World Press Freedom Day, is an annual observance established by the United Nations in 1993 to support and celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom.
The U.N. said World Press Freedom Day is also 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 killed.
It has been a ghastly year for the media, as we look back on World Press Freedom Day.
Headlines are filled with gruesome attacks, notably the beheadings of James Foley, Stephen Sotloff and Kenji Goto, and the murderous assault on Charlie Hebdo.
The deaths of Foley and Sotloff, both kidnapped by Islamic State (also known as ISIS) while working as freelance reporters in Syria, prompted reporters and advocates to create voluntary guidelines for media outlets to work more safely with freelancers in conflict areas.
Back in Africa, Media experts have faulted increasing attack on journalists, summoning of editors and retrogressive laws in Kenya as the World marks World Press Freedom Day.
MoSound, an East Africa events company, is set to debut our new awards program that will honor the best quality, most innovative content, and rising platforms that are changing the face of Africa.
As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, Amnesty International says media freedom has increasingly come under attack in many countries across Africa.
The rights based organisation has made a strong call to governments to ensure journalists can do their work without fear or intimidation.
Amnesty International says journalism is not a crime and state security agencies, particularly in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe must stop targeting journalists for exposing corruption.
