Press freedom: The everyday fight #WPFD2015
May 3rd is when we celebrate the fundamentals of press freedom. It is a date where we mark and reaffirm our commitment to the never-ending struggle for the journalists’ rights to do their job in a free and safe manner.
Journalists’ safety, online and offline, is one of the pillars of press freedom. We need to do more to safeguard and protect journalists and make sure they are safe and free to report on any matter they want. Without that free press is under siege.
WATCH: Remarks by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media on World Press Freedom Day 2015.
Safety of journalists is a worldwide struggle…
The issue of journalists’ safety is worldwide in scope, not least with regard to conflict reporting. Wherever conflicts and war rage, journalists face grave threats while trying to shine a light from our world’s dark corners.
The conflict in and around Ukraine is a terrible reminder of the many ways journalists can be damaged for reporting under very difficult conditions. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has reported on more than 200 attacks on journalists and media in and around Ukraine.
…increasingly being fought online
Today’s digital environment has made journalists more exposed and vulnerable than ever. Female journalists and bloggers in particular are fiercely attacked online. For some, online threats of rape and sexual violence have become part of everyday life; others experience severe harassment and intimidation.
Celebrating the fundamentals of press freedom
World Press Freedom Day celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; it evaluates press freedom around the world, it highlights the importance to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and it pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. Read more on about the activities on World Press Freedom Day.
Watch the live webcast from the main conference in Riga on World Press Freedom Day.
This year’s theme for World Press Freedom day is Let Journalism Thrive! Toward Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Media Safety in the Digital Age.