#JournalistsSolidarityDay

🗓 September 8 marks the International Day of Solidarity of Journalists, established in 1958 by the decision of the IV Congress of the International Organization of Journalists in memory of the Czech correspondent Julius Fučík, executed by the Nazis in 1943.

💬 Maria Zakharova (from the briefing of the official representative of the Russia's Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova dated September 4, 2024):

This date serves as a reminder to the global community that a true journalist’s duty is to impartially and honestly present the real state of affairs to the public. Journalists are often at the forefront of crises and conflicts, sometimes risking their own lives to report on unfolding events and provide objective coverage rather than engaging in propaganda. This challenging and noble profession has long been defined by a strong international camaraderie with its own ethical standards and code of honour.

❗️We now witness a significant void where there should be statements, petitions, and declarations condemning the murders and terrorist attacks against Russian journalists, including those killed by the Kiev regime.

👉 Look at the far from complete list of politically motivated repressions against Russian media on the web portal of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the past 30 years, Westerners, being on the verge of interfering in our internal affairs, have been following the fates of Russian journalists and demanding that the Russian authorities take steps to investigate and protect them. Instantly, Russian journalists were transformed in the West from those who needed protection into those who should be persecuted, expelled, segregated and “marked.”

Speaking about Western unions of journalists, individual Western journalists and elites engaged in the harassment of their Russian colleagues, this is based on the fear of competition and the inability to withstand it (to say nothing about winning).

When Russia Today TV channel began broadcasting in German, the audience in Germany, Austria and other German-speaking countries felt it like a breath of fresh air, an alternative point of view, an opportunity to compare and make a choice in favour of their traditional media or subscribe to one more information resource.

❌ However, the interest in the Russian media broadcasting in German rose so much that became a challenge for German journalists who asked the FRG authorities to take measures against Russian journalists.

The conditions for media pluralism and free access to information keep on degrading in many “advanced democracies” and a worthy rebuff from Western media professionals is nowhere to be seen. The Baltic states actively continue to persecute unwanted journalists who dare to doubt whether the authorities’ policies are correct and express their point of view.

The Maia Sandu regime is following the well-trodden Russophobic path of the Baltic states, where they have deliberately deprived Russian-speaking residents of the country’s last sources of information by shutting down the broadcasting and rebroadcasting of Russian television channels and media outlets.

☝️ The permissiveness of the neoliberal pseudo-democracies is only gaining momentum against the background of solidarity inaction of not only relevant human rights organisations but also the journalistic community of the West itself.

Hopefully, there will be someone who will not only recall all the above problems on International Day of Solidarity, but also write and stage rallies in support of their colleagues and journalism.

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Despite everything, on this day we congratulate all correspondents, editors, photo operators and other media industry workers who remain faithful to the ideals of journalistic solidarity, who are always ready to help the colleagues, even if their opinions differ.

🤝 For our part, we will continue to defend the rights of our journalists and call to account those who have illegally given themselves the authority to set rules and punish dissenters.