Today marks the annual celebration of World Press Freedom Day as declared by United Nations General Assembly in December 1993. This day marks the importance of freedom of press while reminding the government and citizens of need to respect the media freedom of expression. This year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration held in Jakarta Indonesia is themed “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”.
To mark this day, there is a prize in honor of Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza who was assassinated in front his office. The prize, organized by UNESCO, is to award individuals who have greatly contributed to the freedom of press anywhere in the world, especially that which was achieved in the face of great peril.
The 3rd of May remains the day dedicated to celebrate the fundamental principles of the media freedom and also to assess their freedom around the world, not neglecting the journalists who laid down their lives in the process of exercising their profession.