Helmut Melzer
I think it is often fear that holds us back. The fear of change per se as well as fears that are fueled by politics or real threats. It was only recently that it became public that Austria had slipped in terms of freedom of the press. It is no longer classified as “good”, but only as “sufficient”. Journalists in Austria are mainly attacked by the FPÖ. The development of freedom of the press is also retrograde internationally. That scares me personally and slows down some thoughts. Can i write that What if I want to travel to Turkey? Take your press card with you or leave it at home? Fear protects us. But fear also inhibits. That is why, in my opinion, an alert civil society is important and any initiative that ensures an open and critical discourse is to be welcomed.
Karin Bornett, freelance journalist
