May 3rd is meant to act as a reminder to governments that press freedoms must be respected. Reporters Without Borders describes press freedom as “the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety."
In the last decade, the U.S. has seen a steady decline in its press freedom ranking, currently sitting in 55th place out of 180 countries. Assaults on journalists in the U.S. nearly doubled in 2024, as anti-media rhetoric increased.
Around the world, 2024 was considered the deadliest year for journalists, since the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting data in 1992. According to the CPJ 124 journalists and media workers were killed, “nearly two thirds of them Palestinians..." The organization also documented the killing of journalists in 16 other nations that year, with the highest numbers in Sudan, Pakistan and Mexico. With the world’s conflict zones increasing by 65% in the last three years, journalists are bound to face more danger. This makes the principles behind World Press Freedom Day all the more crucial and our responsibility to uphold them.
