Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoOHCHR / WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
STORY: OHCHR / WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
TRT: 06:00
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 01 MAY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
01 MAY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for UN Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“What would a world without a free press look like? It would be a world of indifference, where violence is met with silence. A world of manipulation, where truth is negotiable and traded like a commodity. A world where people would be unable to differentiate fact from fiction. A free press is the oxygen of a free and open society. It informs public debate and can build trust – underpinning social cohesion, resilience, and security. Today, we pay tribute to the courageous reporters and photographers who document horrific atrocities, expose corruption, and scrutinize business operations. By uncovering truth and making space for diverse perspectives, they promote transparent, inclusive, and democratic governance. By sounding the alarm on abuses, they advance accountability and strengthen prevention efforts. Despite all this, journalism today has become an insecure and, at times, dangerous profession. Media workers are being bombed in their cars, abducted from their offices, silenced behind bars, and dismissed from their jobs. This year alone, at least 14 journalists have been killed. Over the past 20 years, only around one in ten killings has led to full accountability. Covering armed conflict poses the highest risk. Israel’s war in Gaza has become a death trap for the media. My Office has verified the killing of nearly 300 journalists since October 2023, with many more injured. So far in 2026, Lebanon is the deadliest country for media workers. Local reporters are often the only people conveying the dreadful reality of war. They themselves may be hungry, frightened, and stripped of everything but their voice. In Sudan, I met journalists who had faced extreme violence, brutality, and even famine – all while trying to continue their essential work. Even away from the frontlines, virtually no country is truly safe for those who speak truth to power. Investigating corruption, environmental harm, or organized crime carries grave risks for journalists, their sources, and sometimes their families – as I recently saw in Mexico. I am deeply concerned that media workers are the primary targets of growing transnational repression and surveillance – most recently seen in attacks against Iranian journalists abroad. Laws on defamation, on disinformation, on cybercrime, and on terrorism are increasingly used to shield the powerful from scrutiny. Legal cases focused on deterrence rather than justice turn courts into tools of intimidation, costing journalists and media companies millions, and sending a chilling signal far beyond the newsroom. Today, some 330 journalists and media workers are detained. My Office has recorded a further 500 citizen journalists and human rights bloggers behind bars. Online harassment and bullying of the press risk creating a disinformation society, in which the media is forced to obscure facts and deny science to operate in safety. These attacks disproportionately target women. Three-quarters of women journalists have faced online abuse, including smear campaigns and sexual violence. Efforts to silence independent reporting have become disturbingly creative: from restricting access to imposing internet shutdowns and news blackouts. In some cases, an unholy alliance between political, corporate, and media power is damaging democracy and polarizing societies. Economic pressure is reaching record levels. In nearly a third of countries, funding cuts and media concentration are forcing local news outlets to close, denying people a voice. Layoffs are sometimes used strategically, to supress critical coverage and reinforce political agendas. And yet journalists are undeterred – reporting in the harshest conditions, even from hospital beds and wheelchairs. They believe that truth is stronger than bullets and is worth fighting for. And they are right. But they cannot fight alone. They need our support and urgent protection. States need to end the persecution of the press, lift arbitrary restrictions, repeal abusive laws, and align legal frameworks with international human rights standards. They need to prevent attacks against journalists and media workers and protect them from surveillance. That includes those working outside their country. I urge States to investigate all violations and to hold perpetrators to account. States also need to guarantee a free and open media landscape through effective regulation. Technology companies need to take meaningful action against online abuse and disinformation. Upholding the highest standards of independence, transparency, and integrity preserves the essential role of media organizations as guardians of public trust. My Office will continue to monitor and report on violations against journalists and media workers, advocate for their safety, and support national protection mechanisms. When attacks on the media are normalized, freedom itself begins to decay, and with it, the foundations of peace, security, and sustainable development. Together, let’s ensure that those who stand for truth do not stand alone.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson’s entrance gate
Marking World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, today (1 May) issued a statement calling for states to “end the persecution of the press, lift arbitrary restrictions, repeal abusive laws, and align legal frameworks with international human rights standards.”
Türk said, “what would a world without a free press look like? It would be a world of indifference, where violence is met with silence. A world of manipulation, where truth is negotiable and traded like a commodity. A world where people would be unable to differentiate fact from fiction. A free press is the oxygen of a free and open society. It informs public debate and can build trust – underpinning social cohesion, resilience, and security. Today, we pay tribute to the courageous reporters and photographers who document horrific atrocities, expose corruption, and scrutinize business operations. By uncovering truth and making space for diverse perspectives, they promote transparent, inclusive, and democratic governance. By sounding the alarm on abuses, they advance accountability and strengthen prevention efforts. Despite all this, journalism today has become an insecure and, at times, dangerous profession. Media workers are being bombed in their cars, abducted from their offices, silenced behind bars, and dismissed from their jobs. This year alone, at least 14 journalists have been killed. Over the past 20 years, only around one in ten killings has led to full accountability. Covering armed conflict poses the highest risk. Israel’s war in Gaza has become a death trap for the media. My Office has verified the killing of nearly 300 journalists since October 2023, with many more injured. So far in 2026, Lebanon is the deadliest country for media workers. Local reporters are often the only people conveying the dreadful reality of war. They themselves may be hungry, frightened, and stripped of everything but their voice. In Sudan, I met journalists who had faced extreme violence, brutality, and even famine – all while trying to continue their essential work. Even away from the frontlines, virtually no country is truly safe for those who speak truth to power. Investigating corruption, environmental harm, or organized crime carries grave risks for journalists, their sources, and sometimes their families – as I recently saw in Mexico. I am deeply concerned that media workers are the primary targets of growing transnational repression and surveillance – most recently seen in attacks against Iranian journalists abroad. Laws on defamation, on disinformation, on cybercrime, and on terrorism are increasingly used to shield the powerful from scrutiny. Legal cases focused on deterrence rather than justice turn courts into tools of intimidation, costing journalists and media companies millions, and sending a chilling signal far beyond the newsroom. Today, some 330 journalists and media workers are detained. My Office has recorded a further 500 citizen journalists and human rights bloggers behind bars. Online harassment and bullying of the press risk creating a disinformation society, in which the media is forced to obscure facts and deny science to operate in safety. These attacks disproportionately target women. Three-quarters of women journalists have faced online abuse, including smear campaigns and sexual violence. Efforts to silence independent reporting have become disturbingly creative: from restricting access to imposing internet shutdowns and news blackouts. In some cases, an unholy alliance between political, corporate, and media power is damaging democracy and polarizing societies. Economic pressure is reaching record levels. In nearly a third of countries, funding cuts and media concentration are forcing local news outlets to close, denying people a voice. Layoffs are sometimes used strategically, to supress critical coverage and reinforce political agendas. And yet journalists are undeterred – reporting in the harshest conditions, even from hospital beds and wheelchairs. They believe that truth is stronger than bullets and is worth fighting for. And they are right. But they cannot fight alone. They need our support and urgent protection. States need to end the persecution of the press, lift arbitrary restrictions, repeal abusive laws, and align legal frameworks with international human rights standards. They need to prevent attacks against journalists and media workers and protect them from surveillance. That includes those working outside their country. I urge States to investigate all violations and to hold perpetrators to account. States also need to guarantee a free and open media landscape through effective regulation. Technology companies need to take meaningful action against online abuse and disinformation. Upholding the highest standards of independence, transparency, and integrity preserves the essential role of media organizations as guardians of public trust. My Office will continue to monitor and report on violations against journalists and media workers, advocate for their safety, and support national protection mechanisms. When attacks on the media are normalized, freedom itself begins to decay, and with it, the foundations of peace, security, and sustainable development. Together, let’s ensure that those who stand for truth do not stand alone.”
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Download
There is no media available to download.
