World Press Freedom Day 2003
UN Calls for Complete Utilization of Press Freedom
By Darrell Dela Rosa for the Chronicle
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| On 2 May, the United Nations General Assembly marked World Press Freedom Day—celebrated annually on 3 May—under the theme "The Media and Armed Conflict". It is intended to praise the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, defend the media from attacks against their independence, and honor the journalists who lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. This year marked the tenth anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. The event was organized by the UN Department of Public Information and took place in the context of the meetings of the Committee on Information, a standing body of the General Assembly responsible for issues relating to communications. This year's event was opened with a moment of silence for the journalists who had died during the Iraq conflict, followed by remarks from UN Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, who said: "A free and independent press is the lifeblood of strong functioning societies and the lifeline to progressive self." She added a call for the end of impunity for those who kill journalists, implying that most who die while performing their press duties are not killed in war but are murdered by vested interests. Throughout the observance, there was a recurring theme of fully utilizing press freedom. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman of the Committee on Information, in affirming the freedom of all individuals to express their sentiments and opinions without fear or duress, said: "We are acutely aware of the incontrovertible axiom that no society can be truly free without a free press. It is only through a free press that we can hear the voice of the weak and the small." Tony Jenkins, President of the UN Correspondents Association, added: "Like all rights, if you do not use the freedom of the press to its full, it will wither." The opening remarks were followed by a screening of Media and War Coverage, presented by the Museum of Television and Radio, in which a select group of journalists were shown performing their work in the midst of armed conflict. The observance, mediated by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, concluded with a panel discussion featuring Joy DiBenedetto of CNN, Bernard Estrade of Agence France Presse, Abderrahim Foukara of Al-Jazeera, Khalid Hasan of Daily Times and Mr. Jenkins. Mr. Tharoor observed that today press freedom is recognized as an inalienable right in more countries than ever before. Main topics discussed included the press' level of accessibility during war, as well as the role of State governments in the administration of media corporations. In referring to the importance of media access in the Iraq conflict, Ms. DiBenedetto said: "The world was not getting a full view of what happened in Iraq because there are still places where the media cannot go. This is a case about access." She also said that the journalistic community's duty to fight for more access is another open question — "I think that that is our responsibility." |
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