World Press Freedom Day

(Patria) - Today marks World Press Freedom Day. The aim of marking May 3 is to raise awareness about the importance of media freedoms and their fundamental principles.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed May 3 as World Press Freedom Day in 1993, and it is celebrated on the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement on the principles of free media compiled by a group of African journalists in 1991 in Windhoek, Namibia, with a unique vision – to protect the fundamental rights of a free press.

This declaration implies independence from political, economic and governing structures.

In the last ten years, more than 700 journalists have been killed worldwide. According to a report by Reporters Without Borders, journalists covering armed conflicts in the world are at the greatest risk, but many have also been killed outside of armed conflicts.