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May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day

03 May 2008 08:54 (UTC +04:00)

It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
A free press also provides voice to citizens, creates public forums to discuss key issues, and contributes to social-economic development.
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993, the day is celebrated each year on 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.
The Windhoek Declaration called to establish, maintain and foster an independent, pluralistic and free press. It emphasized the importance of a free press for developing and maintaining democracy in a nation, and for economic development.
Although World Press Freedom Day has only been celebrated since 1993, it has much deeper roots in the United Nations. Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that everyone â€œhas the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers".