World News Day: The role of the media is to monitor governments, not to spread propaganda.

This initiative, which launches an annual campaign about the importance of journalism, was initiated by the World Editors Forum, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, and the Continuum Project.

As part of this year's campaign, Fernando Belzunce, executive editor of the Spanish media group Vocento and author of the book "Journalists in Times of Darkness," emphasizes that journalism as a profession is the best system we know for providing society with access to professional, fact-based, accurate information that enables them to make informed decisions freely.

“It is an activity that scrutinizes governments, companies, and institutions, promotes pluralism by offering diverse perspectives, and serves as the voice of the people and causes that would otherwise be forgotten. A difficult, beautiful, and necessary job. Perhaps now more than ever. Because now, when we know that artificial intelligence will forever change our perception of reality and undoubtedly contribute to the spread of disinformation, we want there to be people professionally dedicated to the craft based on information verification, fact-checking, documenting realities, and traveling to event sites to witness what is truly happening. Because without journalism, there is no democracy. And without democracy, darkness ensues,” notes Belzunce.

Phil Cheitwind, global news director at Agence France-Presse (AFP), emphasizes that every day it becomes increasingly difficult to perform the fundamental journalistic task of gathering facts and verifying information, but it is also becoming much more dangerous.

He points out the rise in incidents and attacks on journalists worldwide in 2025.

In the first half of the year, the environment in which journalists operate further darkened, reaching levels unseen for decades, reflecting a coordinated escalation of violence, intimidation, and censorship.

“But these incidents—attacks, arrests, expulsions, or journalists fleeing to save their lives—only hint at the scale of the global assault on the public’s right to be informed. The geographical scope of violence and intimidation is expanding. The situation is further exacerbated by the rise of authoritarian practices and populist rhetoric that openly attacks the media. The increasing impunity of police and state authorities—encouraged by dominant political messages—has made physical attacks on journalists commonplace. This is not a phenomenon limited to so-called unstable regimes; it is also appearing in established democracies and countries with a long tradition of media freedom, indicating a dangerous shift in global norms,” emphasizes the AFP news director.

He adds that this is a turning point and that people casually speak of living in a post-truth world.

“Journalism is not perfect; it cannot always be infallible. But the sincere desire to gather information and seek the truth is fundamental for the healthy functioning of our societies. Now, more than ever, we must stand up for the facts. There is no alternative,” notes Cheitwind.

This year, Serbia sadly marks World News Day. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a record number of attacks, threats, and pressures on journalists and media. Monitoring by the Press Council indicates that media are widely violating the Journalists’ Code of Serbia, and research by various organizations shows that many media outlets spread manipulative news, hate speech, and lack pluralism in media content.

International organizations also report an increasing decline in media freedom in Serbia each year.

In addition to political pressures, there are also economic pressures on the media, as only selected outlets are deemed desirable by large advertisers, and through project co-financing of media content, funding is not allocated to outlets that critically report on government actions.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) also reminds that there is a worrying trend of targeting journalists and media by high-ranking state officials and pro-government tabloids, which jeopardizes the safety of media workers. Any critical and professional reporting is labeled as foreign mercenary work, treason, or an attempt to undermine the constitutional order of the state, which is unacceptable in a civilized and democratic society.

We are witnessing that many journalists have been targets of unacceptable threats and attacks in recent years following such incendiary statements from state officials, and we once again appeal to all public life actors to be aware of their responsibility for the words they publicly utter.

Additionally, apart from the noticeable inaction of the police at public events during attacks on journalists, in recent months we have had cases where journalists were attacked even by police representatives, despite being clearly marked and identifying themselves as journalists.

“In Serbia, during the social crisis we are currently experiencing, it is more important than ever for journalists and media to adhere to all ethical and professional standards of journalism. The spread of propaganda, hate speech, and labeling political dissenters does not contribute to easing societal tensions; on the contrary, it only further fuels an already heated atmosphere, endangering the safety of individuals and media editorial offices that strive to report timely and professionally on events in the country. Without free media, there is no real and quality journalism, and thus the values of democracy and the citizens' right to be informed are also jeopardized,” states Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board of Directors and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.

He adds that the institutions of the Republic of Serbia, through their policies and practices, promote and support tabloids that spread fake news and propaganda, while professional journalists and media are targeted with the harshest words, which often lead to endangering the safety of journalists.

“More and more, accurate and verified information is judged in such a way that they are stopped from adhering to the basic postulates and codes of the profession. When we are unprotected by the relevant institutions, we are left with mutual solidarity in the fight for accurate and verified news,” concludes Matić.

Source: ANEM