The World Today

A free and independent press ‘is the heartbeat of democracy’, wrote the late Madeleine Albright. Her words are more poignant than ever as journalism faces a crisis. Long seen as the ‘fourth estate’ whose role was to hold those in power accountable, we hear how the free press is under attack from authoritarianism, violence and unfettered technological advances which threaten its credibility. Fiona O’Brien, of Reporters Without Borders, writes about a spreading crisis revealed through its annual World Press Freedom Index and what this means for democracy. Last year was the most dangerous to be a journalist outside a war zone, writes Jodie Ginsberg of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Nicaraguan editor and journalist Carlos Chamorro describes how to cover a dictatorship while living in exile. And, Jessica Cecil, who founded the BBC’s Trusted News Initiative, warns of the dangers of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, in propagating fake news. The Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad tells me how his understanding of his country’s plight has changed over the 20 years he has been reporting on it. In other news, Yaprak Gürsoy explores how collective trauma following the recent earthquake could affect Turkey’s elections in May. The Good Friday Agreement brought peace to Northern Ireland 25 years ago, Katy Hayward asks if it is time for a refresh. The dub poet and voice of the Windrush Generation, Linton Kwesi Johnson, speaks with Gary Younge about poetry, integration and the ‘hostile environment’. Finally, what does the United States invasion of Iraq have to do with Eurovision? Saskia Postema explores how politics and the kitsch song contest are inextricably linked.