It’s about our rights

‘Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for All Other Human Rights’ – The World Press Freedom Day 2023

Before I go any further, and even though it might be too late, I’d like to celebrate World Press Freedom Day and thank all those who have long fought for the freedom of the press and freedom of expression. From the communication student’s perspective, I believe education and knowledge are being developed by sharing and receiving information; therefore, it is vitally essential for all to have the right to transmit and receive ‘true’ information to make changes in the world.

For me, having The World Press Freedom Day and The World Press Freedom Index allow us to acknowledge the importance of freedom rights and indicate to us what environment we are growing in. 

What is World Press Freedom Day?

World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd) is the day to raise public awareness of the value of press freedom, the importance of protecting journalists’ rights, and encouraging independent, free media. It is the day to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom worldwide, defend the media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty (United Nations). It was held by the UN General Assembly in December 1993; with the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference, it was later celebrated annually on May 3rd.

Since 2002, there has been an annual ranking called “The World Press Freedom Index,” released by Reporters Without Borders or Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF). It ranks the level of press freedom from 180 countries and territories under five contextual indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety.

“We ensure journalists on missions in high-risk areas and lend helmets and bulletproof vests. We assist them with legal action when they are victims of abuse and assist reporters forced to flee with asylum applications,” said RSF. 

What to mention this year is the concerns over India’s press freedom, being 161 out of 180. I’ve heard the news of people being raided, imprisoned, and hostile takeovers simply because they were fighting for their own rights. It was long ago, and I’ve never heard of any news again. Thailand ranked 106th of 180, and I still feel uncomfortable and question our freedom. We can’t trust the news report because we know it is governed by authority. We clearly see how the media is being distorted and how different the story is told from the media angle and the citizen angle. We see many friends of ours being mistreated in jail or badly injured on the charge of being convicted of the “lèse-majesté” and did not follow the “code of conduct.” We know we are being controlled by the elites, the army, and the royal, but still, we can’t do anything. I think Thailand is the worst; I can’t imagine how worse it could be in India and other countries, such as China, Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar, that are in the lower ranks.