.
We might have hoped that the biggest election year in history would represent a high-water mark for freedom of expression and debate. The reality, rather depressingly on World Press Freedom Day, and as this paper’s freedom of speech campaign highlights, is that the trends are disturbing.
Today, Reporters Without Borders released their annual World Press Freedom Index. It shows that journalism is completely or partially blocked in about 75 per cent of countries. It’s a figure that has been growing — by four per cent in the last year alone. Meanwhile, only about 20 per cent of people now live in what are considered to be free countries — a proportion that has halved over a decade.
In this country we value our right to freedom of expression very highly. We understand that it is fundamental to the strength of our society, and that democracy depends on the open exchange of information and views.
I continue to believe that, despite our stresses and strains and a polarised environment, we have an instinct for finding consensus, being kind and respecting independent institutions. Despite our debates, there is overwhelming support across politicians and leaders of institutions for a free media and a proper process of constructive interrogation. We need to protect this — and maybe listen a bit more and take offence less easily.
A growing number of us are abandoning the public sphere and leaving only the noisiest and most extreme voices to have their say
Today, only 40 per cent of people in the UK feel they can share views without fear. The same proportion of us say that we actively try to avoid the news. There is a clear danger that a growing number of us are abandoning the public sphere and leaving only the noisiest and most extreme voices to have their say. We need to proactively address this.
The situation globally is equally worrying. This week, we revealed that more than 300 BBC World Service journalists are working in exile. Recent crackdowns on press freedom in Russia, Afghanistan and Ethiopia have pushed more of our teams to relocate for their own safety, often leaving family and friends behind.
Reporters face escalating dangers, increased levels of harassment, and ever more subtle modes of intimidation. Nearly three-quarters of women journalists say they have experienced online violence in connection with their work.
Last month, the BBC published plans to respond more directly to society’s most pressing needs in the years ahead. First and foremost among our priorities is to pursue truth with no agenda, by reporting fearlessly and fairly. We are determined to work alongside others to stand up for independent and impartial journalism at a moment of significant challenge for democracy worldwide.
That’s why this week the BBC World Service has been hosting a three-day showcase dedicated to the highest standards of independent journalism. It has examined the most urgent issues facing news reporting worldwide, hearing first-hand from journalists who have faced censorship, exile, and extreme threats to their personal safety as a result of the stories they have sought to share.
I am proud that the BBC is using its responsibility as the world’s most trusted international news provider to strengthen the cause of outstanding journalism at this critical time. But the stakes are high. The forces at play will be defining for global democracy and stability for decades to come.
Hostile states are investing extraordinary sums to deploy technology as a tool for disinformation and disruption. Russia, Turkey and China are investing heavily in state media as tools of global influence. Together, they outspend our BBC World Service investment by billions of dollars.
The former UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, once described the BBC World Service as possibly “Britain’s greatest gift to the world”. It is a priceless global asset, unique in its reach and democratic influence across 42 language services. For more than 90 years it has been a beacon of impartial journalism and a lifeline for millions living in fear or captivity worldwide.
But its most important days may be yet to come. There is nothing bad actors would like more than to see the BBC World Service squeezed out and diminished. It will need support and funding to resist.
Today, we reflect on the importance of free speech and the bravery of journalists. It is a moment to stand up against ever-growing threats to media freedom and informed democratic debate, and unequivocally fight for those things that make a civil, democratic society so precious.
