World Press Freedom Day, or just World Press Day in which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the lead agency is being celebrated on Tuesday May 3, 2016. World Press Day was declared so as to inform the international community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights. This day reminds people that many journalists brave death or face jail to bring daily news to the public and reminds governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991. A free press keeps leaders and authorities accountable, informs the citizenry about what’s happening in their society, and gives a voice to those who would not otherwise have one.
Each year since 1997, UNESCO awards the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to honour the work of a deserving individual, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.
The St.Kitts-Nevis National Commission for UNESCO has solicited the assistance of media practitioners to spread the word and celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
The NATCOM suggested the following topics for discussion: :
Freedom of expression and journalists’ safety should be disaster-proof.
The Press empowers survivors and vulnerable people, whose right to privacy is to be respected.
The Press has social impact and provides access to information.
People’s right to information should be protected especially in times of emergency and disaster.
The immediate accessibility of radio/media frequencies is essential to saving lives and these frequencies should be protected and made available in times of emergency.
A free press is foundational to a free and open society.
Also please Air the Press Freedom Day audio message from the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova. Kindly follow this link http://en.unesco.org/world-press-freedom-day-2016.