ROME – Italian President Sergio Mattarella praised the free circulation of truthful information on Thursday to celebrate World Press Freedom Day and raise awareness for the ever-present dangers faced by journalists worldwide in the hope of combatting a growing trend of threats.

 “Read more, listen more, understand more” was the message from the UNICEF-sponsored World Press Freedom Day, bringing together countries around the globe to commend the work, and in many cases appeal for the liberty and safety of those who transmit correct, reliable news to the public.

 Mattarella highlighted the invaluable work of trustworthy reporting, but pointed out that “a new season of violence against the press, in Italy, in Europe, in the world, seems to resurface.”

 “Even today, aggressions and intimidation threaten the work of reporters who do not bow to the logic of illegal interests and powers and of criminality, thus making a significant contribution to the cause of democracy,” the Italian President added.

 Reporters Without Borders (RWB) data revealed that at least 29 reporters have been killed since the start of 2018. Whilst 2017 saw a reduction in journalist deaths, this year’s high figure illustrates the enduring danger to free speech.

Transparent reporting has proved vital for the preservation of democracy, but truthful, enlightening journalism has often been taken for granted.

 Andrew Sullivan, editor of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, voiced his deep concern of the ongoing worldwide problems faced by journalists, who are often hampered in their attempts to convey accurate information to the public.

 “We face more and more pressure on an annual basis from tin-pot dictators to murderous organised crime figures. It shouldn't be this dangerous to tell the truth … Too many voices have been silenced,” Sullivan said.

 In the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, RWB placed Italy in 46^th position, up six places from last year.

 Yet, even in Italy, journalists are far from safe.

 Nowadays, around 200 journalists across the country are kept under some form of police safeguard, with 20 reportedly under round-the-clock protection, emphasising that Italy remains diseased by intimidation and threats to free reporting.

 The recent police wiretap which revealed imminent plans to kill off the “troublesome” anti-mafia journalist Paolo Borrometi demonstrates just how alive this issue is across Italy, let alone worldwide.

 The mafia’s intense, albeit furtively concealed, presence lingers throughout the country as a limited number of courageous journalists endeavour to shine a spotlight upon some of the darkest corners of Italian society.

 Whether through burning vehicles, bullets in the post or direct communication, criminal organisations continue attempts to whittle away threats to their activities through threats of their own.

 It is fundamental, Mattarella concluded, to protect the voices of reporters because “they defend our social life as well as our personal and family freedom from aggression.”

 “The freedom of information, as our Constitution attests, is the foundation of democracy.”

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