As assaults on journalists rise in Ukraine and past, The Times’s writer warns of dangers to democracy.

A.G. Sulzberger, the writer of The New York Times, warned on Tuesday that “when the free press erodes, democratic erosion almost always follows,” delivering a name to guard journalists as deadly assaults on reporters have elevated — particularly within the struggle in Ukraine.

In remarks at a United Nations occasion honoring the thirtieth anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, he urged world leaders to guard impartial journalism, whether or not by securing authorized protections in their very own international locations or by punishing assaults on journalists elsewhere.

Journalists worldwide are dealing with growing ranges of violence. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a watchdog group, reported that a minimum of 67 journalists and media employees have been killed in 2022, most through the struggle in Ukraine or in Latin America. Since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine final 12 months, the killings of 14 journalists and media employees have been confirmed there, the committee stated.

A file variety of journalists have been imprisoned, together with The Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who had beforehand labored at The New York Times. Mr. Sulzberger stated he was in Russian custody “for sham charges and should be released.”

Mr. Sulzberger stated the imaginative and prescient of journalists taking part in a foundational position in supporting human rights and free societies was “at great risk.”

“All over the world, autocrats — and those who aspire to join their ranks — have used censorship, media repression and attacks on journalists to consolidate power,” Mr. Sulzberger stated. “That’s because gaining control of information is essential to gaining control of everything else.”

He famous, he was making his assertion “with little optimism,” given the worldwide deterioration of press freedom lately.

In international locations with sturdy press freedom — a bunch by which he included the United States — journalists have been dealing with “systematic campaigns to undermine their credibility, followed by attacks on the legal protections that safeguard their work,” he stated.

Mr. Sulzberger famous that “in Russia, journalists who dare to even acknowledge the war in Ukraine face long prison terms.”

As of Dec. 1, 2022, the committee discovered that 363 reporters have been behind bars — a brand new international excessive that surpassed the earlier 12 months’s file by 20 p.c.

Mr. Gershkovich was detained in late March whereas on a reporting journey to the Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg and charged with espionage, accusations that the United States considers bogus. The Journal, The Times and The Washington Post ran a full-page advert final week that stated Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest was “the latest in a disturbing trend where journalists are harassed, arrested or worse for reporting the news.”

The day’s program, on the U.N. General Assembly Hall, was additionally scheduled to incorporate an handle by Almar Latour, the writer of The Journal. World Press Freedom Day is formally noticed on Wednesday.

Mr. Sulzberger’s remarks additionally touched a notice of optimism, saying he was “inspired” by the work of 4 journalists who’ve been detained of their international locations or overseas: Maria Ressa within the Philippines, José Rubén Zamora in Guatemala, Pape Alé Niang in Senegal and Austin Tice in Syria, amongst others.

In complete, the occasion was prone to current a narrative of “a worldwide assault on journalists, their work and the public’s right to know,” Mr. Sulzberger stated. “And it will only be solved if the nations that make up this body take action.”

Among the World Press Freedom occasions on the U.N., panel discussions will give attention to threats to journalists, journalism to advertise human rights and the way forward for media.