May 4th 2020.- Journalism was already under risk and crisis. COVID-19 has aggravated this situation, especially for local media. This is one of the conclusions of the e-forum to discuss the situation of Freedom of the Press in the U.S. in times of COVID-19 organized by Fundamedios, on May 4th celebrating World Press Freedom Day. Trustful media and accurate information become more relevant to overcomefreedom o the health crisis, and its economic and social consequences, with clear, objective, and reliable information.
The e-forum had as guests Katie Towson, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Legal Director; Kristen Hare, investigative journalist at the Poynter Institute; Michael Camilleri, Director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue; and Jim Kuhnhenn, Freedom Fellow at the National Press Club Journalism Institute. The discussion was moderated by Frank LaRue, Fundamedios Advocacy and Human Rights Director.
The speakers agreed that, in times of pandemic, press freedom is facing more economic challenges and political pressure.
Jim Kuhnhenn said that journalism faces two problems. One, the confrontation and aggressiveness toward the press from politicians that has gotten worse during the Trump administration. And second, the crisis of their economic model of sustainability. But under the current situation, the attitude of the public has changed and the press has regained credibility and importance.
Katie Towson emphasized that there has been an increase in lawsuits against the press, most of them frivolous and unsubstantiated, that represent a form of harassment and economic burden on journalists and the media.
Kristen Hare spoke about «the evaporation of news» and how the quarantine has aggravated the financial crisis for journalists. She cited more than 10 local newsrooms that were lost in communities. Not only the local newspapers, but also the radio stations are being really affected. To survive, journalists need to be creative.
Michael Camillieri added that the attitude of the Trump administration motivates authoritarian regimes in the hemisphere as well as in the world to have an additional excuse for their policies. The U.S. has lost moral authority to demand for freedom of expression, something that in the past was a bipartisan consensus, given the First Amendment. «When Trump bullies the press he reminds Correa’s style in Ecuador, Chávez in Venezuela, Fernández in Argentina… Is distressing to see all these patterns of authoritarian speech», he said.
Everyone agreed that journalism would never go back as it was, but journalists are finding new ways to inform the public and to achieve sustainability. There are interesting examples of good practices on how reporters are coping the situation.