- The World Press Freedom Day (3rd May) serves as an occasion to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.
- The theme for this year is ‘Shaping a Future of Peace’.
- This year, the World Press Freedom Day offers a critical moment to reaffirm freedom of expression and to align journalism, technology, including AI, and human rights actors around practical ways to strengthen information ecosystems for the future.
- The World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation adopted at the 26th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.
- This occasion celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom and is an opportunity to evaluate press freedom worldwide, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
- The day holds significance for press freedom and its independence. It is a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
Source: AIR news