World Press Freedom Day to be observed on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: World Press Freedom Day will be observed on 3rd May to inform the international community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights.

This day reminds people that many journalists are brave death or face jail to bring daily news to the public.

World Press Freedom Day gives people the chance to pay tribute to media professionals who risked or lost their lives in the line of duty.

The day 2015 Theme is: “Let Journalism Thrive! Towards better reporting, gender Equality and Safety in the Digital Age”.

Many communities, organizations and individuals take part in this day through various events such as art exhibitions, dinners featuring keynote speakers, and awards nights to honor those who risked their lives to bring news to the world.

World Press Freedom Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1993 as an outgrowth of the Seminar on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press. This seminar took place in Namibia in 1991 and led to the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media.

Although World Press Freedom Day has only been celebrated since 1993, it has much deeper roots in the United Nations. Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that everyone “has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

Each year since 1997, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom

Prize is awarded to honor the work of an individual or an organization defending or promoting freedom of expression, especially if it puts the individual’s life at risk. The award is named after a journalist murdered in 1986 after denouncing drug barons. Last year it was awarded posthumously to a Russian investigative reporter who was murdered in a contract-style killing in 2006.

APP