Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi, May 3: Media is hailed as the fourth pillar of democracy. It has a critical role in keeping democracy alive and well. It acts as a link between the government and the people that allows citizens to learn about government actions, policies, and inefficiencies. The media, as a fourth pillar, plays a critical role in realising the true meaning of democracy.
In order to maintain this pillar, journalists have often put their lives and reputations on the line to expose the truth behind an incident, event, or scandal.
So every year on May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day is commemorated to honour their efforts. The commemorative day honours the spirit of journalism and the commitment of journalists. It is noteworthy because the United Nations views it as an occasion to honour the fundamental values of press freedom, examine the state of press freedom around the world, defend attacks on media independence, and pay respect to journalists who have died in the line of duty.
This year the theme is ‘Journalism under digital siege’. This year’s theme not only emphasises the threats to journalism, but also the implications for public trust in digital communications. It primarily focuses on the threats that surveillance and digitally-mediated attacks pose to journalists. The origins of WorldPressDay may be traced back to 1991, when an African journalist attending a UNESCO meeting in Windhoek on ‘Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Media’ mentioned an idea to promote press freedom in various parts of the world.
On May 3, 1993, UNESCO endorsed the Windhoek Declaration, which aimed to ‘promote a free, independent, and pluralistic press.’ The day also emphasises the importance of press freedom in countries where it is severely restricted, such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea, Djibouti, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and Cuba. The theme for last year’s conference was ‘Information as a Public Good,’ which focused on the necessity of valuing information as a public good and explored strategies to strengthen democracy’s fourth pillar.
