What is World Press Freedom Day?
In 1993, The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3rd May as World Press Freedom Day (WPFD). This day is celebrated annually across the world to commemorate the fundamental principles of press freedom. This year’s WPFD on 2nd May 2023, is celebrated with the global theme of “Shaping A Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as A Driver for All Other Human Rights”.
This celebration will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Conference and its Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights, and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
SNAPSHOTS from the Media Landscape Report
Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Prime Minister on 24 November 2022 with the promise of reform and the coming together of a new unity government brought optimism to a rakyat that had experienced political and economic instability in the last three years; following a tumultuous period during the 15th General Elections, in which hate speech, disinformation, and misinformation escalated on social media.
Despite welcoming a new unity government that has made promises to uphold press freedom in the country, CIJ has noted instances of censoring the media and trying to influence the narrative on topics such as public morality and LGBTIQ.
CIJ looks forward to the Ministry’s promise to establish the Malaysian Media Council, as a transparent and self-regulatory body for the industry. Moreover, CIJ calls on the state to undertake the following recommendations:
Guarantee equal access to all media
Stop using repressive laws against the media
Commitments to Improve Labour Rights for Media Workers
Combat Disinformation and Mitigate Online Hate Speech
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