World Press Freedom Day is observed annually on May 3rd to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom and to defend the media from attacks on their independence. The 31st edition of World Press Freedom Day in 2024 hosted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Santiago, Chile, will mark another significant milestone in advocating for freedom of the press amidst evolving challenges and threats faced by journalists worldwide. This year’s theme in particular however, focuses on the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
A Press for the Planet
The day will reflect on the essential role of journalism and reliable information in protecting our planet. According to the official UNESCO website, the topics that will be discussed include:
- The importance of reliable and accurate information, especially that which denounces and investigates the environmental crisis and its effects.
- Violence faced by journalists and communication workers when promoting sustainable development and environmental protection, encouraging a gender-responsive perspective that promotes non-sexist journalistic discourse. According to UNESCO’s research, “The Chilling: global trends in online violence against women journalists; research discussion paper, women in prominent and visible positions, such as journalists, tend to attract more virulent abuse. In a survey of 901 journalists, nearly three quarters (73%) said they had experienced online violence.
- Support for the media to strengthen their institutional capacities to report on climate change and environmental crises, paying special attention to the viability of the media.
- Dis- and misinformation about environmental issues and its impact on public and political support for climate action, effective policies, and the protection of vulnerable communities affected by climate change.
- Use the occasion to recall the Santiago Declaration, which stresses the importance of respecting media pluralism and cultural, linguistic, and gender diversity as a fundamental factor of our democratic societies and which should be reflected in all media.
The discussions will encompass the involvement of additional influential voices, including scientists and artists. Emphasising the imperative to address the significant influx of disinformation surrounding the ongoing global environmental crisis will be a focal point on the event agenda.
Find out more details in the concept note.
From challenges to triumphs, explore the diverse topics shaping journalism’s landscape by reading the these six free-to-view articles from our academic journals, Third World Quarterly (TWQ) and Central Asian Survey (CAS):
- Humanitarian interventions and the media: broadcasting against ethnic hate, Kerstin Tomiak, Third World Quarterly, 23 Nov 2017
- A political economy for social movements and revolution: popular media access, power and cultural hegemony, Lee Artz, Third World Quarterly, 08 Oct 2019
- New media and governance in conflict, Gianluca Iazzolino & Nicole Stremlau, Third World Quarterly, 26 Jul 2017
- State-run media outlets in Central Asia: external regime legitimation through regional conflict and cooperation framing, Mariya Pak, Filippo Menga, Daniel Feuer & Austen Dowell, Central Asian Survey, 14 Jul 2020
- The state of academic (un)freedom and scholar rescue programmes: a contemporary and critical overview, Kudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo, Third World Quarterly, 24 May 2022
- What role do social accountability actors play in resisting media capture in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Ghana, Joseph Yaw Asomah, Third World Quarterly, 31 May 2022
The articles will be available temporarily as free-to-view until the end of June 2024.
