May 3, acts 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.

Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.

Every year, May 3, is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence.

The UNESCO theme for World Press Freedom Day – May 3, 2021 is: ‘Information for the Public Good’

Ms. Roel Raymond, Editor-in-Chief, Media at Roar Global in conversation with PCCSL, CEO Sukumar Rockwood,  Mr. Shihar Aneez, Founder/Head of Training at Centre for Investigative Reporting and Ms. Uditha Jayasinghe, Deputy Editor, Daily FT.

Link to the video