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Good News Pilipinas
United Nations spotlights Philippines on World Press Freedom Day
Rappler’s Maria Ressa has named the World Press Freedom Prize laureate for 2021. Screengrabs from UNESCO event via Rappler.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has put the spotlight on the Philippines on World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2021.
The 2021 Global Conference hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Namibia, carrying the theme of “Information as a Public Good”, marked the eve of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 by awarding the UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Filipino investigative journalist Maria Ressa who spoke about the state of democracy and journalism in the Philippines.
“Information is a public good. […] and as a public good, it needs public support.” ~ Joseph E. Stiglitz
Today marks 30 years since the signing of
the landmark Declaration of Windhoek on
Promoting an Independent and
Pluralistic African Press in Namibia. The theme for 2021 is ‘Information as a
Public Good’. As the United Nations points out, the Declaration was originally
signed with the aim of making the free flow of information a public good.
Thirty years on and we “now have incredible
opportunities to express ourselves, stay informed and connect with others. But
we are also facing
a rise in
misinformation and hate
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Roy Gutterman
Roy Gutterman, associate professor of newspaper and online journalism and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech in the Newhouse School, wrote an op-ed for Syracuse.com: “Assaults on press freedom, here and abroad, endanger democracy.” Gutterman is an expert on communications law and the First Amendment.
Gutterman writes that in 1991, a group of international journalists and press freedom activists joined together to write the Declaration of Windhoek on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, which outlined principles of press freedom for media, governments and citizens across the globe. Gutterman says that the declaration came at a time where emerging democracies were in need of free press ideals, as America was setting the standard. The document is celebrated each year on UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day, May 3.
Assaults on press freedom, here and abroad, endanger democracy (Guest Opinion by Roy Gutterman)
Updated Apr 30, 2021;
Posted Apr 30, 2021
Supporters of President Donald Trump break TV equipment outside the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. AP
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Roy S. Gutterman is an associate professor and director of the at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
In 1991, a group of international journalists and press freedom advocates convened in Windhoek, Namibia, to forge a declaration for press freedom for media, governments and citizens around the world.
The Declaration of Windhoek on Promoting and Independent and Pluralistic African Press incorporated the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19, which calls for press freedom around the world. The Windhoek Declaration has been annually memorialized through UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day, recognized on May 3.