World Press Freedom Day

Officials installed government-backed journalists as speakers and nixed independent journalists slated to speak and there was no discussion of this year’s global theme on new media and the Internet.

IFJ sponsored a World Press Freedom Day roundtable discussion which brought together media practitioners, government representatives, civil society organisations and academics to assess the many challenges faced by journalists and the media.

“We have developed a framework to deal with the realities emerging on the ground from our different communities and resolved to engage with our island governments to address the issues dear to those communities,” said Moses Stevens.

As the midway point of the election campaign approaches, the press freedom situation remains worrisome, says JED.

“Our unions and their members in the region are playing a major role in the seismic shift that is shaking the region and have become key players in the fight for democracy, individual freedom, justice and human rights,” said IFJ.

The president’s commitment, made on World Press Freedom Day, will be monitored by CPJ and national press freedom groups.

Burma is widely recognised as having one of the world’s most repressive media environments, and consistently ranks at the tail end of global press freedom indexes.

To commemorate this day, NUSOJ celebrates the indispensable role that journalists play in Somali society in the face of an increasing wave of repression.

More than 55 journalists were subjected to different forms of violence in the last six months, says HRNJ-Uganda.

Freedom of expression organisations express deep concern over the continued imprisonment of journalist Eynulla Fatullayev.

According to the report, 2011 has brought with it an unprecedented increase in Palestinian-perpetrated violations against the media.

According to BIANET’s 2010 report, 220 people, including 104 journalists, were tried in court on free expression related charges in 2010.

The report highlights yet again an appalling level of violence and attacks perpetrated against journalists and media workers over 2010, along with a marked increase in self-censorship on the part of journalists and editors.

The situation of freedom of expression has been steadily deteriorating as it is estimated that some 30 journalists have been detained, without charges, since the government imposed a ban on independent media in September 2001.

The appeal followed recent threats made against FECOLPER President Eduardo Márquez, and other journalists who were targeted by the Black Eagles, an armed paramilitary group.

Under the new government of President Thein Sein, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division under the Information Ministry recently lifted censorship of some journals and eased their tight control over media coverage of certain subjects.