What’s journalism worth in disasters and emergencies? A lot, says a new UN report

A single New York Times article on a disaster generated an additional $500,000 in official aid. That’s just one of the findings on the critical role a free press plays in saving lives, according to a new UN report released on Tuesday.Key pointsA free press is critical to saving lives, mitigating the impacts of humanitarian disasters and strengthening other disaster preparedness and risk reductionResearch across 152 countries links greater press freedom with lower risks of conflict, repression and human rights violationsTrusted journalism acts as a crucial source to counter false and harmful disinformationFrom COVID-19 and human rights to climate action and earthquake response, journalists doing their jobs saves lives while also acting as an antidote to harmful fake news, according to a new report from UN culture agency, UNESCO, titled The value of journalism: Global evidence on why media matters to economies, national security and crises.Key findings highlight that beyond countering disinformation, trusted media strengthens government accountability, helps affected communities access support and pushes governments and local officials to take action.Good reporting also leads to a mo...