Reports are widespread on college campuses in the United States on the growing Pro-Palestinian encampments of student groups seeking the cutdown of university investments supporting Israel.
I get a daily dose of these reports from my email, including those published by the DAILY ILLINI, the multi-awarded student newspaper in my alma mater.
It appears that the protests are getting more intense each day, especially that pro-Israel groups and members of the Jewish community are starting to hold their counter-rallies, triggering fears of mounting violence as evidenced in reports from various campuses on clashes with law enforcers resulting in injuries.
Interestingly, analysts have started to draw similarities between the present tension in campuses and past major events.
The DAILY ILLINI ran a story on a professor’s comparison between the American movement against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s and the current solidarity on campus for the ‘Palestinian liberation movement.’”
The students who engaged in anti-apartheid protests across University campuses in the United States were some of the first to actively challenge the South African government from overseas, the professor was quoted as saying.
Consequently, South Africa put an end to its apartheid policy.
A parallel similarity was also drawn with the anti-Vietnam War protests in the 1960s that eventually led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from that portion of the Indo-China region.
The unrest is expected to continue affecting academic operations of a number of universities which are holding commencement exercises in a matter of days.
As the protests escalate, reports quoting Wall Street Journal have surfaced that leftist groups had trained and encouraged anti-Israel protesters on campuses for months and that external elements were supporting them and, in some cases, training sessions were held for the agitators “by left-leaning groups and veteran of previous wave of protests.”
The Associated Press said that “the (protest) movement has taken on new strength as the Israel-Hamas war surpasses the six-month mark and stories of suffering in Gaza have sparked international calls for a ceasefire.”
We continue to keep our eyes and ears open to this development on campuses, not only because if our familiarity with student life and speech freedom in the academic system there but also because of the nagging conflict in the Middle East and its impact in the rest of the world.
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One global event that’s important to us in the media industry was World Press Freedom Day observed on May 3.
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference.
Taking a new and urgent thrust in is annual focus, WPFD was themed “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis”.
Highlighting the observance was the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference hosted by Chile and UNESCO. The conference was “dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.”
Emphasizing the theme, the United Nations underscored that awareness of all aspects of the global environmental crisis and its consequences is essential to build democratic societies, thus journalistic work “is indispensable for this purpose.”
UN pointed out the challenges faced by journalists in seeking and disseminating information, particularly on contemporary environment-related issues, “like supply-chains problems, climate migration, extractive industries, illegal mining, pollution, poaching, animal trafficking, deforestation, or climate change.”
Ensuring the visibility of these issues, it said, is crucial for promoting peace and democratic values worldwide.
Dis-/misinformation about environmental issues can also lead to a lack of public and political support for climate action, effective policies, and the protection of vulnerable communities affected by climate change, as well as of women and girls, as climate change tends to exacerbate existing inequalities, it continued.
Thus, to achieve sustainable development, UN emphasized, it is necessary for journalists to report accurately, timely, and comprehensively on environmental issues and their consequences, as well as on possible solutions.
May 3, UN said, is an occasion that reminds governments of “the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.”
“It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.”
It celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; assesses the state of press freedom throughout the world; defends the media from attacks on their independence; and pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the world body further emphasized.
We trust that in its pursuit of truth, freedom and justice, the press in the country and abroad renews its vigilance in addressing environmental issues as these pose grave threat to the survival and well-being of societies and their members.
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The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18) | NWI
