That at least 162 journalists across the country faced attacks, threats, and legal harassment in 112 separate incidents over the past three months while performing their professional duties, according to a monitoring report by private research organization Media Initiative for Development (MID), should alarm us.
When members of the media are systematically targeted simply for documenting public events, investigating corruption, or asking uncomfortable questions, it signals a dangerous erosion of basic rights.
A nation striving to rebuild its democratic institutions cannot succeed while those tasked with holding power accountable operate under constant fear for their safety.
In any functioning democracy, an independent press serves as the eyes and ears of the public, tasked with providing citizens with the objective facts necessary to make informed decisions.
When media workers are assaulted by political cadres, intimidated by influential interest groups, or subjected to arbitrary legal harassment, it is not merely an attack on individual reporters but a direct assault on the public's right to know.
This hostility toward journalism reflects a deep-seated, systemic culture of intolerance that has unfortunately persisted across political transitions, and has only been exacerbated as a result of the technology-enabled society we live in today.
When law enforcement agencies fail to protect working journalists on the ground or, worse, turn a blind eye to political mobs targeting newsrooms, it creates a chilling effect that fosters self-censorship.
It goes without saying that a media environment gripped by fear cannot fulfill its democratic mandate. Protecting press freedom requires more than public declarations but rather demands physical security, legal safeguards, and an environment where journalists can report without fear of retribution.
Democracy cannot survive without truth, and truth cannot surface when the press is silenced.