A/HRC/44/49 protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to gather all relevant information, wherever it may occur, relating to violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and discrimination against, or threats or use of violence, harassment, persecution or intimidation directed at persons, seeking to exercise or to promote the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including, as a matter of high priority, against journalists or other professionals in the field of information. 31. In its resolution 39/6 on the safety of journalists, the Human Rights Council recognized: (a) The importance of freedom of expression and of free, independent, plural and diverse media, online as well as offline, in building and supporting the functioning of inclusive and peaceful knowledge societies and democracies, an informed citizenry, the rule of law and participation in public affairs, in holding public institutions and officials accountable, including by exposing corruption; (b) That the work of journalists often put them at specific risk of intimidation, threats, harassment and violence, including the targeting of their family members, which often deterred journalists from continuing their work or encouraged self-censorship, consequently depriving society of important information. 32. Also in its resolution 39/6, the Council urged political leaders, public officials and/or authorities to refrain from denigrating, intimidating or threatening the media, including individual journalists, and thereby undermining trust in the credibility of journalists as well as respect for the importance of independent journalism. 33. These are among the basic requirements for Governments to ensure that journalism thrives and plays its essential role during the pandemic, and during all future public crises. The protection of the media is a protection of the public’s right to information, not only a protection owed to the reporters themselves. Moreover, the protection of journalists and promotion of access to information extends to the protection of sources and the protection of whistle-blowers (see A/70/361). 34. Nonetheless, the pandemic has already exposed numerous threats to journalism, with an increasing number of reports indicating that Governments attack the messenger and limit reporting rather than act responsively on the information disclosed. Some of the most concerning categories of attacks on journalism are listed below. 35. Police intimidation of journalists. Numerous reports from around the world indicate growing intimidation of journalists reporting on the pandemic, detention and questioning of journalists, and other forms of repression of media workers and human rights defenders conducting fact-finding inquiries concerning COVID-19. 36. Political attacks on journalists. The full protection of journalists cannot properly be achieved amid a culture that devalues free expression and denies respect to people who seek to exercise freedom of expression. There have been persistent attacks on journalists and civil society figures in the past few years, such as those arising in the United States of America,39 Hungary,40 Thailand41 and the Philippines.42 During the pandemic it is essential 39 40 41 42 “Trump attacks on media violate basic norms of press freedom, human rights experts say”, press release issued jointly with the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2 August 2018. See also USA 26/2017, available from https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmsearch/TMDocuments. “UN experts decry Hungary’s tough new measures against migrants and civil society”, press release issued jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, 11 September 2018. “United Nations expert dismayed over Thai leader’s intimidating statements against freedom of the press”, 1 April 2015. “Journalists’ killings: UN experts urge Philippines president-elect to stop instigating deadly violence”, 6 June 2016. 11