World Press Freedom Day, which is observed annually around the world on May 3, is an important occasion to raise awareness of the importance of journalism freedom of expression.
This year’s theme, “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the environmental crisis”, is dedicated to emphasise the important role of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
President seeks safety, security of journalists
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, emphasised the need to initiate measures for the safety and security of journalists to enable them to freely report on important issues, without fear.
“The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the freedom of the press, however, it is also the responsibility of the media to abide by journalistic ethics and report responsibly and accurately, keeping in view the national interest,” the president said.
President Zardari also stressed the need to provide an enabling environment free of intimidation or harassment to journalists so that they could freely express their opinions.
“Today, we also recognise the commendable role played by the media in promoting democratic values in the world, as well as raising awareness about issues of social and economic significance, especially climate change and global warming,” he said.
“I am hopeful that the media would continue to contribute constructively in raising awareness about issues of global concern. I am sure that media advocacy of these issues would spur international action to save our planet from the threat of climate change.”
President Zardari maintained that World Press Freedom Day was commemorated every year on May 3 to affirm the commitment to cultivating an environment where “the media is independent and diverse and enjoys freedoms with responsibility as enshrined in our Constitution”.
He said the day “provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the state of press freedom in our country and make efforts to create a safe and conducive working environment for the journalists”.
“We believe that an independent press is essential for highlighting issues of global importance, dispelling fake news and myths, and serving as a watchdog for society. Media also has a crucial role in creating awareness about issues of global concern, including climate change, green technologies, pollution, and global warming,” he added.
The president said that this year’s theme underscored the importance of a free press in creating awareness and educating the people about climate change and its impacts on human life and the environment.
“We believe that the media can play its role in encouraging people to protect the environment by promoting forestation, adopting clean technologies, reducing carbon emissions, and protecting biodiversity to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on our ecosystem,” President Zardari remarked.
The theme, he said, also highlighted that a free and responsible press should act as a bulwark against misleading information about climate change.
The president also called upon the media to play its role in countering fake news and promoting moral and ethical values.
Govt to make all-out efforts to uplift media: PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured that the incumbent government would make all-out efforts to uplift the media industry and resolve the issues confronting it.
The prime minister, in his message on World Press Freedom Day annually, also reiterated the resolve for government’s maximum cooperation to protect the rights of media industry as well as the media workers.
Paying tribute to the journalists, media workers, writers and cameramen, the premier said the male and female journalists who sacrificed their lives during coverage in Gaza were the heroes of humanity.
PM Shehbaz said that fighting oppression and digging out the truth was the message of World Press Freedom Day as well as the lesson from history.
He said the freedom of the press and expression were the foundations of democracy and protection of civil rights as well as the voice of truth in society.
The PM also urged the collective role of media and other stakeholders to create a conducive atmosphere to ensure smooth media functioning. He said the government firmly believed that freedom of media and expression provided guarantee for democratic durability.
PM Shehbaz said that during his precious 16-month government, Pakistan had improved by seven points in the World Press Freedom Index. He recalled that at that time, the government had taken steps including legislation for media protection, health insurance, and payment of billions of rupees to media and insurance amount worth millions of rupees to media workers through the NIRC.
