World Press Freedom Day

The United Nations declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and to remind governments all over the world of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression

As the #CoVid19 pandemic spreads, it has also given rise to a second pandemic of misinformation and fake news - from harmful health advice to wild conspiracy theories. The professional press (new and classic media) must provide the antidote: verified, scientific, fact-based news and analysis.

People must learn how to select their sourced of information: citizens must choose carefully what they share and who they trust. 

In the days, each one of us should choose to trust scientific data, to trust and follow advice and recommendations from healthcare, economic, business or education experts (or from other type of trusted experts) over unfounded conspiracy theories and even over opinions or statements from “self-serving politicians” or “self-serving business owners” around the world. 

As Yuval Noah Harari (the author of ‘Sapiens’, ‘Homo Deus’ and ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century’) is saying in his Financial Times (free to read and must read) article: “the world after coronavirus” - in this time of crisis, we face two particularly important choices. The first is between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment. The second is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity. The citizens informed by the media (as a real power in the state and in today’s society) must make these (informed, assumed and important) decisions! 

The Media (New Media and Classic Media) is under pressure. Nowadays more then before. The economic pressure and crisis are evident and no business, no organization - no press organization or media outlet - can resist without proper funding. Since almost every team of journalists and media organization is owned by someone and/or financed by someone – the owner and/or the person or organization financing the journalists and their media outlet may and/or will have a personal interest or will eventually have or protect a group interest. 

>> How can we hope for objective and neutral information and how can we hope for good old powerful unbiased investigation journalism if every journalist or investigation journalist depends financially on someone and if the owner or financier can influence if and what is published?!

A solution to #UpgradeJournalism or at least to help and protect neutral and especially Investigation Journalism may be crowdfunding. The Wikipedia model: many people donating for a team, a project, an idea, a journalist, a person or a team they trust and they chose to support financially. 

>> If you have ONE BIG sponsor, you depend on that sponsor and you must do everything to please and satisfy the sponsor if you want to survive. 

>> If you have MANY SMALL sponsors and donors, you can be real independent, neutral and you can work for, fight for, build and publish any kind of investigation, regarding anybody. 

The crowdfunding model, or the small donations model, or the subscription fee model – are becoming very important for a free and powerful press and media.

We need to #UpgradeJournalism if we want a #FreePress and to #UpgradeDemocracy

And U can get involved and do your part! Starting from following and sharing correct, trusted and verified information, analysis and opinions and continuing with supporting and helping journalists and media outlets you trust and like and appreciate. 

YoU may SHARE this article and the special #UDemocracy #WorldPressDay visual!

And/or yoU can join the celebrations for #WorldPressFreedomDay that will take place around the world, some in the form of online debates and workshops.

UNESCO WORLD PRESS DAY events and campaign

UNESCO is launching a global campaign on media and social media channels, with a focus on "Journalism without Fear or Favour" in an increasingly complex media landscape. 

Join them on May 3rd for an interactive free livestreamed event to celebrate World Press Freedom Day 2020: " Difference Day Conference 2020." 

Also, on May 4th through the 6th, there will be several events including: High-level Dialogue on Press Freedom and Tackling Disinformation in the COVID-19 context, webinars, and online discussions via Facebook Live, YouTube, and Microsoft teams, amongst other digital platforms. 

Details are available on the UNESCO site.

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