Ban Ki-moon addresses participants of 5th News Agencies World Congress
“News agencies play an important role in the dissemination of information. More people are able to disseminate information via the Internet. Dissemination of false information paves the way for conflicts and hatred. It is important to fearlessly disseminate unbiased information,” Ban Ki-moon said, calling for increasing support for free media.
According to the UN chief, censorship and intimidation of journalists undermine the freedom of expression.
“Over the last decade, 827 journalists have been killed. The safety of journalists must be ensured. Traditional and new journalist are threatened and arrested around the world. In many cases, this occurs with the consent of the government,” said Ban Ki-moon, thanking Azerbaijan for organizing the congress.