Celebrating World Press Freedom Day

The World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of the UNESCO’s General Conference. Since then, May 3, is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the […]

The World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of the UNESCO’s General Conference.
Since then, May 3, is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
I salute journalists across the country and indeed the world for constantly taking the risk to ensure that people are informed on happenings around them.  Most importantly, I pay tribute to all journalists who have died in the line of duty.
I also use this opportunity to urge journalists to go on with their job and not allow any act of intimidation or harassment to deter them. While urging the trained journalists to go about their duties diligently, it is important to caution the self acclaimed journalists, who spread stories without any form of clarification. They must understand the danger of spreading falsehood and desist from it.  Journalism is a noble profession and it should be treated as such.

 Abdulwahab Bawa wrote from Bauchi