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UN SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
A1plus
| 12:58:43 | 03-05-2005 | Politics |
Journalists work on the front-lines of history, unravelling the
tangle of events, giving them shape and giving us a narrative sense
of our lives. Their tools are words and images; their credo is free
expression; and their efforts empower all of us, individuals and
societies alike.
Yet for doing this indispensable work, many journalists are persecuted,
attacked, imprisoned and murdered. According to the Committee to
Protect Journalists, 56 journalists were killed in the line of duty
in 2004. Another 19 remain missing and are feared to be dead, and
some 124 were imprisoned.
On World Press Freedom Day, therefore, we pay tribute to those who have
fallen victim to the perils of their calling. We salute the courage
and dedication of journalists struggling against risk and outright
brutality to exercise their right to seek and tell the truth. And
we remind Governments especially that the right to "seek, receive
and impart information and ideas through any media" is enshrined in
article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Censorship,
the suppression of information, intimidation and interference are a
denial of democracy, an obstacle to development, and a threat to the
security of all.
World Press Freedom Day is also a day to reflect upon the role of
the media in general. In conjunction with this year's observance,
the United Nations Department of Public Information is convening the
third seminar in its "Unlearning Intolerance" series (following
earlier sessions on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), which will focus
on "hate media". In Rwanda, Cote d'Ivoire and other places, the
world has seen fanatical groups fill radio airwaves and television
screens with incendiary messages designed to incite. The seminar
will examine how the media can protect against fanning the flames of
racism and xenophobia, and instead promote tolerance and understanding.
My recent report, "In Larger Freedom", sets out wide-ranging
proposals for reforming and revitalizing the multilateral system
and the United Nations itself, and calls for bold decisions by world
leaders at the Summit they will hold in New York in September. Press
freedom will continue to play a central role in enlarging freedom
for all. On this World Press Freedom Day, let us today reaffirm
our commitment to this essential human right, and to pursue -- and
collectively fulfil -- its realization.
A1plus
| 12:58:43 | 03-05-2005 | Politics |
Journalists work on the front-lines of history, unravelling the
tangle of events, giving them shape and giving us a narrative sense
of our lives. Their tools are words and images; their credo is free
expression; and their efforts empower all of us, individuals and
societies alike.
Yet for doing this indispensable work, many journalists are persecuted,
attacked, imprisoned and murdered. According to the Committee to
Protect Journalists, 56 journalists were killed in the line of duty
in 2004. Another 19 remain missing and are feared to be dead, and
some 124 were imprisoned.
On World Press Freedom Day, therefore, we pay tribute to those who have
fallen victim to the perils of their calling. We salute the courage
and dedication of journalists struggling against risk and outright
brutality to exercise their right to seek and tell the truth. And
we remind Governments especially that the right to "seek, receive
and impart information and ideas through any media" is enshrined in
article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Censorship,
the suppression of information, intimidation and interference are a
denial of democracy, an obstacle to development, and a threat to the
security of all.
World Press Freedom Day is also a day to reflect upon the role of
the media in general. In conjunction with this year's observance,
the United Nations Department of Public Information is convening the
third seminar in its "Unlearning Intolerance" series (following
earlier sessions on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), which will focus
on "hate media". In Rwanda, Cote d'Ivoire and other places, the
world has seen fanatical groups fill radio airwaves and television
screens with incendiary messages designed to incite. The seminar
will examine how the media can protect against fanning the flames of
racism and xenophobia, and instead promote tolerance and understanding.
My recent report, "In Larger Freedom", sets out wide-ranging
proposals for reforming and revitalizing the multilateral system
and the United Nations itself, and calls for bold decisions by world
leaders at the Summit they will hold in New York in September. Press
freedom will continue to play a central role in enlarging freedom
for all. On this World Press Freedom Day, let us today reaffirm
our commitment to this essential human right, and to pursue -- and
collectively fulfil -- its realization.