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Mexican Journalists Protest Violence. Source: Knight Foundation Flickr
By declaration of the United Nations, World Press Freedom is celebrated each May 3rd with the goal of developing initiatives that support freedom of expression, raise awareness as to the importance of news media, remembering those unfortunate journalists who were victims of censorship, oppression and violence.
UNESCO San Jose will celebrate World Press Freedom Day proactively. In association with strategic partners, UNESCO will hold workshops, conferences and seminars for journalists in Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. The main goal is to get an objective view at the state of affairs concerning freedom of expression and of the press in the region. Another goal is to serve as a platform for discussion of important issues such as public access to information, the strengthening of democracy, and the challenges that journalists face in the digital era.
Javier Dario Restrepo from the New Journalism Foundation will be one of the experts who will speak about ethics in journalism, the right to free expression and the importance of taking an objective stance in all news media outlets.
With this type of activities, the UNESCO seeks to advance justice, fairness, human rights, and the fundamental freedoms that the UN recognizes and supports unconditionally.
Attacks on the Press
The working conditions for journalists in Costa Rica are superb when compared to many other volatile regions of the world. The Digital Age has made it easier for the enemies of free press to launch attacks, filter content, intimidate news media producers, and instigate corruption. Unfortunately, those aren’t the only dangers faced by journalists.
One of the difficult issues that journalists face these days is safety. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 14 members of the news media have been killed while covering world events this year. Six of those journalists perished in Syria and three in Somalia. One was killed in Brazil.
The journalist death toll in 2011 was 47. There are 147 news media workers currently imprisoned around the world, most in China and Iran. Eleven journalists have been reported missing in Mexico in recent years.
The international celebration of World Press Freedom Day will take place in Tunisia on May 3rd, 2012.
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