The role of the media during armed conflicts and the responsibility for spreading misinformation

Abstract

Although international humanitarian law has established many binding legal principles, some of which relate to methods of protecting victims of armed conflicts through the principles of humanity and distinction, and others relate to methods of combat through the principles of military necessity and proportionality, these principles are subject to violation in every international or internal armed conflict as a result of the desire of all parties to achieve victory in light of the public’s ignorance of the aforementioned principles that guarantee them protection, this is where the media’s role comes in disseminating them through its visual, audio, or electronic means, in addition to assisting international humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross in fulfilling their duty to implement the principles of international humanitarian law, as well as documenting violations of those principles, which helps in revealing the facts, in light of the many challenges and risks that hinder the performance of this important role of the media, and the necessity of addressing them to ensure the protection of journalists, promote freedom of expression, and provide accurate and reliable information to public opinion and the national and international judiciary.

Disseminating misleading information is a crime under national and international laws, as it leads to the commission of extremely serious crimes, it is also an independent crime in itself when it causes moral and material damage that may reach the level of an international crime.