World Press Freedom Day

  *All times are in Eastern Time (ET). AM LIVE SESSION: 30th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day Global Conference PM LIVE SESSION: 30th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day Global Conference. ABOUT THE DAY:  Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. The 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.

The World Press Freedom Index is an annual assessment from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) about the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories. On Wednesday, May 3 at 9:00 a.m. ET, join Washington Post Live for an early look at this year’s findings, conversations with top journalists and an exclusive interview with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the state of global press freedom. Speakers: - Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State - Jason Rezaian, Global Opinions Writer, The Washington Post - Yeganeh Rezaian, Senior Researcher, The Committee to Protect Journalists - Paul Beckett, Washington Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal - Clayton Weimers, Executive Director, U.S. Bureau, Reporters Without Borders - Adefemi Akinsanya, International Correspondent & Anchor, Arise News - Hanna Liubakova, Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council - Danny Fenster, Editor-at-Large, Frontier Myanmar. Launch of The 2023 World Press Freedom Index. Location: Washington D.C. | Watch Live...

  Organized by: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), Permanent Delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations |  Location: Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations. 10:00-11:30. Journalism on the Move: displaced media workers on the frontline of human rights’ defense

As part of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2023 , an academic conference will take place at Columbia University in New York on 1 May 2023 as a hybrid event. The academic conference focuses on freedom of expression as a driver for other human rights, linking to UNESCO’s overall theme for World Press Freedom Day 2023. Academia has played an important role in World Press Freedom Day by hosting an academic conference that provides a forum to hear from scholars who research constraints on media freedom in all their complexity. As this is the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, the first part of this year’s academic conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate academia’s contributions to better understanding the challenges of journalism safety and media freedom , as well as looking ahead at how it can contribute to these pressing issues in a future where freedom of expression is being threatened around the world. This interactive workshop will provide an opp...

  The Tow Center for Digital Journalism and Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) will share key findings from their recently launched research titled Weaponizing the Law: Attacks on Media Freedom. The research is a first-of-its-kind report that draws on the insights of media law experts and journalists from around the world to provide a global overview of these sweeping threats to a free press. The presentation of the report by Joel Simon, Founding Director of the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, will be followed by a high-level discussion with leading media defence experts, researchers and media freedom experts to be moderated by Antonio Zappulla, CEO of TRF, that will focus on identifying future research and data collection needed to map in more detail the scale, nature and geographic reach of these threats and how they impact journalists and the media ecosystem. This ongoing exploration of global trends will be critical to enab...

  Within the framework of the Global Conference on World Press Freedom Day 2023 , the UNESCO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Global Freedom of Expression Program of Columbia University and the Society of Correspondents in Latin America and the Caribbean (SOCOLAC) co-organize this event to address, among other key issues, the Model Law on the Safety of Journalists, the safety of women journalists and the presentation of a " Model Protocol for the Intervention and Interaction of Security Forces with Journalists, Communicators and Media ”. Shaping a Future of Rights: Latest Initiatives for the Protection of Journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean . 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM. Location: MLK Conference Room 527, Riverside Church, Columbia University . Sponsored by: Columbia GFoE, UNESCO Regional Office in Montevideo, SOCOLAC (Society of Correspondents in Latin America and the Caribbean) Speakers: Rosa M. González, UNESCO; Nathalie Castillo, Chile Chamber of Deput...

  Protecting Freedom of Expression through Comparative Global Case Law: Databases to Advance Rights . Location: Satow Room, Lerner Hall, Columbia University. Sponsored by: Columbia GFoE and UNESCO. Speakers: Catalina Botero, Columbia GFoE; Hawley Johnson, Columbia GFoE; Juan Manuel Ospina, Columbia GFoE; Daniel Ospina Celis, Dejusticia; Nelly Chepngetich Rotich, Strathmore University, Natalie Alkiviadou, Future of Free Speech; Alberto Godioli, University of Groningen; Laura Little, Temple University Law School; Raisa Carrillo, Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa; Stephen Townley, Trial Watch, Clooney Foundation for Justice. 9:00 - 10:20 AM. Panel Discussion V - Protecting Freedom of Expression through Comparative Global Case Law, Databases to Advance Rights

  On World Press Freedom Day 2023 , join the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom and special guests for the launch of the Report on International Standards related to Blasphemy Laws and Media Freedom. The event is organized together with Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression and co-sponsored by PEN America. The report is authored by Karuna Nundy, member of the High Level Panel, and is the result of close collaboration with leading academic institutions from around the world. It examines national laws r egulating speech that is characterized as ‘blasphemous’ and assesses the compatibility of those laws with media freedom. Reflecting on the right of journalists to operate free from control, censorship and harassment , this Panel will discuss the findings and recommendations of the Report. - 10:45 - 11:55 Panel Discussion VI - Media Freedom in the Face of Blasphemy Laws

On World Press Freedom Day 2023 , join Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, Meta Oversight Board and PEN America for a discussion on Content Moderation, Free Speech and the Eternal Search for Truth. There is little doubt that the internet and social platforms have changed the way we communicate, seek truth and hold others to account around the world. Mis- and disinformation make headlines and have become a sticking point in the debate of whether this change is good or bad. The debate seems hottest in the journalistic sphere. On the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, this session will explore different approaches to the underlying values of journalistic ethics and integrity on platforms .  How do new regulatory models, like the Oversight Board, approach this through content moderation?  How are different forms of media evolving and adapting?  Are the fundamental rights and values of freedom of expression and a free press still the same? Content Moderation,...

  Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of a democratic system. This event seeks to highlight and share some of the main challenges being debated in the region today in order to achieve the full exercise of this right, both in the traditional media system and on the Internet . The panel will have the participation of national leaders, experts and representatives of Latin American civil society with the aim of exchanging experiences and reflections on the subject, as well as recommendations and proposals for the full exercise of the right to freedom of expression in America. Latina.  The presentations will include the presentation of unpublished research and reports on topics related to: the right of access to information by communities and indigenous peoples;  the challenges of public defenders and other institutions that defend rights in the digital environment; the direct link between freedom of expression and a plural and diverse media system; the viability of i...

  On World Press Freedom Day 2023 , UNESCO will organize a special  anniversary event  at UN headquarters in New York, marking the 30 years since the UN General Assembly’s decision proclaiming an international day for press freedom . On this occasion, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media will organise the following side events during the anniversary edition of World Press Freedom Day at the UN Headquarters and the Vance Center at New York Bar Association. Side event 1:  Freedom of Expression and Gender Justice . Joint side event with UN Women, UNFPA and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). 1st May 2023, 16:30 - 18.00 EDT UNFPA (605 Third Avenue New York) At this event, the four international freedom of expression mandate holders from the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the African Commission of Human Rights, and the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights will discuss the multi-stakeholder recom...

Organized by: UNESCO, the Global Network Initiative , the Action Coalition for Meaningful Transparency , the Global Forum for Media Development , Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN, and Dynamic Coalition on the Sustainability of Journalism and News Media in the digital Age .  Roundtable on access to data, safety of journalists and media viability. - 14:30 - 15:00. Stoy UNESCO and Japan collaborate to expand efforts for Ukrainian media and journalists . Read the OSCE full report on " Safety of Journalists in Conflicts situation. ". For more information, contact: ipdc.secretariat@unesco.org

The event will be a participatory fishbowl session on radical approaches to saving journalism - stirred and peppered by a diverse group of experts from around the world. We will bring together journalists, media freedom advocates, academics, and think tank experts who care about action and change. We will listen to ideas and insights on the future of journalism with a particular focus on transitional and fragile countries. We will look at systemic solutions to the business model crisis and discuss what strategies are working to help journalism survive and thrive . The discussion will be followed by a reception with drinks and light snacks. 15:30-17:30 Radical Approaches to Saving Journalism: A Global Perspective . Organized by: Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA), BBC Media Action, Center for Media Assistance (CIMA), Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Samir Kassir Foundation, and the Association of Foreign Pre...

  The WSJ. Magazine celebrates eight trailblazing talents at its annual Innovator Awards. Watch each honoree's inspiring story.* Organized by: Wall Street Journal . Location: This panel will be streamed on the wsj.com homepage.

Fault Lines investigates the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli military forces. Organized by: Columbia School of Journalism, Al Jazeera Faultlines, United Nations Department of Global Communications | Location: Headquarters of the United Nations,

  The Social Networks for Peace project in Colombia has made progress in mapping the social media landscape and regulatory framework in the country, which has led to important findings that are relevant to the national and regional debate on content moderation. Thus, this work table will have two objectives: Socialize the main findings of the research carried out within the framework of the UNESCO Social Networks for Peace project in Colombia in relation to the landscape of social networks and the regulatory framework that addresses the moderation of content that is illegal or that causes significant harm to democracy in accordance with international human rights law and applicable jurisprudence. Bring together key regional stakeholders to discuss the possibilities that the findings in Colombia can contribute and inform the regional debate on content moderation and freedom of expression , as well as that this dialogue can contribute to the local discussion in that country. Locati...

  In line with the upcoming World Press Freedom Day, the event organized by the UNESCO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression Program aims to address the challenges of freedom of expression . expression and its link with the enjoyment of the remaining rights, in a region where demands and challenges persist for the implementation of human rights standards. The event will focus on the following aspects: Strategy to adopt against speeches that silence or incite hatred against vulnerable groups that suffer structural discrimination in the region; Freedom of expression and social protest in Latin America for the protection and defense of the remaining rights; Progress of the Inter-American Human Rights System in terms of access to information for the search for truth, memory and justice for human rights violations; Milestones of inter-American jurisprudence regarding the link between freedom of expression and the ru...

For more than three decades, radio stations have been an integral part of several United Nations peace operations, with UN radio stations currently active in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, and South Sudan. These radio stations enable the UN to share reliable information with people in contexts where trustworthy information is often in short supply. Within the framework of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, local and community radio stations often play a critical role in ensuring access to conflict-sensitive humanitarian and other public interest content. 30 Years of Peacekeeping Radio , Organized by: Fondation Hirondelle, International Press Institute, UNESCO Location: 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 12th floor/Zoom

                             In this roundtable, moderated by Carlos Gaio, CEO of Media Defence, we will discuss the various and worrying legal threats journalists have faced over the past 15 years. Media Defence was created in 2008 to respond to a growing need: to provide legal support to journalists and independent media globally. We will discuss the type of threats and lawsuits that some of our panelists have faced over the years , how legal harassment and methods to silence journalists have evolved, what the threats look like now and what can be done to counter these, so that journalists can continue to report, freely. Press Freedoms in Decline: How Threats Against the Media Have Evolved Over the Past 15 Years . Organized by: Columbia GFoE, Media Defence | Location: MLK Conference Room 527, Columbia University. Directions:  MLK Conference Room 527, Riverside Church, Columbia University

Catalina Botero, Director of the UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Expression at the University of Los Andes and Consulting Director of Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, will present the book "Manual for the Defense of Freedom of Expression: Inter-American Standards for the Defense of Freedom of Expression ”, which systematizes the inter-American standards and the standards of the Colombian Constitutional Court on freedom of expression in criminal, civil and constitutional proceedings. Pedro Vaca, current Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Edison Lanza, former Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, will comment on the text. Book Presentation "Freedom of Expression Defense Manual: Inter-American Standards for the Defense of Freedom of Expression" . Organized by: Columbia GFoE, UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Expression at Universidad de Los Andes, Asome...

On World Press Freedom Day 2023 , UNESCO will organize a special anniversary event at United Nations headquarters in New York, marking the 30 years since the UN General Assembly’s decision proclaiming an international day for press freedom . This anniversary edition of World Press Freedom Day will include a full day of activities at the UN Headquarters on 2nd May. Partners from the media, academia, and civil society are invited to organize events in New York and around the world centered on this year’s theme: “ Shaping a Future of Rights – Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights. ” Columbia Global Freedom of Expression is organizing a series of side events, the day prior and the days after the United Nations Headquarter activities. Our program’s current agenda includes twelve side events, in collaboration with partner organizations, including UNESCO, Meta’s Oversight Board , the Thomson Reuters Foundation , the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute...

  When freedom of expression and media freedom are stifled, all of our freedoms are at risk. Freedom of expression, the free flow of information and press freedom are therefore preconditions for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030: without them, we cannot eliminate poverty and hunger, preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development, or build transparent institutions. They are indispensable in the fight for the rights of minorities and marginalized people, to combat all kinds of discrimination , to build diverse and inclusive civic spaces , and to uphold resilient democracies.

  In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as World Press Freedom Day . This proclamation marked the beginning of substantial progress towards enabling a free press and freedom of expression around the world – with the proliferation of independent media in many countries and the rise of digital technologies enabling the free flow of information online. Three decades have passed, with advancements in the respect for human rights and in related international frameworks. However, media freedom, safety of journalists and freedom of expression are increasingly under attack, which impacts the realization of other human rights. The international community faces multiple crises; conflicts and violence, persistent socio-economic inequalities driving migration, environmental crises and challenges to the health and wellbeing of people all around the world, while disinformation and misinformation online and offline proliferate with serious impact on the institutions...