New Delhi: Regarded as the fourth pillar of democracy, journalists have always tried their hard and soul to dig out the truth behind an incident, event, or scandal. To appreciate their hard work, every year on May 3, World Press Freedom Day is observed.

On this special day, the spirit of journalism and dedication of journalism are celebrated. The day holds an important place for the United States which considers it an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom across the globe, defend the attacks on media independence, and pay tribute to the journalists who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

Theme

Every year a new theme is chosen for World Press Freedom Day and this year the theme is “Journalism under digital siege.” The theme apart from highlighting endangered journalism also concentrates on the consequences of all this on public trust in digital communications. Besides, it mostly focuses on the risks faced by the journalist by surveillance and digitally-mediated attacks. 

The origin of World Press Day ideation began in 1991 when an African journalist present at a UNESCO conference in Windhoekwhich was based on ‘Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Media’ talked about an idea to encourage press free domin different parts of the world.

History

UNESCO adopted the Windhoek declaration on May 3, 1993, aiming at the development of a free, independent, and pluralistic press. This day concentrates on the importance of freedom of journalists in a few countries including China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea, Djibouti, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and Cuba – that have severely less press freedom.