World Press Freedom Day

On May 5, 2025 from 14:00-16:00; A parallel event entitled ''Addressing SLAPPs as an increasing threat to media freedom and public interest journalism in Europe." Organizers: Hosted by civil society Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) , OHCHR Regional Office for Europe and the Council of Europe . Venue: Press Club Brussels. Public event but registration required (link to be provided). It’s time to reclaim the shame. It’s time to strip away the facade of legal respectability and expose the aggressive bully tactics underneath. It’s time to show the faces of some of the worst legal bullies in Europe.  WELCOME TO THE GALLERY OF SHAME

  Tuesday, 6 th  May 2025; Arrival and networking (tea and coffee provided):  1330 – 1400; Presentation and Panel Discussion:  1400 – 1530. Location:  Egmont Palace, Brussels, Belgium. Journalists should be able to rely on the law to protect them against threats and attacks – but increasingly, laws are being used to suppress independent journalism, including laws that have little to do with freedom of expression. Building on the ongoing work of the Media Freedom Coalition, a partnership of governments that promotes media freedom alongside civil society organisations, a panel of legal experts, and UNESCO, this session will ask: how can governments and other actors promote accountability for crimes against journalists, and fair trials when journalists themselves are charged with crimes? The session will feature case studies of initiatives such as trial monitoring by embassy representatives, recent research into a proposed international task force to investigate c...

On May 5, 2025; From 10:00 – 12:00. A Coordination meeting for members of the Media Freedom Coalition’s Consultative Network (by invitation only) Organizer: Media Freedom Coalition Media freedom is an integral element of democracy, human rights, global security and prosperity.

2024 World Press Freedom Day events in Thailand address media freedom, environmental reporting, and journalism in the dawning era of artificial intelligence. On World Press Freedom Day , 3 May, UNESCO and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) will co-host a public seminar, ‘Media freedom in Thailand post-election amidst environmental crisis, and the path towards anti-SLAPP Law.’ The on-site and live-streamed event is co-organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the non-profit independent newspaper Prachatai. The non-governmental organization Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders) will launch its annual World Press Freedom Index , which will be followed by a panel discussion addressing the state of the information ecosystem and press freedom in Thailand since the May 2023 general elections. Discussion will include reviewing progress made, to date, towards legislation to address the problem of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (S...

  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

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...