By: Molly Bradley, Student Reporter*

The General Assembly Third Committee (GA3) at the United Nations kicked off the conference with the introduction of a pressing topic: ensuring the safety of journalists and discussing the issue of impunity. 

The violence that threatens and intimidates journalists to act in a certain way and propagate a certain narrative endangers those who seek the truth. Furthering the problem is impunity–the excusal or lessening of the violent party’s retribution. Representatives will attempt to correct this issue and, in doing so, safeguard journalists and the information they provide.

Opinions differ across the committee on the severity of this issue. “The United Kingdom feels that …it’s important to reinforce the idea that journalists should be able to freely speak… and that both State and non-State actors are prosecuted for their crimes against journalists.” said Representative Ammon Thutmosei of the United Kingdom. Certain States agree, and wish to highlight contexts such as war or gender. Representative Maya Zenner of Ukraine said “At this time, Ukraine is looking to work on … protecting journalists in conflict zones.” Focusing on how this issue has affected female journalists, Ellie Moores of New Zealand said “New Zealand feels strongly about addressing (this) from a gender-based perspective, including an intersectional approach for marginalized communities in the journalism field.” 

While we are seeing great interest in this matter, some States disagree on the prioritization of the issue. Many States support the safety of journalists but believe that harmful misinformation cannot go unpunished. Betty Kifle of Guinea said, “Guinea believes in creating an environment that prioritizes the spread of accurate information in order to ensure the safety of journalists and the integrity of public order.” 

By tackling this issue, the GA3 is striving to improve the world. Through the cooperation of these delegations, we can entrust that our global governments are working to make the world a safe place to live.

_{The views and opinions expressed in this article were part of simulation of the United Nations held from 18 to 21 November 2023 and do not reflect the views and opinions of the American Model United Nations Conference, American Model United Nations International, LLC., *St. Thomas College or the governing bodies of the states mentioned in the article.}