World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on 3 May every year to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and pay tribute to journalists who have laid down their lives in the exercise of their profession.
The day also focuses to assess its state around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence.
The theme of 2020 World Press Freedom Day is “Journalism Without Fear or Favour.”
The theme creates awareness on specific issues about the safety of journalists, their independence from political or commercial influence, and gender equality in all aspects of the media.
As the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists and media workers are crucial to helping the public make informed decisions, which can make the difference between life and death.
The World Press Freedom Day was started by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1993, on a recommendation from UNESCO.
The observation of World Press Freedom Day was marked on the jubilee of the Declaration of Windhoek. It holds a statement of fundamentals of press freedom assembled in 1991 by the African Journalists to encourage an independent African press.
