The right to information is a right that must always be protected”, said Pope Francis in an interview, commenting on the case of two journalists arrested in Myanmar who were dealing with the Rohingya, a minority persecuted in the country.
“States that have something to hide always stop the media and deny press freedom and we must fight for press freedom,” Bergoglio explained. “We have to fight.”
As some of the most powerful people on earth are making their best efforts to obliterate the value of truth, the pope’s message couldn’t be timelier. Journalism, as we often note, has the power to expose the misdeeds of the powerful.
“Freedom of the press and of expression is an important indicator of the state of a country’s health,” the pope said. “Let’s not forget that one of the first things dictatorships do is remove freedom of the press or mask it, not leaving it free.”
“We need journalists who are on the side of victims, on the side of those who are persecuted, on the side of who is excluded, cast aside, discriminated against,” Pope Francis said. “Who is talking about the Rohingya today? Who is talking about the Yazidi today? They have been forgotten and they continue to suffer.”
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