World Press Freedom Day
“Journalism without Fear or Favour”, UNESCO 2020
World Press Freedom Day will not be like any other year, as all media in the world are overshadowed by new systems and restrictions, imposed on them distancing and to work from different locations, to protect themselves from a new danger, the COVI-19 pandemic, to the list of risks faced by the journalist and media professionals. The pandemic forced the host nation, the Netherlands, to postpone the “World Press Freedom Day 2020” program, including a global conference, which was scheduled to be held from April 22 to 24 in the Hague. A joint celebration of the World Press Freedom Day and the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was also planned with more than 1,000 registered participants and 60 confirmed sessions, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce costs and risks all involved, it was decided to postpone the conference[i] to a new schedule, from 18 to 20 October, at the same location.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed[ii] World Press Freedom Day in 1993, following the recommendation by the UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991, in the Windhoek Namibia Declaration[iii] “on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press” in the face of years of violence by governments and authorities on the continent. The United Nations and UNESCO have chosen “Journalism without Fear or Favour” to be the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration. The UNESCO is launching a global campaign on media and social media channels, in an increasingly complex media landscape, with on the most important issues related to the safety of journalists and media professionals, Independent and Professional Journalism free from Political and Commercial Influence, and gender equality in all aspect of the Media.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), too, is not optimistic this year about the conditions of press freedom, describing the future of journalism in the title of its 2020 edition of the World Press Freedom[iv], “Entering a decisive decade for journalism, exacerbated by coronavirus“. In the Arab World, the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting and amplifying the many crises that threaten the right to freely reported, independent, diverse and reliable information[v].
RSF’s report described the situation of the media and journalism in Libya as becoming a party to the armed conflict, and that the Libyan media is paying a heavy price due to the political and security instability that Libya has been experiencing for years[vi]. In this context, journalists and media outlets “are now embroiled in an unprecedented crisis, with several media outlets being press-ganged into serving the various warring factions. As well as turning the media into propaganda outlets, the conflict’s political and military actors have become news censors”.
On this day, Human Rights Solidarity stresses the importance of reminding the Libyan media, public and private, of the dangers of incitement of violence as Libya is embroiled on a multi front conflict. Many are participating in incitement, as if for them there are no longer standards for the profession, nor authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable. Human Rights Solidarity recommends that there should be a charter of honor and a Codes of conduct to regulate the work of the nascent media in Libya.
Libya today, more than ever, is in dire need of media professionals and journalists who maintain their independence and side only with the homeland, a siding that cannot under any circumstances justify hate speech, contempt, or incitement to violence.
[i] UNESCO: “Global conference on press freedom postponed due to COVID-19”, March 12, 2020.
[ii] United Nations: “World Press Freedom Day, 3 May”. The date May 3rd was chosen, which is the date of the Windhoek Declaration.
[iii] UNESCO: “Declaration of Windhoek on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press”. The Declaration came at the end of the international conference at Windhoek, Namibia, from 29 April to 3 May 1991, UN and UNESCO participated in the conference.
[iv] Reports Without Borders: “2020 World Press Freedom Index”.
[v] The New Arab: “Arab media: whoever is not infected with the virus … is taken care of by the regulations”, April 16, 2020.
[vi] Reports Without Borders: “Press-ganged into serving belligerents”.
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