Every year on May 3, World Press Freedom Day commemorates the fundamental ideals of the press and honours international journalists. The day emphasizes the importance of a free and independent press while also promoting global freedom of expression. It also shows the obstacles that journalists confront, such as censorship, violence, and restrictions on their freedom of expression.
According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
- World Press Freedom Index 2024: India ranks 159
- In 2023, World Press Freedom Index: India ranked 161
Theme:
The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2024 is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis”.
• The 2024 theme signifies the importance of journalism and free expression in the context of the present global environmental crisis.
Background:
- The United Nations (UN) celebrates World Press Freedom Day every year on May 3 to promote awareness about the significance of a free and independent press.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) advocated observing World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 1991, during its 26th General Conference in Paris, France, from October 15th to November 7th.
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed the day in December 1993.
Why May 3?
The date May 3 commemorates the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of press freedom principles put forth by African journalists in 1991 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Events 2024:
- Chile and UNESCO will host the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference on May 2 and 4 in Santiago.
Significance:
In an age of rampant misinformation and deception, Press Freedom Day serves as a reminder of the critical role that a free press plays in society.
The day is celebrated to honor the essential values of press freedom and to promote free and independent media.
World Press Freedom Day is significant because it emphasizes the media’s importance in a democratic world, as well as the need to ensure that journalists can work without fear and be protected from violence, intimidation, censorship, and limits on free expression.