World Press Freedom Day 2021 By Ardo in London
3 May 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.
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR -GENERAL
"The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Information as a Public Good”, underlines the indisputable importance of verified and reliable information. It calls attention to the essential role of free and professional journalists in producing and disseminating this information, by tackling misinformation and other harmful content."— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY THEME
This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good” serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind. The theme is of urgent relevance to all countries across the world. It recognizes the changing communications system that is impacting on our health, our human rights, democracies and sustainable development.
To underline the importance of information within our online media environment, WPFD 2021 will highlight three key topics: Steps to ensure the economic viability of news media;
Mechanisms for ensuring transparency of Internet companies; Enhanced Media and Information Literacy (MIL) capacities that enable people to recognize and value, as well as defend and demand, journalism as a vital part of information as a public good.
Mr Ardo is a London Trained Journalist,CEO/Editor-In-Chief Of African Journalist Productions.
https://africanjournalist.info
Email: ardoafrica@gmail.com
