Journalism under siege, World Press Freedom Day 2022

3 May is World Press Freedom Day. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. 

On World Press Freedom Day there is an emphasis on the 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.

The theme of 2022 World Press Freedom Day, “Journalism under Digital Siege”, underlines the many new digital threats journalists are faced with, and demands responses from all concerned stakeholders.

This year's commemoration is an opportunity to put into action the commitments made by all UNESCO member states as regard to the principles of the Windhoek +30 Declaration. The Windhoek +30 Declaration continues to be relevant regarding its recognition that press freedom, independence, and pluralism are prerequisites to guarantee information as a public good that serves as a shared resource for the whole of humanity.

This year we walk the walk on implementing the Windhoek+30 Declaration with practical steps to do our part to help secure information as a public good as an urgent need today, and as a legacy for those who come after us.

"We all must do more to address the risks and seize the opportunities of the digital age. On this World Press Freedom Day, I invite Member States, technology companies, the media community, as well as the rest of civil society to come together to develop a new digital configuration – one that protects both journalism and journalists."

— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day

About World Press Freedom Day: 

Every year, 3 May is a date that celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluates press freedom around the world, defends the media from attacks on their independence, and pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration.

At the core of UNESCO's mandate is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow for mutual understanding to build sustainable peace.

It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom - a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended, and closed down, while journalists, editors, and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.