German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas noted on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day that the importance and complexity of the work of journalists has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was during this pandemic that the work of journalists became even more important and much more complex,” he said.
The diplomat also pointed out that in many states the work of correspondents is limited under the pretext of fighting the coronavirus, as a result of which unverified information is disseminated. According to him, independent handling of data is one of the conditions for the functioning of democracy.
“Journalism is not a crime, it should not be so that it is associated with a threat to life,” – said the head of the German Foreign Ministry.
