FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

 

                         FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

For everything that is really great and insipiring it is created by an Individual who can labour in freedom."For to be free is not merely to cast of one's chains,but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish?Do things the way we wish?

Imagine that you are a Journalist writing a news story about a political figure who is suspected of corruption.You speak to many of his aides,former colleagues and business associates all who wish to remain anonymous.The government finds out about your investigation, and since it's a sensitive topic with serious ramifications for top officials,they attempt to legally block you from publishing it,but you refuse to comply, invoking the freedom of the press.

Every year World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3 to commemorate journalists and highlight the difficulties they face while reporting the truth.And since reporting the truth is not an easy task, journalists require a degree of freedom, which is usually guaranteed in the constitution of various democratic nations and in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The day is celebrated to ensure the protection and safety of the press in the face of attacks against it's independence,to discuss Journalistic ethics, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to Journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3,as World Press Freedom Day in the year 1993.This declaration came after a recommendation made in 1991 at the twenty-sixth General Conference session of UNESCO.The declaration also came as a result of the 1991 Windhoek Declaration.A statement produced by African Journalists about press freedom,presented at a seminar held by UNESCO, which concluded on May 3^rd. 

Kenya was ranked 102 on the 2021 World Press Freedom Index.It has more than 200 community radio stations, more than a hundred newspapers and magazines as well as dozens of television stations, in addition to online broadcasts and blogs.Kenyan Journalists have continued to be attacked on their line of duty.On 24th April 2021,police beat and injured nine journalists in Makumi,Mbeere South,Embu County.They were covering a story regarding the forceful eviction by police officers of families from a contested land, said to belong to Tana and Athi River Development Authority .(TARDA)Such police behavior against the media cannot go without consequences.The freedom of the press has to be guaranteed under all circumstances

Journalists do tremendous work of the watchdog role to the government and non government Institutions.We gather information,write news pieces, and present the news in a honest manner. How would the world be without Journalists? They too need to be respected just like other professions.

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