World Press Freedom day

World Press Freedom Day is not just an occasion for pious self-congratulatory speeches. It is the opportunity for a call to action, a reminder of the responsibilities we undertook when we became journalists. To seek and share the truth.
 
The FPA, as the oldest foreign press organization in the US, takes press freedom seriously all year round, not just on a ceremonial occasion like World Press Freedom Day. Over the last year we been sharing the insights and stories of both experts and journalists around the world from India to Russia to Hong Kong.
 
Press freedom has many enemies. The efforts in Russia to criminalize and kill independent journalists, and China’s attacks on the freedom of the press in Hong Kong, underscore the very real threats to press freedom from governments. The labeling of the media as an enemy by the far-right continues to be a clear and present danger to journalists operating in our U.S. media war zone.
 
The powerful, whether corporations, politicians, or billionaires, are as likely to seek to control and influence the media with checkbooks and threats, as they are with truncheons and handcuffs. And we must recognize that there are those in our industry who are willing partners. 
 
On World Press Freedom Day we need to think about journalists who have been attacked and jailed for standing up not only to governments, but also against corporate greed and malfeasance.
 
We need to rededicate ourselves to the principles of being a voice for the voiceless, reporting without fear or favor, to do what is right, and to hold those who abuse power or the trust placed in them to account.       
 
The FPA will continue to advocate for our profession, support our members in their efforts to tell the truth about the US and world, and serve as a platform for sharing the voices and stories of those on the frontlines of the battle for the truth.