World Press Freedom Day: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation

On 3 May 2019, UNESCO and the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) celebrate the 26th edition of World Press Freedom Day at UNHQ in New York with a high-level event gathering UN Officials, Civil Society Organizations, Experts and Academia. Almost 100 events worldwide are expected to mark this important Day1.
The commemoration theme concerns the current challenges faced by the media in times of elections and the growing prevalence of disinformation, along with the media’s potential to support democracy, peace and reconciliation.
The 2019 theme is closely interlinked with the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which seeks to promote “an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law”. In this respect, Aspiration 3 of Agenda 2063 aims to ensure that freedom of expression prevails. Similarly, SDG 16 recognizes the importance of public access to information and fundamental freedoms, which includes freedom of expression.
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Celebrating World Press Freedom Day, the President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, today (3 May) said, “at a time when nationalism, populism, and extremism are on the rise, when hate speech, rumors, and lies can spread like wildfire, we need journalism, high quality journalism, independent and diverse media, more than ever.”
Espinosa said “it is journalists who shine a spotlight on abuse and corruption. It is journalists who tell the stories that need to be told. It is journalists who can give voice to those whom nobody listens. It is journalists who hold up a mirror to society.”
The GA President said, “this day should be a celebration of journalists, editors, photographers, filmmakers, publisher, policy makers of all those who contribute to create the conditions for a free, pluralistic and independent media. But it’s also become a sobering occasion as the media space shrinks across the world, as restrictive laws and policies are enacted. It has become a chilling occasion as media workers and their families are subjected to threats and reprisals.”
Valeria Robecco, an Italian journalist and President of the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA), read the names of the 99 journalists who were killed during the past year.
She said, “journalists are threatened, and a growing number of colleagues are killed. At the same time, we are threatened by the diffusion of fake news, which has not only diminished public trust, but also becomes a lever for autocratic regimes to attack and persecute us.”
Robecco said, “authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on media organizations, leading to an increase in hatred and fear haunting media workers. Furthermore, journalists in democratic and free nations are also under threat. Essentially, the climate journalists work in has deteriorated worldwide and journalism can be an extremely dangerous profession.”
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The main event will take place in Addis Ababa, on 1 – 3 May at the African Union Headquarters. This year's theme “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation” discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.
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