Still Time To Commemorate World Press Freedom Day

Still Time To Commemorate World Press Freedom Day

Paris, 30 April 2009

Thousands of newspapers world-wide will commemorate World Press Freedom Day on Sunday, 3 May, by publishing editorial and advertising materials on press freedom themes from the World Association of Newspapers. There is still time to join them.

WAN has made available essays, opinion pieces, interviews, infographics, editorial cartoons, photographs, advertisements and more for publication on or around 3 May, and has just added protest letters that readers can send to governments that jail journalists or where attacks on journalists are widespread. The materials are available, free of charge, at http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org.

The package, which focuses on the theme, `Journalists in the Firing Line’, is available in English, French, Spanish, and Russian.

The new protest letters can be signed and sent to the leaders of Afghanistan, Iran, Cuba, Eritrea, and Mexico, calling for the release of jailed journalists or, in the case of Mexico, to call for an end to impunity for those who murder journalists. They can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/3may/2009/sendprotest.php?id=941.

World Press Freedom Day marks the anniversary of the 1991 Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of principles calling for a free, independent and pluralistic media throughout the world. The Declaration affirms that a free press is essential to the existence of democracy and a fundamental human goal.

It has become a day to raise awareness of press freedom problems worldwide, and to recognise the sacrifices that independent media and journalists make to keep their societies informed.

WAN is encouraging newspapers everywhere to publish as much of the materials as possible. Download the WAN materials from http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 122 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.

ENDS

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