UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today called for an end to crackdowns on journalists, stressing a free press was essential for peace and justice.
In a message on World Press Freedom Day, he urged world leaders to defend media freedom to counter misinformation.
"We need leaders to defend a free media. This is crucial for countering prevailing misinformation. And we need everyone to stand for the right to truth," he said.
Guterres pointed out journalists went to the "most dangerous places" to give "a voice to the voiceless".
Members of the media faced sexual assaults, character assassinations, detention, injuries and even death, he said.
"On World Press Freedom Day, I call for an end to all crackdowns against journalists - because a free press advances peace and justice for all. When we protect journalists, their words and pictures can change our world," he said.
Press Council of India (PCI) Chairman Justice C K Prasad hailed journalists as crusaders of truth but lamented the absence of measures to safeguard them.
Prasad was speaking at a roundtable in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 'Sharing of Good Practices with Newly Established Press Councils' under the aegis of UNESCO.
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