ISLAMABAD: The World Press Freedom Day is being observed across the globe on Tuesday with the theme "21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers".
Every year, May 3rd is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles to evaluate the freedom of the press around the world, to protect the media from infringement on its independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
May 3 was proclaimed World Press Freedom Day at the UN General Assembly in 1993, following a recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991.
It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of the freedom of the press - a reminder that publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered in dozens of countries around the world.
It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of and to assess the state of the freedom of the press worldwide.
It serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to the freedom of the press and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about professional ethics.
Just as importantly, the World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for the media, which is a target for restraint or abolition of press freedom.
It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
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