Press Freedom
(asked on 12th January 2015) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the UK next plans to host UN World Press Freedom Day.
This question was answered on 19th January 2015
Recent events in Paris, and the public demonstrations which followed, have made World Press Freedom Day particularly relevant this year. We fully support the aims of the day, and the focus both on press freedom and the safety of journalists. We have no plans at present to host a future World Press Freedom Day. We do, however, mark the day across our network, hosting events and issuing statements, such as our “Shine a Light” campaign in 2013 which highlighted repression of the media and freedom of expression across the world. Through events and statements we use the day to reaffirm our commitment to a free press, the safety of journalists and freedom of expression which is one of our human rights priorities.
Recent events in Paris, and the public demonstrations which followed, have made World Press Freedom Day particularly relevant this year. We fully support the aims of the day, and the focus both on press freedom and the safety of journalists. We have no plans at present to host a future World Press Freedom Day. We do, however, mark the day across our network, hosting events and issuing statements, such as our “Shine a Light” campaign in 2013 which highlighted repression of the media and freedom of expression across the world. Through events and statements we use the day to reaffirm our commitment to a free press, the safety of journalists and freedom of expression which is one of our human rights priorities.