May 3 is observed every year as the World Press Freedom Day all over the world. The day is commemorated to highlight press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
Theme of this year is Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
Last year Pakistan was ranked fourth most dangerous country in the world for journalists, with a total of 115 killings since 1990 in a report issued by International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Freedom of the Press Index 2016 rates Pakistan as “not free”, and the country is ranked 147th out of 195 countries and territories worldwide based on overall press freedom. According to the Report, journalists in Pakistan face immense hurdles as far as critical reporting is concerned, along with violence from both State and non-State actors.
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.
