The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights today (05/10/23) told a high-level media freedom conference that politicians must avoid fuelling mistrust in good journalism.
Dunja Mijatović said: ‘State authorities must refrain from fuelling divisions and distrust of the media. Treating journalists as fair game exacerbates social divisions and fosters a dangerous distrust of the media.’ It was an essential component in addressing the growing polarisation in society.
She was making opening remarks at the Council of Europe (CoE) conference in Riga, Latvia (the current council presidency) which posed the question: Is The Pen Mightier Than The Sword?
The commissioner, elected to the post by the CoE’s Parliamentary Assembly in 2018, added: ‘We have a robust framework supporting media freedom, including the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and multiple recommendations, like the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation on the protection of journalism.’
