By Sarhan Basem (Office Director | Brussels Morning Newspaper)
Journalism is being called to meet a historic moment.
Societies around the globe are reeling from inequality, racism, extreme polarization, political dysfunction and environmental crises.
By bringing more than two-thirds of humanity to a standstill, the health, political and economic crisis of Covid 19 will have terrible consequences on all our societies. And we are certain today that it will continue to do so for some time.
The war in Ukraine and the unfortunate deaths of journalists on European soil have prompted the need for a bigger and more professional community of journalists in Europe.
Never in Europe has the profession of journalist been so questioned and so risky: political or financial pressure, discredit, assassination and intimidation or self-censorship, the atmosphere in which they practice their profession is deteriorating.
Yet journalism is struggling to be the corrective force it can be. Together, we can do better. That’s why the editorial board of Brussels Morning believes that the future of professional journalism rests in enlarging the networking solutions of all the media in Belgium and Europe.
Journalism is leading a global shift in the media (electronic, Internet, tv and printed), and in the coming years will be focused on what the news misses most often: how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes or failures.
By covering solutions to local and global challenges, journalists can equip people in all communities with the knowledge to envision and build a more equitable and sustainable world.
One of the possible best solutions that are in front of the media and journalists from Europe is to be a part of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ).
From the data of the available pieces of information on the internet, the AEJ fights for the social and professional rights of journalists working in all sectors of the media across Europe through strong trade unions and associations. The journalistic organization promotes and defends the rights to freedom of expression and information as guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on human rights.
Additionally, the AEJ is an independent non-profit-making international organization with neither party-political nor union ties. It has NGO status with UNESCO and the Council of Europe; is a member of the European Movement and has a working relationship with the Representative on Freedom of the Media OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe). The organization in its core mission tends to bring together individual journalists through their membership in the national sections.
Even though our newspaper is small in the impact of breaking news, we like to believe that it plays an important role in informing the European public. That’s why we take great care in fact-checking and endorse partnerships in organizations such as AEJ.
It goes without saying that the war in Ukraine and the pandemic of the Covid-19 are negatively reflecting on our societies, but they make even bigger damage in the process of informing the public by constructing the notion that we live in an era of misinformation.
In these crucial times, combating misinformation is a “must” while the media are reporting on the war in the continent and the health crisis.
You don’t have to be a big media like Euronews, CNN, or BCC to know that the only possible and right solution is to join forces with fellow journalists and to be a part of the big push making European journalism fully professional.
That’s why with open arms and fully pledged we are honoured to be a part of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) in the push for the transformation of the news industry because it is critical to building a more equitable and sustainable world.