World Press Freedom Day

• 04 May 2020

Why in News

The World Press Freedom Day is observed on 3^rd May, every year.

Key Points

• Origin and Purpose:
  
  • The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference.
  • Since then, 3^rd May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
• The day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.
• 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.
  • Pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
• Theme for 2020: Journalism without Fear or Favour.
  
  • UNESCO is launching a global campaign on media and social media channels, with a focus on this year’s theme in an increasingly complex media landscape.
• The sub-themes for this year are:
  
  • Safety of Women and Men Journalists and Media Workers.
  • Independent and Professional Journalism free from Political and Commercial Influence.
  • Gender Equality in All Aspects of the Media.
• After the celebration of this day, there will be several events to be held in the upcoming days:
  
  • High-level Dialogue on Press Freedom and Tackling Disinformation in the Covid-19 context, webinars and online discussions via Facebook Live, YouTube and Microsoft teams, amongst other digital platforms.
• In April, 2020 the report on the World Press Freedom Index, 2020 was released by the global body, Reporters Without Borders.
  
  • India is at 142^nd rank after dropping two places from last year's ranking.

Source: TH