{"id":9001,"date":"2025-02-19T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cntiwpedev.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=9001"},"modified":"2026-01-30T13:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:47:18","slug":"government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/surveys\/what-it-means-to-do-journalism-in-the-age-of-ai-journalist-views-on-safety-technology-and-government\/government\/","title":{"rendered":"Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Press freedom goes hand-in-hand with democracy<\/a>. If journalism is to help the public participate in civic debate, journalists need to report without government intrusion. This includes reporting on the government itself, often referred to as the \u201cwatchdog role.\u201d At the same time, governments can and often do help protect the freedom and independence of the news media both in judicial cases and provide financial support<\/a>. There exists a significant tension, then, in news media reliance on the body of government that upholds its freedom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful management of that tension relies on the government\u2019s foundational belief in the importance of an independent news media \u2014 even if it does not always serve their interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, belief in that fundamental value has shown increasing signs of erosion. Government interference in the news is on the rise worldwide<\/a>, with even well-intentioned laws sometimes weaponized against journalists. In 2024 alone, governments have spied on<\/a> journalists, imprisoned<\/a> them and even failed to hold their killers<\/a> accountable. But 2024 also saw the passage of the EU\u2019s European Media Freedom Act<\/a>, a law that seeks to protect media independence and the right to information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This survey explored journalists’ general views on the role of governments in the news media dynamics. Our international pool of respondents included journalists from three types of regimes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n