Freedom of Expression and the Safety of Foreign Correspondents: Trends, Challenges and Responses

"Without a solid base in deeply reported, well-sourced facts from around the globe as a counterweight to the social media-driven flood of narratives, opinion and disinformation, it becomes ever more difficult to have an informed public debate about foreign-policy choices." - war reporter Janine di Giovanni

In recent years, journalists conducting foreign correspondence have faced increasing pressures. This brief analyses those pressures and offers recommendations to United Nations (UN) Member States and other stakeholders to protect foreign journalists and secure the upholding of commitments made in UN Resolutions and States' obligations in national and international law.

The brief forms part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) series "World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development", which seeks to offer timely insights into new and evolving challenges in the field of freedom of expression and media development. Drawing from the expertise of specialists in the given topic, the briefs offer key summaries of pressing issues and recommendations for action (see Related Summaries below for more publications in this series).

The brief discusses the importance of foreign correspondents today, the changing nature of foreign correspondents, and the multiple challenges and threats they experience. As explained in the brief, foreign correspondents "have played, and continue to play a central role in the development of the modern media and global markets for news. They identify what they believe is relevant to external audiences and they craft content to be understandable to people at a remote distance and with limited background knowledge. The presence of foreign correspondence at the scene of unfolding events gives them special authenticity. In many cases, their journalism has set a gold standard of integrity and trustworthiness. Often interacting with key decision-makers and operating far away from a standard office, they must be highly skilled to gather and transmit the news with accuracy and speed. The stories they uncover not only serve the world’s urgent need to know, but can also often alert local stakeholders to matters of vital domestic importance."

However, trends show that in recent years there have been increasing pressures on journalists in general, and those conducting foreign correspondence in particular. Where journalists reporting for external media are restricted, the public's right to know and to enjoy a pluralism of choice about foreign news becomes constricted. In this vacuum, falsehoods and conspiracy theories can flourish, including through orchestrated disinformation operations.

Overall, the brief identifies the following trends:

• Foreign correspondents have become more diverse, with more local, freelance, and women journalists and fewer expatriates.
• Complex cross-border investigations and new reporting methods uphold journalism's mission to inform the public about crime, corruption, and injustice.
• There is a worldwide increase in hostility against journalists who report for external audiences, which especially impedes reporting from conflict areas and on important social and political matters.
• Some political leaders have sought to discredit and delegitimise both journalists from abroad and locals doing foreign correspondence by branding them as threats to state security or spreaders of false information.
• When taking arbitrary actions and applying disproportionate restrictions on journalists reporting for external media, state authorities are breaching their obligations under international law.
• Mobilisations to strengthen protections for journalists' safety and stamp out impunity have won increased support from governments, the legal community, and other stakeholders, but the importance of protecting foreign correspondents merits more international attention.

The brief offers a number of recommendations for UN Member States, media organisations and journalists, and civil society to better protect foreign correspondents and their role:

• UN Member States - States should show their commitment by, for example: prioritising the implementation of international norms and standards; reviewing and, where necessary, revising national laws; removing restrictions on reporting and research seen as critical of governments; not imposing arbitrary or disproportionate penalties through defamation laws and intermediate liability; and collaborating with the UN, regional bodies, and civil society to develop independent monitoring mechanisms based on international standards to support freedom of expression.
• Media organisations and journalists - Cross-border journalistic and media collaborations should be promoted, as they provide important professional support and networking opportunities; public shows of support for journalists who are being harassed or intimidated by authorities should be encouraged; data collection and documentation about attacks on the press should be improved; and journalists' organisations should publicly uphold their ethical principles against state and other external pressures.
• News consumers, civil society, and publics - Everyone should value and seek to defend the universal right to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions regardless of borders, as well as value the work of foreign correspondents, journalists, and self-publishers who gather information and report truthfully on matters of public interest. People can contribute to a diverse, free, and informed public debate by advancing their own media and information literacy and by supporting the creation of a favourable environment for press freedom and freedom of expression against arbitrary restrictions, censorship, and mis- and disinformation.