World Press Freedom Day
World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on 3 May every year. Following a suggestion agreed at UNESCO’s General Conference’s twenty-sixth session in 1991, the UN General Assembly declared 3 May as World Press Freedom Day in 1993. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness about press freedom infringement among citizens. In addition, it is a reminder that newspapers and social media are being blocked, fined, and suspended throughout the world. At the same time, journalists, editors, and publishers are being harassed, attacked, and even assassinated.
The overall theme of the 2022 celebrations is ‘Journalism under Surveillance’. It highlights the impact of digital surveillance, including that of state actors and non-state actors, on journalism, freedom of expression and privacy.
Do you know? World Press Freedom Day 2021 theme was “Information as a Public Good.” The World Press Freedom Day 2021 is a call to affirm the importance of valuing information as a public good and investigating what can be done in the production, distribution, and reception of content to strengthen journalism, advance transparency, and empower people while leaving no one behind. The topic is urgently relevant to all countries on the planet. It acknowledges how the evolving communications system affects our health, human rights, democracy, and long-term development.
Press Freedom Prize
On World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO bestows the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on a deserving individual or organization. It is because UNESCO made a significant contribution to the defense and promotion of press freedom anywhere globally, particularly in the face of adversity. The prize, established in 1997, is given out on the proposal of an independent jury of 14 journalists. In addition, UNESCO member nations and regional and international non-governmental organizations advocating for press freedom submit names.
The prize is named after Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was slain in front of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá on 17 December 1986. Cano’s words angered Colombia’s strong drug barons. Every year, UNESCO commemorates World Press Freedom Day by gathering media professionals, press freedom organizations, and UN agencies to examine the situation of press freedom throughout the world and debate options for resolving concerns. Each World Press Freedom Day conference focuses on a different aspect of press freedom, such as good governance, terrorist coverage in the media, impunity, and the media’s role in post-conflict countries.
Celebration
Several cultural activities are planned to highlight the importance of press freedom. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) coordinates initiatives from several countries, and it frequently acts as an organizing partner to promote freedom of expression. In addition, deserving organizations, persons, or institutions were honored by UNESCO for their services to promote and defend press freedom in any area of the globe. It is a national holiday in India to honor media journalists who have risked their lives to pursue information or have died in the line of duty.
On this day in India, many government executives and politicians participate in planning various activities such as art exhibitions, honor awards for journalists who have risked their lives while on the job, and so on. However, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the festivities have been moved to the internet. Journalists, civil society groups, national authorities, academics, and others will gather in 2020 for the World Press Freedom Conference to address rising threats to press freedom and journalist safety and collaborate on solutions. The conference has been held yearly since 1993. It will occur in The Hague, Netherlands, from 18 October to 20, 2020.
All Events: 2022 Events Calendar
Fun Fact
What is the theme for World Press Freedom Day 2022?
“Journalism under Surveillance” is the theme of World Press Freedom Day.