UN Holidays - World Press Freedom Day

In 1993, the UN's main deliberative forum declared May 3 International Press Freedom Day This conclusion was a consequence of the activities of the UNESCO General Congress, which declared that an independent and free press is an essential component of every democratic state This holiday is celebrated every year and serves as a reminder to world society that freedom of the press and expression are key rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Society has a responsibility to ensure that these rights are protected because they are the foundation of a democratic state and have a significant impact on the lives of citizens around the world In addition, the holiday allows the world community to recognize the services of media representatives who died in the line of duty Each year the date is dedicated to a specific topic In anticipation of an event, the Committee to Protect Journalists carefully analyzes the attitude of the government and the press and sends a written message to government leaders detailing the main concerns of reporters that need to be addressed The global association Reporters Without Borders, based on this analysis of situations occurring in more than 100 countries, regularly compiles a list of “enemies of the independent press” A traditional event of the holiday is the presentation of the UNESCO Guillermo Cano International Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of free press It is awarded to an individual or an organization for their contribution to or assistance in the defense of freedom of speech and the press, especially if the work involves some risk or punitive measures used by government authorities The prize was established in honor of a Colombian journalist who was murdered in 1986 Cano was born in Medellin in 1925, the son of Fidel Cano Gutiérrez, founder of the popular daily product El Espectador In 1952, Guillermo was hired by his father's newspaper as an editor In addition, he worked as a journalist, covering a wide variety of topics, including bullfighting, sporting events, culture and politics In the winter of 1986, he was shot dead while leaving the editorial department in Bogotá by two hitmen associated with a local criminal group specializing in illegal drug sales The official version of the murder was revenge for a campaign launched by a journalist in the press to expose the influence of drug dealers on public policy Several years later, those involved in this crime were caught and sentenced to long prison terms In addition, on this day, various public organizations and associations of journalists organize large-scale events, the main goal of which is to attract the interest of officials and ordinary people to the problems of press freedom in the media