Coping with Dystopia: Coping with the Death of Press Freedom
September 16, 2022 — COPING WITH DYSTOPIA
Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world? Does it seem like society is fraying at the edges? Our podcast, Coping with Dystopia, is here to help!
We speak with people who have experienced it all and come out the other side. These are thoughtful, real-world talks that offer practical and philosophical ways to deal with the chaos. And maybe there’s even the odd glimpse of humour and happiness. Coping with Dystopia is the podcast the world needs right now.
In the third episode, we are coping with the death of press freedom. Press freedom can be defined as the right of newspapers and magazines to report the news without government control. By analysing data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists across 180 countries worldwide, the annual report of the World Press Freedom Index ranks each country according to how free it is. The 2022 report shows a decreasing trend worldwide, due to increased polarisation and disinformation narratives.
In this episode, we are joined by Monica Baro Sanchez, an independent investigative Cuban journalist. In 2019 she published a story about lead poisoning in Cuba called “La Sangre Nunca Fue Amarilla” or Blood was never yellow, which had two kinds of impacts. Firstly, she won the ‘Gabriel García Márquez Journalism Award’, one of Latin America’s highest honours. Secondly, the State Security Department of the Cuban government began a harassment campaign and jail threats that forced her to leave the country and move to Spain.
Monica is still active in Cuba, even though she now writes from abroad. And, if she can get a student visa in time, she’s been offered a scholarship and a fellowship at New York University.
To cope with the death of press freedom, Monica gave us 5 practical solutions:
Do not justify the lack of inaccuracy with the lack of freedom and access to sources. The quality of your journalistic work is one of the best deals you have in front of an authoritarian regime.
Do not investigate dangerous stories on your own. Try to collaborate with other journalists and editors inside your country and also with media outlets from other countries.
Be aware that in a country where there are no legal guarantees for journalism, if you decide to do journalism instead of propaganda, you will become an activist for freedom of speech and press freedom. Try to separate both roles.
Accept when you have to take distance from your job. It is important to take care of yourself. You cannot create responsible journalism and tell complicated stories if you don’t have strong mental health.
There is no story more important than your life. Each media in an authoritarian regime creates security protocols and each journalist has to follow them. It is impossible to avoid all risks, but you can manage them and try to be exposed to them as little as possible.
You can listen to the full podcast below.
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