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When is Press Freedom Day?
May 3 is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day or Press Freedom Day. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom in any democracy. The day came into existence after the United Nations General Assembly announced May 3 in 1993, following the recommendation of Unesco's General Conference. May 3 also marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, which then started to be celebrated and observed as World Press Freedom Day.
Press Freedom Day aims not only to raise awareness but remind governments to take necessary steps in order to protect the journalists, who are facing a risk to their lives across the world for their unbiased reporting. Governments across the world must respect and uphold the right to Freedom of Expression, which is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948. World Press Freedom Day is observed to pay a tribute to all those journalists who died in the line of duty and who have worked relentlessly to report the truth, even in hard and unusual circumstances.
The day is marked by awarding deserving organisations and individuals from across the world who make constant efforts to protect the press's freedom and promote it. Unesco confers such organizations and individuals with the Unesco/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. A conference is held each year based on a different theme, which is centred around press freedom. Media professionals, press freedom organizations, and UN agencies all come together to assess the situation of press freedom worldwide and also highlight the solutions to address these challenges.
Celebrations take place across the world with seminars and events being organized to shed light on the challenges faced by the members of the press in uncovering the truth with their unbiased reporting.
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