By Pooja Sharma & Tithi Singh
World Press Freedom Day, also known as World Press Day, is an annual event celebrated on May 3rd to promote and defend freedom of the press around the world. The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom and the role of media in promoting democracy, transparency, and accountability.
World Press Freedom Day is celebrated to promote and defend press freedom and to recognize the vital role of journalism in promoting democracy and human rights. It is a day to reflect on the importance of a free and independent press and to raise awareness about the challenges that journalists face in carrying out their work.
The theme for World Press Freedom Day 2023 is “Information as a Public Good.” This theme highlights the crucial role of journalism in providing accurate and trustworthy information to the public. In an age of disinformation and misinformation, journalists play a critical role in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance. By providing the public with reliable information, journalists help to foster informed debate, promote democracy, and hold those in power accountable.
This year’s theme also recognizes the challenges that journalists face in reporting the news. Journalists around the world are under attack for doing their job, and the number of attacks against them continues to rise. Journalists are threatened, harassed, and even killed for their work, and many face censorship and legal restrictions on their reporting.
Press freedom is essential for maintaining democracy, but it is not always guaranteed. In many parts of the world, governments are cracking down on journalists, restricting their ability to report the news and disseminate information. Journalists are often viewed as a threat to those in power, and their work is censored or suppressed.