Freedom to write and say what you want is not a given everywhere in the world. Not all countries allow you to express your opinion freely and journalists are not always supported in their search for information. Sometimes they are even openly or secretly hindered and even arrested and imprisoned. Cartoonists are prosecuted for the cartoons they draw and comedians sometimes weigh their words because of threats. In the worst case, journalists and cartoonists are murdered because of what they wrote or drew. The annual Press Freedom Day at the beginning of May reminds us of the right to a free press and Free Word is celebrated with performances by journalists, politicians and artists from home and abroad.
International celebration of free speech
- Free press
- International Day for Press Freedom
- Journalists who have been murdered
- Celebrating the Free Press
- Freedom of news gathering and source protection
- Fund
- Defying press freedom
Free press
Freedom of expression is not a self-evident right everywhere in the world. Only 1 in 7 world citizens live in a country with complete freedom of the press. Despite this, journalists worldwide do their work under sometimes the most difficult circumstances to provide us with honest information. We need reliable news and information to appreciate situations. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in the rest of the world.
International Day for Press Freedom
Every year on or around May 3, there is an International Day of Press Freedom. On that day, journalists and human rights activists all over the world commemorate this human right during demonstrations and meetings. In the Netherlands, a lot of attention is also paid to it.
There is a Press Freedom Day Committee that coordinates the activities on the day. For example, a Press Freedom Lecture is being organised.
On that day, various activities are organized for young and seasoned journalists. Free Press Unlimited organizes master classes for young journalists. In the evening there is the international event Pointers from Putin in the MC Theater in Amsterdam.
Journalists who have been murdered
Press Freedom Day is also a day to remember journalists who have fallen victim to a lack of press freedom. Murdered journalists are remembered and solidarity is expressed with journalists who languish in prison or who are hindered in their work.
Celebrating the Free Press
The day is also a time to celebrate freedom of the press in the Netherlands and to promote the free press. It also emphasizes that a free press can bring peace and prosperity to a troubled world.
Freedom of news gathering and source protection
Press freedom stands for journalists being able to obtain information without hindrance and for freedom of news gathering. Journalists must have access to relevant documents and must be able to gather news freely in public places. The information must be able to be published without intervention and interference from government and publishers. In this context, the credibility and neutrality of the press are paramount and this should not be limited by the government or others. Source protection is part of press freedom. The press should not have to reveal sources, to prevent the press from becoming an extension of the justice system and the police. The NVJ has set up a fund, the Press Freedom Fund, to assist such journalists in legal proceedings if their press freedom is undermined by the judiciary. The fund also provides financial support to affected journalists.
Fund
The independent Press Freedom Fund Foundation was founded in November 2007 by the NVJ and the Dutch Society of Editors-in-Chief. The foundation wants to enable the journalistic profession to do its work with as much freedom as possible.
Defying press freedom
In Europe there are plenty of recent examples of press freedom being challenged.
- In 2006, Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard made a controversial cartoon of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban and was subsequently threatened.
- In January 2015, there was an assassination attempt on the editors of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo due to unwelcome cartoons.
- In April 2016, the German comedian Jan Böhmermann wrote a song and a satirical poem about Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who reacted furiously and demanded measures from Germany.
- In October 2017, Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered with a car bomb. She wrote about corruption on her island.
- In March 2018, Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kušnírová were murdered. Kuciak is an investigative journalist who wrote about the mafia, tampering with EU subsidies and tax evasion in Slovakia.
- In October 2018, Bulgarian TV presenter Viktoria Marinova was murdered, probably because of her broadcast about corruption.
2016
In 2019, Press Freedom Day is May 3.
|
Year |
Who gave the Press Freedom Lecture |
Function |
|
2020 |
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|
2019 |
||
|
2018 |
Franklin Foer |
American journalist |
|
2017 |
Ece Temelkuran |
Turkish journalist |
|
2016 |
Nir Baram |
Israeli writer |
|
2015 |
Kurt Westergaard |
Danish cartoonist |
|
2014 |
John Goetz |
Investigative journalist from America |
|
2013 |
Egbert Myjer |
Former judge of the European Court of Human Rights (2004-2012) |
|
2012 |
Yasemin Congar |
Deputy Editor Taraf |
|
2011 |
Birgitta Jónsdóttir |
Iceland parliamentarian and artist |
|
2010 |
Peter Noorlander |
Legal Director Media Legal Defense Initiative |
|
2009 |
Eberhard van der Laan |
Minister of Housing, Communities and Integration |
|
2008 |
Jonathan Zittrain |
Professor of Internet Governance and regulation at Oxford University |
|
2007 |
Geert Bourgeois |
Flemish Minister of Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy, Media and Tourism |
|
2006 |
Greg Dyke |
Former Director General of the BBC, Chancellor of the University of York |
|
2005 |
Ayaan Hirsi Ali |
Member of Parliament for the VVD |
|
2004 |
Job Cohen |
The mayor of Amsterdam |
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