2020 World Press Freedom Day: Journalism Without Fear Or Favour

Journalism has been one sector in the past that had many of its workers harassed, imprisoned, and even sentenced to death. But as the 2020 World Press Freedom Day approaches, it is worthy to note that humanity commemorates not only an important occasion but the right to give and receive information/news.

When is World Press Freedom Day?

World Press Freedom Day is celebrated annually on the 3rd of May. Every May 3rd, we celebrate our fundamental rights which are press freedom on the part of the journalists and the society at large.

When did World Press Freedom Day begin?

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 succeeding in the recommendation adopted at the 26th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. It was a response to a call by the African journalists who produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence in 1991.

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Why is The Celebration of World Press Freedom Day important?

The celebration of World Press Freedom Day is important because of the following reasons;

• It celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom.
• It is a day set aside to evaluate the enforcement of press freedom around the world.
• It is a day set aside to defend the media from attacks on their independence.
• It commemorates the paid tribute to journalists who lost their lives while doing their job.
• It informs citizens of violations of press freedom.
• It is a date to encourage the development of initiatives, laws, and regulations in favor of press freedom.

2020 World Press Freedom Day is very important as it serves as a pointer to how important the media and journalism is to our lives as regards the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is true that many governments enforced lockdowns and currently, are easing the restrictions of movements, but it is worthy to note that one of the essential services that were spared a total lockdown was the media. We turned to the media to know what was happening around the world, what the status of the coronavirus was etc. The media, journalists have been giving us the essential service we needed to at least make the lockdown bearable.

On the line of the job as tasked with meeting up with the need for delivering news as well as entertainment, several journalists and media personnel have been prone to contracting the coronavirus virus. Day in, and day out, the stop in between programs to give us tips on how to stay safe from the COVID-19. If the media houses weren’t still running, how would most of us be able to survive the lockdown?

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What is The Theme For The 2020 World Press Freedom Day?

The theme for 2020 World Press Freedom Day is “Journalism without fear or favor”. This year marks the 27th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day.

What is the Lineup of Events in Celebrating 2020 World Press Freedom Day?

The key events commemorating the World Press Freedom Day 2020 includes;

• 30th April – The launch of the joint Declaration of Special Rapporteurs.

• 3rd May – Difference day; on this day UNESCO will celebrate World Press Freedom Day together with the European Commission, the European Endowment for Democracy, Université Libre de Bruxelles amongst others.

• 4th May – High-level Dialogue on Press Freedom and Tackling Disinformation in the COVID-19 context; in a virtual meeting via a Facebook live event, the UNESCO Director-General is joined by ministers, tech companies’ executives, journalists, and NGO representatives.

• 5th May – Launch of the World Trends Report in Focus edition on Media Independence, and a Special Briefing about press freedom in times of COVID-19; it consists of an animated online discussion with leading journalists to present a preview of the forthcoming UNESCO report.

• 6th May – Webinar on Media Freedom, Safety of Journalists and COVID-19; it is organized by the International Civil Society Safety of Journalists Coalition.

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World Press Freedom Conference 2020 Postponed Over Uncertainties Surrounding Travel: COVID-19

Preceding the World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO and the Netherlands had planned to hold the World Press Freedom Conference (WPFC) in Hague from the 22nd to 24th of April, 2020. Due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the conference has been postponed and the new date for the conference is slated from the 18th to the 20th of October. It is bent on being a joint celebration of the World Press Freedom Day, 3rd May, and the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, 2nd November. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Did you know?

According to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists, over 1388 journalists have been killed since 1993.

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What is The Biggest Challenge The Media Has Faced?

The biggest challenge the media has faced is that of an infringement on their rights to press freedom. This has been addressed over time and May 3rd annually commemorates the fight for this right. However, the biggest challenge the media is facing right now is FAKE NEWS. Yes, there is a large amount of fake news out there that isn’t easy to point out what the truth is. This is crumbling the media world. Such that even the truth can be fabricated and people are beginning to lose their trust in the media. The masses cannot tell when they are being presented with the truth or not and while we know that the media tries it’s possibly best to provide us with the right information, it is important to note that there should be rules and regulations, media bodies who should detect and eradicate fake news.

The vast impact fake news has had on society is very pronounced in this time of COVID-19. Come 4th May we intend to listen and see how the UNESCO Director-General and his guests address the issue of disinformation in this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Many have died trying to give us the right information and it is pertinent that we help the media preserve their rights. It is their right to carry out journalism without fear or favor and that is what 2020 World Press Freedom Day commemorates. In all we should have the metonymic adage “the pen is mightier than the sword” at heart. Happy World Press Freedom Day!!!