Freedom of the press has evolved since the declaration by the United Nations General Assembly of May 3 as the celebration of the World Press freedom day.
The UN declaration aims at raising awareness of the importance of press freedom as well as remind governments of its duty to respect and uphold the rights to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations’ General Conference.
The world celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom for one, to evaluate press freedom around the world, and another, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and as well pay tribute to journalists whose lives have been lost in the line of the profession.
The theme for 2020 World press freedom day is ‘Journalism without Fear or Favour’, while the sub-themes for the year centers on: Safety of Women and Men Journalists and Media Workers; Independent and Professional Journalism free from Political and Commercial Influence; and Gender Equality in All Aspect of the Media.
The UNESCO website reveals that it is launching a global campaign on media and social media channels which is focused on “Journalism without Fear or Favour” in an increasingly complex media landscape in line with the day’s celebration.