World Press Freedom Day With freedom comes responsibility Author: TARANUM Friday, 2 May, 2014 World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference. Since then, 3rd May, the anniversary of Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence, pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. UNESCO’S 2014 theme on World Press Freedom Day is Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015 Development Agenda. The focus this year is on three inter-related themes: the media’s importance in development; the safety of journalists and the rule of law; and the sustainability and integrity of journalism. It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom- a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered. It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide. It serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. The recent incident of attack on a renowned Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir goes to prove that still there are many such places where the orthodox narrow minded mentality which is quite opposed to free thinking and freedom of expression. The observance of the Press freedom day thus becomes all the more justified. Unlike Pakistan, India enjoys freedom of the press to a very large extent. The celebration of the World Press Freedom Day is also an apt tribute to all those journalists who lost their lives in the line of their duty. At the same time it also serves to convey to the press fraternity that the freedom given to them to pursue their noble profession must not be misused. They are supposed to use the power of the pen to highlight issues to draw the authorities’ attention so as to find a solution. They are also duty bound to inform and educate the people for the benefit of the society at large. In our own remote islands, the profession of journalism is showing a progressive trend. Having remained in a state of infancy for decades, the last few years have seen a sea change for better. Among steadily mushrooming daily newspapers and periodicals, some of them are professionally managed. Their news and articles are attached due importance not only by the readers but also by the decision makers. It’s quite heartening to find many youngsters taking fancy to journalism. Some of them are professionally qualified while for others it’s on the job training. Nevertheless, things are looking up and that bodes well for the island society. Credit is also due to the top brass of the UT Administration who act promptly on the feedback provided by the well-meaning newspapers. Such an approach will certainly go a long way in encouraging serious and ethical newspapers, weaning the chaff from the grain. Every year, the UNESCO committee chooses and declares one journalist for the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and this year a Turkish Journalist Ahmet Sik is being declared the winner of this prestigious prize. Sik won the prize because he is ‘an ardent defender of freedom of expression, and has devoted his career to denouncing corruption and human right abuses’ says the jury.
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 06:15:52 +0000
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