World Press Freedom Day Remarks
Remarks for Ambassador James D. McGee, World Press Day "Lost Voices" exhibition launch, Delta Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
May 4, 2009
Honorable Minister, Nelson Chamisa, Honorable Deputy Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Jameson Timba, Coordinator of the Media Monitoring Project (MMPZ), Andrew Moyse, representatives from various civil society organizations, journalists and Embassy staff…
We are here to celebrate the eighteenth annual World Press Freedom Day. We hail the courageous sacrifices made by journalists to report the facts,
even at the cost of their lives and their freedom.
While the United States will continue working to advocate for greater global press freedom, all free societies carry the responsibility to pressure restrictive governments to promote press freedom. Independent media empowers people, exposes corruption, encourages transparency and prompts participation in the political process. Without it, society as a whole suffers.
The United States values freedom of the press as one of the most fundamental political rights and as a necessary component of free society. Bringing unfiltered information, news, and facts to the people and accountability to their governments is the hallmark of the fourth estate.
Today we salute the free press for its dedication to the people’s right to know.
Without a free and vibrant press, a nation cannot find its voice and become a strong democracy. Achieving a free and responsible media is a constant challenge. We must continue to work at it, adapting to new conditions and challenges.
We must keep in sight the ultimate objective — a citizenry able to make informed decisions that shape their lives. This is why, today, we remember some of the voices that were once part of the information landscape in Zimbabwe.
Not surprisingly, most of the information that we see in today’s exhibition comes from the Daily News. This is no coincidence. Events leading to its closure show what governments, with determination, can do to silence voices they consider critical. The Daily News was read by over a million Zimbabweans, and provided a platform for many Zimbabwean pro-democracy groups. The Daily News continued to publish despite two bomb blasts that would have silenced anyone who was not as brave as they were. We should learn from their experiences to ensure Zimbabwe does not lose the rich diversity of opinion and views necessary to create an informed populace.
Protecting freedom of the press is an American ideal older than the United States itself. In 1735 a colonial jury broke with the English legal tradition and defended printer John Peter Zenger’s right to publish criticism of the British government.
The American Revolutionary War was triggered in no small part by the Stamp Act of 1765, intended to tax independent newspapers out of existence. In an era when news traveled no faster than horses could run or ships could sail, when opinions could be broadcast only as loud as a man could shout, newspapers were the primary way for revolutionaries and royalists to get their messages to a wider audience.
Freedom of the press was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution in the First Amendment, which simply states, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The First Amendment was the result of a lengthy political debate conducted through newspapers, and its authors knew exactly what kind of freedom they were letting loose. The press of their day was highly opinionated, partisan, and filled with vicious personal attacks.
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, strongly supported press freedom even though he had few kind words for the newspapers themselves. “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government,” Jefferson once wrote, “I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Yet, he also said, “I deplore … the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed and the malignity, the vulgarity, and mendacious spirit of those who write for them.”
I think anyone who has read some of what is published in Zimbabwe in recent years will recognize “the malignity, the vulgarity and mendacious spirit” which Jefferson describes. However, the point is not that everything published should please everyone, but that all views should be heard. As Evelyn Beatrice Hall, paraphrasing Voltaire said, “I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Sadly, repression seems to be continuing in many parts of the world.
Across the globe, rulers who seek to wield unchecked power see the free media as a threat and try to control, constrain or silence it.
According to recent statistics from the independent media organization, Reporters Without Borders, 18 journalists in 11 countries have been killed so far in 2009, The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 85 journalists were killed around the world in 2008.
Today, the US government seeks to promote a free and dynamic media in Zimbabwe as an important component of our bilateral relationship.
I am pleased to note that the Zimbabwe government has announced plans to review media laws that threaten media freedom. However, we continue to get stories of journalists enduring harassment and threats. Punitive taxes to publishers and accreditation fees, in an environment where there is a shortage of newsprint, remain a serious threat to the free flow of information. We continue to call for the protection of legitimate free speech in this country. Additionally, the United States supports the development of independent media through training and sending Zimbabwean journalists to the United States to meet with their counterparts and observe journalistic practices. At least 10 Zimbabwean journalists have benefited from these programs since I arrived in Zimbabwe.
Promoting freedom of the press is really about promoting human freedom. For you to play an active role in the politics of your country, you must be informed. Even voting can be difficult without enough information. A free press transmits to the people information about their leaders, the policies of other nations, and even the practices of national businesses.
American support for free press in Zimbabwe is grounded in the belief that with a full and complete understanding of the state of affairs in Zimbabwe, and in the world, the people will choose for themselves those institutions, policies, and practices that best preserve and protect fundamental civil and human rights.
As we celebrate World Press Freedom today, I am reminded of the late U.S. Justice Hugo Black. He said, “No country can live in freedom where its people can be made to suffer physically or financially for criticizing their government, its actions, or its officials.”
Zimbabwe stands at the door of incredible opportunity. The world is watching to see if it will remain closed and continue to censure and restrict freedom of the press and ideas. Or, if it will open the door with a new commitment to freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The world wants to know, I want to know and most importantly, Zimbabweans have the right to know.