The writer also assured, within the framework of the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, that the journalism crisis in Chile is severe and its solution involves creating groups that look at society from a critical point of view and independently. .
With the participation of the national journalist and writer, Alejandra Matus, the conversation titled “Press freedom, democracy and sustainability” was held at the University of Santiago, an event that is part of the activities to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. .
On the occasion, Alejandra Matus stressed that the State should seek a pluralistic system for the media. She commented that between 1984 and 1992 there was more pluralism with laws inherited from the dictatorship than today.
“Something has happened that many do not see: the system learns,” said Matus, remembering that at that time if someone published an article and talked about investigative journalism “some trial was accelerated or something changed… something happened.”
He stressed that today the label of investigative journalism is present even in entertainment news, which he described as a shame. To do? “We have not found the formula to distinguish ourselves sufficiently,” she asserted.
The author of the book “Doña Lucía” also had critical words for the theme chosen by UNESCO at the Thirty-First World Conference for World Press Freedom Day held in Santiago, which this year was dedicated to the importance of journalistic investigation in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
“This Unesco slogan is great for us. It’s like someone came from Mars, because we don’t have environmental or union journalism, nor specialists in gender conflicts working in the media; we do not have press departments; They have been sadly replaced by matinees,” he said.
He argued that the crisis in journalism is so deep that I wish we could debate environmental journalism. “In Chile it is not that there is no risk. There is no journalism specialized in organized crime, because otherwise we would have several deaths, the same if there were serious environmental journalism, because if journalists do that we put things under tension and that is why we are murdered.”
The solution for Alejandra Matus is to create collectives of journalists who look at society critically and report independently.
In the activity, the writer also shared the stage with the president of the order’s college, Rocío Alorda and the director of Fast Check, Fabián Padilla. The event was moderated by Antoine Faure.
At the conclusion of the conversation, the rector of Usach, Rodrigo Vidal, highlighted the importance of journalism being able to be exercised freely, but also with responsibility and rigor for the benefit of citizens.
A UNESCO report maintains that 44 journalists dedicated to covering the environment have been murdered between 2009 and 2023.
Santiago de Chile, May 5, 2024
Digital Chronicle
