Ultimate Journalism

A Global Crisis of Press Freedom?

'Last Of The Blood' features Ali Feysor, a female investigative journalist. She is a dogged, risk-taking maverick, who possesses an undying belief that she will come through whatever. She is one of the few brave (mad?) journalists prepared to put their lives on the line to bring in the story. No pay-packet journalist, content to ask transparent questions and bail at the first hint of trouble, she is an investigator, the nosiest of nosey bastards who is committed to Gonzo's maxim that:

'Unless there's been a reaction, there's been no journalism'

Hunter S Thompson

The reaction to a journalist's probing can be hostile, malignant, violent and ultimately murderous. After all, the best way to kill the a story is to kill the messenger. For this reason, the fifth estate has become fair game for those outside the law. The number of journalists murdered for their reporting almost doubled between 2017 and 2018. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimate that some 53 journalists were killed around the world in 2018. Some were killed covering wars and conflicts but greater numbers were killed in reprisal for their work exposing the corrupt and criminal. The Committee believes that this amounts to a “global crisis of press freedom”.

Sometimes, however, the murder has the counter-productive effect of raising the profile of the journalists and their stories. This happened with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia who was killed in a car bomb explosion in 2017 aged 38. An investigative journalist, Daphne managed to upset both establishment and underworld figures on the Mediterranean island of Malta., exposing corruption within the Maltese government that reached as far as the prime minister's office.

Her assassination and the subsequent accusations of a high-level cover-up provoked international condemnation, and plunged Malta into a political and constitutional crisis. Three men were arraigned for planting the explosive device, but Daphne's family and supporters wanted those who ordered the killing to be identified and charged. They also demanded a public inquiry into Malta's 'mafia state’.

The head of a local gambling and property empire, was believed by police to have masterminded the murder plot. He was apprehended by armed forces while sailing away from Malta aboard his luxury yacht, and charged with participating in a criminal organisation, complicity in causing an explosion, and complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia. His assets have been frozen on request by the police. He has pleaded not guilty.

Among the political fall-out, Malta's Prime Minister was forced to resign and one of his closest political allies has been implicated as a co-conspirator. He denies all allegations against him.

There are many other women journalists who confront dangerous criminals, though few gain the high profile of Daphne. One of these is Veronica Guerin, who was murdered in June 1996. Her exposes of the criminal underworld in Dublin and the violent rise of powerful drug dealers captured the nation's attention. They also precipitated her murder. On her death, she was the most famous journalist in Ireland and a national heroine. Her murder did much to expose and control the world of her killers.

Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43148626

Reporters Without Borders points to “an unprecedented level of hostility towards media personnel.” In the USA, the White House has traditionally been a strong defender of global press freedom. However, Reporters Without Borders have highlighted Donald Trump’s frequent attacks on the media. These continued even after the murder of five people in the offices of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. Reporters Without Borders believe that Trump's attitude to journalists sends the message that countries that do enough business with the United States are effectively free to murder journalists without consequence.