The Secretary‑General is appalled by the rising number of attacks against journalists and media workers around the world. 
 
As already expressed during this pandemic period, the Secretary‑General has been concerned about the number of restrictions and attacks against journalists, who are just doing their job. Many have been subjected to harassment, acts of intimidation, sanctions, killings, and arbitrary detention. 
 
The Secretary‑General calls again on governments to immediately release journalists who have been detained solely for exercising their profession and reiterates his previous calls for concerted efforts to tackle widespread impunity for such crimes. 
 
In our day‑to‑day life, journalists and media workers are crucial to helping us make informed decisions. As the world fights the pandemic, we can see that those decisions are even more crucial and can make the difference between life and death.