World Press Freedom Day

The European Federation of Journalists is alarmed by growing precarity among journalists, which threatens professional standards, economic independence and their ability to respect standards of press freedom.

On 2 May, a meeting brought together representatives of popular print and electronic media in Azerbaijan, with heads of journalist organizations and government representatives.

Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the International Press Institute announces that it will be honouring journalists Marie Colvin and Mika Yamamoto and the Malaysian station Radio Free Sarawak.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, the International Federation of Journalists has written to the Brussels embassies of Iran, Turkey, Eritrea and China – the four countries in the world with the highest numbers of imprisoned journalists.

Violations against the freedom of the press in Bahrain are ongoing despite King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa’s pledge to uphold press freedom and reform.

“The Quest for Safety and Security in Uganda” shows that the well-being of journalists is threatened by issues including a restrictive legal regime, impunity, and a lack of professionalism among security agencies.

On World Press Freedom Day, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information published a report noting a lack of political will towards changing the deteriorating state of press freedom in Egypt.

The last ten years have shown no progress in addressing the fundamental reason for the persistence of impunity in the Philippines, and its consequent encouragement of the killers of journalists and media workers.

In dozens of countries around the world, radios are censored, fined, or simply don’t have a licence to broadcast legally, while journalists and radio directors are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

The percentage of the world’s population living in societies with a fully free press has fallen to its lowest level in over a decade, according to a Freedom House report.

A Pacific event marking World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2013 is aimed at improving self-regulation for Pacific newsrooms – the concept of a regional media ombudsman will be discussed.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, IFEX-ALC calls on States to take measures against impunity, to join the necessary and constructive international observance, and to protect the work of journalists and freedom of expression advocates.

This week in Central America, two major international programmes are trying to tailor journalist security to specific regional conditions; these efforts coincide with World Press Freedom Day.

The Center for Independent Journalism will dedicate its World Press Freedom Day actions to the Citizen Initiative for Media Pluralism, in a bid to empower both the media (weakened after years of political and economic pressures) and people.

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) offers images and an editorial to mark World Press Freedom Day that can be downloaded.

Journalists should not be remanded into custody for so-called “publishing crimes” said a participant at MADA’s event in advance of World Press Freedom Day.