Press freedom more relevant than ever in digital era, UN stresses

(April 04, 2011) Freedom of expression remains as important as ever in the digital age, serving as a basis for democracy and human dignity everywhere, senior United Nations officials stressed on Tuesday (May 3) as the Organization observed World Press Freedom Day with a series of events around the globe. The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day is “21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - Navi Pillay, issued a joint statement to mark the Day, in which they noted that new media and technologies offer the public unprecedented opportunities for expression. “More and more people are able to share information and exchange views, within and across national borders,” they said. “This is a blessing for creativity, for healthy societies, for including everyone in new forms of dialogue,” they added. But the message warned that new threats are arising alongside the technology, noting that “measures to block, filter and censor information emerge every day.” The Internet must be a truly global resource to which everyone has access, and where all voices can be heard, the officials stressed.