Press freedom is considered to be a cornerstone of human rights and a basic guarantee of other freedoms. It encourages transparency and it ensures that society enjoys the rule of true justice. Freedom of press is also the foundation of our daily reporting – even if you do not think about it much.
World Press Freedom Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December, 1993, as an outgrowth of the Seminar on promoting an independent and pluralistic African Press. This Seminar took place in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1991 and led to the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on promoting independent and pluralistic Media.
IFAJ holds the freedom of press as one of the basic principles of our professional work. We want to want to support each other and our colleagues in non member countries to make further steps down the road of freedom of the press. We want stick to it in our process of becoming a more worldwide organization and reaching out to journalists in new countries.
Let s not forget our colleagues who suffer in countries where freedom of the press is under heavy pressure. Click on the map above to see freedom of the press worldwide in 2013.
