Greece ranks last in the EU for press freedom
According to Reporters sans frontières (RSF), the definition of press freedom is captured as:
“Press freedom is defined 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.”
Since 1993, when it was established by the UN General Assembly – at the initiative of the World Newspaper Association and at the suggestion of UNESCO – the celebration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 has contributed to many steps being taken worldwide towards freeing the press from any factor influencing public information.
In the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report, Greece went from 70th place in 2021 to 108th in one year, beyond countries such as Bulgaria and Viktor Orban’s Hungary. Greece is below Hungary (85th), Bulgaria (91st), Albania (103rd) and Ukraine (106th), recording the worst performance in the European Union.
Recent negative circumstances, such as the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have brought to the surface the need to raise awareness of the basic principles of press freedom, to assess its situation at international level, to protect the media from threats to their independence and to pay tribute to the journalists who have died in the line of duty.
For the journalistic community, today is a day of honour for all professionals in the sector, who “fight” every day for the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
More on Freedom of the Press and the Matter of Trust that shakes journalism today more than ever will be discussed during iMEdD’s Journalism Week from 05 to 09 October.
Read more at forum.imedd.org