Freedom of Speech: A Myth
The global world celebrates May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day, highlighting the value of free speech and acknowledging the role of media in shaping societal consciousness. Given the importance of the media in threatening global warming and informing people about existing risks, 2024’s World Press Freedom Day is dedicated on freedom of expression in the context of climate issues.
State officials, from pillar to post, are pledging freedom of speech as essential fundamental right; nonetheless, the ground realities portray a grim picture. Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international watchdog responsible for monitoring freedom of speech and expression, revealed in the World Press Freedom Index, 2024, that states have not only failed to provide security to reporters and journalists, but have also curtailed freedom of speech in order to maximize political mileage, as 2024 is considered an election year. According to the report, America, once regarded as a symbol of human rights and liberal democracy, is under siege, with freedom of speech ranking 55th out of 180 states, a ten-point drop from the previous year.
Exacerbating trends appear to be prominent in Pakistan, which ranks 152 in the aforementioned ranking due to government and establishment censorship. Dozens of journalists have been inducted, and some have even lost their lives for the cause. The present rhetoric from high military leadership, ‘freedom of speech has its limits,’ intensifies the situation and increases vulnerabilities, further.
The question is that if the authorities streamline free-voices by using the lens of state narrative, society will subsequently transform into Nazi’s Germany or Fascists’ Italy, as Hitler and Mussolini, respectively have also allowed media to speak but only what suits them. Therefore, countries, including Pakistan, and international authorities such the United Nations (UN), and European Union (EU) must reconsider their policies, including defending free speech as a fundamental human right and fostering a pluralistic society, both of which are prerequisites for true liberal democratic culture.
