World Press Freedom Day 202: 4Every year on May 3, people all over the world celebrate Press Freedom Day. The 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated this year. Since its proclamation in 1993, there has been significant progress made towards achieving a free press and freedom of expression globally. With the theme "Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other human rights," the day will also serve as a reminder that exercising all other human rights depends on press freedom as well as independent, pluralistic, and diverse media.
It is time to stand up for #PressFreedom.
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) May 2, 2024
The story of Poopo Lake must be told.
Join us: https://t.co/5ss9Z2zzOu #WorldPressFreedomDay #GenerationRestoration pic.twitter.com/n8VIuzyMIp
World Press Freedom Day 2024: Origin
In December 1993, the UN General Assembly declared the first World Press Freedom Day on the recommendation of the General Conference of UNESCO. Since then, May 3 has been designated as World Press Freedom Day to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek.
The day's objectives are to pursue freedom and to share and receive knowledge. In addition, it serves as a reminder for governments to uphold their commitment to press freedom. Whereas, media professionals often use this day to reflect on topics related to press freedom and ethical behaviour in the workplace.
World Press Freedom Day 2024: Know Theme, History and Significance Here
World Press Freedom Day 2024: Purpose
World Press Day, also known as World Press Freedom Day honours the journalists who lost their lives during the service. On this day, the United Nations General Assembly emphasises raising awareness of the necessity of press freedom in society, the dissemination of information, and its relevance as well as awakening the government to its responsibility to defend and protect the right to freedom of speech. In addition, this international event serves a variety of purposes, including:
- To honour the foundational tenets of press freedom.
- Evaluate the level of press freedom around the world.
- To protect the media from attempts to undermine their independence.
- And pay respects to reporters who have died in the line of duty.
UNESCO is encouraging everyone to publish a message on their social media platforms which reads, "Everything is alright." It says, “Because if everything is alright in the news, then something is wrong with journalism. And when journalism is compromised, we cannot protect human rights.”
On May 2, there will be a full day of events at the UN Headquarters in honour of World Press Freedom Day. The event celebrations will be held at local, national, and regional events all across the world. From May 1 through May 4, New York City will host about 40 press freedom-related events. The World Press Freedom Day community, which consists of universities, media freedom networks, civil society organisations, and other national and international organisations centred in New York, will organise these events.
The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize will also be given out on this day in recognition of the contributions of journalists, particularly those who put their lives in danger to aware and educate the public.
Source: un.org
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