Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Journalists are our eyes and ears when it comes to the many conflicts across the world. They have an important role not just in reporting what is going on in these conflicts, but also in dissecting the cause of the hatred or economic opportunity that prompts or prolongs conflict, or examining how certain conflicts are used for purely economic gain, bigotry or discrimination. Many regimes see that as a threat to their purpose. The work of journalists is seen by some of these governments as putting an unwelcome focus on the true purpose of the ambitions of the regime and the lengths to which it will go to realise those ambitions.

That is just one more danger faced by journalists who already put themselves in danger to report the truth. We have seen this in the case of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera journalist who was murdered - not killed, as some others say - by Israeli forces as they conducted a military raid near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. She was murdered despite being clearly identifiable as a journalist, as were three others who were fired upon as attempts were made by the military to disguise the truth of what is happening in the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.

We have seen the great work being done by journalists to shed light on the devastation and atrocities being carried out by Russian forces, the Government of which insists to this day that it is a special operation. We need those journalists to break through that propaganda. They are achieving that, but it has already come at a grave cost to a high number of them.

Journalists in conflict areas face another obstacle in their work and that results from the inaction of governments elsewhere to address the injustices the journalists expose. As the saying goes, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Apart from that saying being gender exclusive, it is a message that holds true.

Governments throughout the world have watched on as the Saudi Arabian assault of Yemen continues. Since the war started in 2015 it is estimated that 370,000 people have died. Meanwhile so-called allied countries have been selling weapons to the Saudi Arabian regime openly, adding to the horror and grief in Yemen. Journalists who put themselves in the way of harm have to contend with the willingness of members of the international community to turn away from conflicts because of the financial arrangements they have in place with the dominant power.

These journalists and the people whose plight they are reporting on deserve more than the self-serving attitude that is adopted by countries across the world which do not want to affect the status quo. We have seen it in our own country and other areas around the world. Journalists in conflict zones must be thanked for their work and commitment. They deserve to be listened to and for the injustices on which they shed light to be addressed by those powers that watch on and maybe, just maybe, governments might take action.

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