World Press Freedom Day 2024
Table of Contents
World Press Freedom Day 2024
Today is World Press Freedom Day.
According to UNESCO:
World Press Freedom Day is taking place on a global scale. Local, national and regional celebrations are organized by government and civil society organizations, including media, journalists’ associations, universities, among others. If you are planning to organize an event in your country, please fill out the form below so it can be featured in UNESCO’s list of commemorations around the world.
The Current Global Environmental Crisis
According to the United Nations:
In 2024, World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
Awareness of all aspects of the global environmental crisis and its consequences is essential to build democratic societies. Journalistic work is indispensable for this purpose.
Journalists encounter significant challenges in seeking and disseminating information on contemporary issues, such as supply-chains problems, climate migration, extractive industries, illegal mining, pollution, poaching, animal trafficking, deforestation, or climate change. Ensuring the visibility of these issues is crucial for promoting peace and democratic values worldwide.
In the context of the world’s triple planetary crisis —climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution— dis-/misinformation campaigns challenge knowledge and scientific research methods. Attacks on the validity of science pose a serious threat to pluralistic and informed public debate. Indeed, misleading and false information about climate change can, in some cases, undermine international efforts to address them.
Dis-/misinformation about environmental issues can lead to a lack of public and political support for climate action, effective policies, and the protection of vulnerable communities affected by climate change, as well as of women and girls, as climate change tends to exacerbate existing inequalities.
To achieve sustainable development, it is necessary for journalists to report accurately, timely, and comprehensively on environmental issues and their consequences, as well as on possible solutions.
This requires a comprehensive strategy that includes:
- Preventing and protecting against crimes committed against journalists.
- Ensuring the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of scientific research, and access to key sources of information, in addition to combating dis-/misinformation through journalism.
- Promoting the plurality, diversity, and viability of media, especially regional, local, indigenous, and/or community-based media.
- Ensuring that the governance of digital platforms foster the transparency of technology companies, their accountability, due diligence, user empowerment, and content moderation and curation based on international human rights’ standards, as indicated in UNESCO’s Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms.
- Promoting Media and Information Literacy programs to empower users with skills to engage and think critically in the digital environment.
Further Reading
Please read my other posts on RESISTANCE and politics:
Berlin 1936: Fascism, Fear, and Triumph Set Against Hitler’s Olympic Games (2016) | Book Review
State of the Blog Address 2024
Heronfield by Dorothy Balchin | Book Review
Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas | Book Review
How the Good Guys Finally Won: Notes From An Impeachment Summer by Jimmy Breslin | Book Review
All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein | Book Review
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich | Book Review
and check out my posts on my other blog, New Jersey Memories!
The Historic and Lovely Town of Belvidere, New Jersey
Littell-Lord Farmstead | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen and the Spooky Graveyard 2023 | Belvidere, New Jersey
The Historic Cooper Gristmill | Chester Township, New Jersey
Grovers Mill And The War of the Worlds | West Windsor, New Jersey
March For Our Lives in Morristown!
Thank you for reading The Literary Lioness!
State of the Blog Address 2024
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