World Press Freedom Day 2024: What are the origins and purpose of the day?
Proclaimed in 1993, the day was created by the UN to celebrate the importance of journalism as the key for humans to enjoy the rest of their rights.
In many places in the world, citizens do not enjoy freedom of the press. Governments control output, billionaires own pluralities of newspapers, and journalists are attacked and murdered for telling the stories rulers don’t want to hear.
The United Nations came together in 1993 to announce a special day of the year to emphasize the importance of journalism and its essential role in free societies. Thus, World Press Freedom Day was born and is celebrated annually on May 3rd.
The day was established to raise awareness about the importance of freedom of the press and to remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Each year, UNESCO chooses a theme for World Press Freedom Day to highlight a particular aspect of press freedom. The theme for World Press Freedom Day 2024 is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis”, emphasizing the role journalism plays in raising awareness on problems of the environment.
- Informing the public about the problems and solutions facing the environment.
- Holding corporations and governments to accept responsibility for environmental actions.
- Influencing concrete action to address pressing environmental problems like climate change.
The purpose of World Press Freedom Day
The purpose of World Press Freedom Day is to promote and defend press freedom around the world, as well as to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. It is also an occasion to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom throughout the world.
The UN lists on its website these points as the purposes of the day:
- celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
- assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
- defend the media from attacks on their independence;
- and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) publishes the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize as part of the celebration. The award celebrates people or organizations that have made a contribution to press freedom.
Who was Guillermo Cano?
Guillermo Cano Isaza was a Colombian journalist and head of El Espectador newspaper before his murder in 1986, suspected to be conducted by gang members after Cano denounced drug trafficking.
In 2000 he was named one of International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the 20th century.
Palestinian journalists honored
This year, Palestinian journalists covering Gaza have been named as laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
According to the chair of the jury of media professionals who nominated them for the award, they “wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances… we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.”