ILO report links labour rights to journalist safety and press freedom

To mark World Press Freedom Day (3 May), the International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report examining the labour rights dimension of protecting journalists and media workers.

The work of journalists is becoming increasingly risky. Since 1993, more than 1,850 journalists have been killed, and hundreds more are currently arbitrarily detained, missing, or facing threats*. Most of these killings remain unresolved. Other threats include legal harassment, as well as violence and online harassment, including gender-based threats targeting women journalists**.

The report highlights that the safety of journalists depends not only on freedom of expression but also on the enjoyment of fundamental labour rights. It examines how fundamental principles and rights at work, as well as other relevant international labour standards, can enhance journalist safety and support governments, media employers, workers and their organizations in developing strategies to ensure protection in the sector.

“Journalists are key defenders of human and labour rights,” said Frank Hagemann, Director of Sectoral Policies at the ILO. “They are also workers, and labour rights offer an important tool for protecting journalists at work.”

The ILO is part of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, adopted by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in 2012.

*UNESCO , “Observatory of Killed Journalists”.

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