World Press Freedom Day

Across Latin America, journalists and communicators strengthen democracy and foster peace, with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). One such initiative is Ama Llulla in Peru – meaning “you shall not lie” in Quechua – which was launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and a tense electoral period. Promoted by UNDP and coordinated by the media outlet Ojo Público, the project brings together more than 20 local and digital media organizations. Using technological tools and artificial intelligence (AI), the network verifies information and translates it into Indigenous languages, including Quechua Collao, Quechua Chanka and Asháninka.  Read more about the initiative! 

A new UNESCO report highlights a sustained global decline in freedom of expression, alongside rising pressure on journalists and media institutions. The agency’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression report, covering the period from January 2022 to November 2025, points to a 10 per cent drop in the global freedom of expression index since 2012. Source: UNESCO It notes that self-censorship has risen by 63 per cent worldwide, while control over newspapers, television, radio and digital platforms has increased by 48 per cent. Academic and artistic freedom are also in decline.  Read the report here .

Media freedom is not a given and its absence frequently leaves communities and vulnerable individuals in danger. To mark World Press Freedom Day , we’ll be hearing from UN agencies, along with war correspondents and reporters who face major obstacles trying to do their job. The aim is to get a better understanding about what press freedom means in practice and why it is worth defending.

  Across the world, especially in conflict zones, journalists are facing unpredictable dangers. They are often, wrongly, seen as legitimate targets. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward tells UN News that “ we have entered a very dangerous new era where journalists have become fair game ”.  

  Reports of online violence against women journalists have doubled since 2020, with serious impacts on their health and well-being, according to a study published by UN Women and partners. The report highlights how online violence targeting women in public life is increasingly becoming more technologically sophisticated, invasive and damaging in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. Read the full story here .

Over the last two years; there have been at least 300 internet shutdowns in more than 54 countries, severely restricting people’s access to information , according to UNESCO .The shutdowns can take different forms, such as a complete block on Internet or the blocking of access to social media platforms . The first major shutdown happened in Egypt in 2011, during the Tahrir Square protests. Hundreds of arrests and killings followed. Iran has been under an internet shutdown for 66 days, cutting access for 90 million people and threatening access to information. 2024 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns since 2016.