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 honour 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 for Guillermo Cano, a Colombian journalist murdered in 1986 after denouncing drug barons.
History
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.
The Windhoek declaration called to establish, maintain and foster an independent, pluralistic, and free press. It emphasized the importance of a free press for developing and maintaining democracy in a nation, and for economic development. World press freedom day is celebrated annually on May 3, the date on which the Windhoek Declaration was adopted.
World press freedom day 2020
The theme of world press freedom day for the year 2020 is JOURNALISM WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR
It is an opportunity to
- 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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