Journalistic freedom to report remains a fundamental right. Article 1 of the International Union of Journalists Code of Conduct is very specific about how crucial it is to have a free press.
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Journalists’ safety and freedom to report is making the UK and the world’s headlines as the London National Union of Journalists (NUJ) condemns the imprisonment of Ivory Coast journalists.

The London National Union of Journalists through its Committee has pressured Ivory Coast President Alhassane Dramane Ouattara to release Hamadou Ziao and six other journalists from prison.

According to a recent world press report, ‘Only 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a free press. Global press freedom declined to its lowest point in 13 years in 2016 amid unprecedented threats to journalists and media outlets in major democracies and new moves by authoritarian states to control the media, including beyond their borders.’

It is believed the Ivory Coast journalists underwent trial without legal representation and were held in the Ivorian special forces camp at Agban from 12-14 February 2017 after being accused of publishing “fake or bad news” in the Ivorian newspaper l’Inter, which has been temporarily suspended by the National Press Council (CNP).

Also, as to the question to whether or not free press matters, journalistic freedom to report remains a fundamental right. Article 1 of the International Union of Journalists Code of Conduct is very specific about how crucial it is to have a free press….