Freedom of the Press and COVID-19
A discussion on how the media is being pressured by governments when reporting on the pandemic.
In some countries, pandemic-related restrictions on the media and the fight against fake news coincided with the adoption of other legal acts, which make the work of journalists more difficult.
A recent study from the Law Library of Congress has produced a report Freedom of Expression during COVID-19 to analyze how media are being pressured by governments across the world when reporting on the pandemic.
The report focuses on recently introduced amendments to national legislation aimed at establishing different control measures over media outlets, internet resources, and journalists in 20 countries around the world.
USAGM Media Training and IREX organized a 90-minute virtual debate with a panel of experts to discuss media rights, persecution of journalists and restrictions on their movements during COVID-19 and how some governments claim the need to protect the community from panic and keep people informed with correct data.
The virtual discussion took place on January 28th, 2021.