why do some govenrments supress or silence journalists

Media freedom around the world has fallen to the lowest level. According to a study, Journalists are threatened by government censorship and commercial pressures caused by the growth of the internet. Freedom of the press is under attack in democracies, and journalists were threatened by intimidation, prosecution or even murder in some countries. This can strike fear into journalists due to the thought of loosing a job, catching a fine, or even death/murder in other countries.

Quotes to think about:

“Journalists treated in a contemptuous, insulting, defamatory, or racist manor are our under terrible pressure just for doing their jobs.”

“How can journalists function normally if the state that is supposed to guarantee their safety is headed by a person who Bullies and threatens them?”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2vozC_kP6Q

As you can see from these two videos, the interaction between press and government are far from good.

In Cameroon’s video, they express how scared they are to release information for the fear of getting in trouble and loosing their job.

In Donald trumps video you can clearly hear him tell the press “not all of you are stupid, just some”. This shows how cruel the government can be to journalists and the way they are treated. This can lead to discomfort in the paper community because one wrong move and you’re in trouble with the government and can potentially serve prison time or loose your job.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/jul/22/the-little-presidents-who-deny-press-freedom-by-attacking-journalists

This news articles speaks about the safety of the press and how it affects journalists. Like said before, “How can journalists function normally if the state that is supposed to guarantee their safety is headed by a person who Bullies and threatens them?”. This shows that the press is unable to function normally because of the fear inflicted into them from the government.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/30/press-freedom-at-all-time-low-journalist-safety-article-19-v-dem-study

This article shows how the freedom of the press is under attack and how the government still treats them as less than human. It speaks out on the attacks on journalism and restrictions going on in the community. The person who made this text is Graham Ruddick a fellow press member, and I believe he wants people to see the affects of the government on the press and how they are being treated. He made a # called #journalismisnotacrime, which made him a lot of money, and allows himself and others to speak out on the crimes against journalists.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/30/journalists-living-in-fear-states-crack-down-press-freedom

The final text I have speaks about what some journalists are fearing these days. It is written by Michael Safi in Delhi, Jonathan Watts in São Paulo, Oliver Holmes in Bangkok, Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul and Shaun Walker in Moscow, and speaks about other fears some journalists carry. Some fear their work will become too popular while other are afraid of being sentenced to jail.