World Press Freedom Day History, Importance and 2022 Theme

World Press Freedom Day 2022: Journalists, hailed as the fourth pillar of democracy, have often placed their lives and reputations on the line to expose the truth behind an occurrence, event, or controversy. Every year on May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day is commemorated to honour their efforts. The commemorative day honours the spirit of journalism and the commitment of journalists.

It is noteworthy because the United Nations views it as an occasion to honour the basic values of press freedom, examine the condition of press freedom across the world, defend attacks on media independence, and pay respect to journalists who have died in the line of duty.

Theme

World Press Day has a different theme each year, and this year's theme is "Journalism under Digital Siege." This year's topic not only emphasises the threats to journalism, but also the implications for public trust in digital communications. It primarily focuses on the threats that surveillance and digitally-mediated attacks pose to journalists. The origins of WorldPressDay may be traced back to 1991, when an African journalist attending a UNESCO meeting in Windhoek on "Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Media" mentioned a proposal to promote press freedom in various regions of the world.

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History

On May 3, 1993, UNESCO endorsed the Windhoek Declaration, which aimed to "develop a free, independent, and pluralistic press." The day also emphasises the significance of press freedom in countries where it is severely restricted, such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea, Djibouti, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and Cuba. The subject of last year's conference was "Information as a Public Good," which focused on the necessity of valuing information as a public good and examined strategies to enhance democracy's fourth pillar.