Every year, 3 May is the World Press Freedom Day Celebration. According to the UNESCO, this day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and it is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is necessary to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good” serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind. What about the Caribbean region?

This morning, a live panel discussion was held under the theme « Information as a Public Good ». You can watch the video here: https://bit.ly/3nL64gv.

The information is important in our online media environment. That is why World Press Freedom Day 2021 highlights three key topics:

• Steps to ensure the economic viability of news media;
• Mechanisms for ensuring transparency of Internet companies; 
• Enhanced Media and Information Literacy (MIL) capacities that enable people to recognize and value, as well as defend and demand, journalism as a vital part of information as a public good.

St@y connected!

Salaura DIDON