May 3 was declared World Press Freedom Day by the United Nations in 1993. Since then, journalists and press freedom advocates around the world have celebrated the day with conferences and other special events.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released their annual Press Freedom Index May 3. Last year was not a good year for press freedom.
The United States dropped 10 points. The RSF reported noted: . “[M]ajor structural barriers to press freedom persist in this country, once considered a model for freedom of expression.”
By Haisten Willis
Washington DC hosted competing events to celebrate Press Freedom Day on May 3. The National Press Club held a round-table discussion with Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post; Paul Beckett, from The Wall Street Journal and Laila Al-Ariane, from Al Jazeera.
You can watch the session here:
Earlier in the day, press freedom advocates gathered at Washington Post headquarters to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, though the mood at times was far more somber than celebratory.
The event began with a panel discussion between Post opinion writer Jason Rezaian and Danielle Gershkovich, the sister of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since March 2023.
The event began with a panel discussion between Post opinion writer Jason Rezaian and Danielle Gershkovich, the sister of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since March 2023.
Danielle Gershkovich shared the personal side of her brother’s lengthy detainment, detailing how the two exchange letters that must be written in Russian, and how she looks forward to watching movies with him when he is finally released.
“When I get a letter from him, it feels like Christmas morning,” she said.
Danielle, who attended and was recognized at the White House Correspondents Dinner, said support for her brother’s release is widespread and bipartisan.
“It’s a matter of Democracy,” she added. “No one should have to pay that price for journalism.”
Discussions continued with Palestinian reporter Hazem Balousha and Washington Post London bureau chief William Booth, who shared their stories and struggles covering the Israel-Hamas conflict. Balousha was forced to leave Gaza due to widespread destruction and is now covering the conflict from Egypt, while Booth urged the Israeli military to allow more outside journalists to cover the conflict on their own terms.
A final discussion featured Committee to Protect Journalists CEO Jodie Ginsberg, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president Stephen Capus, and RSF USA/Reporters Without Borders executive director Clayton Weimers.
Reporters Without Borders used the occasion to release its annual World Press Freedom Index.
“World Press Freedom Day should be a celebration of the values of a free press,” Weimers said. “But so often, we’re talking about these countries at the bottom, Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea. But I think that kind of belies the broader fact, which is that if you are at the bottom of the index, whether it’s bottom 10 or bottom 20, you are in very dishonorable company.”
Weimers said that the United States has fallen 10 places in the rankings, to 55th, largely due to economic factors that have led to widespread layoffs in the American news industry.
“I think every state in this country is net negative on growth of new news outlets, which means that news outlets are closing more rapidly than they’re opening all around the country,” Weimers said. “That’s a huge concern, but we also took steps back on the political indicator.”
Weimers also took the opportunity to call for the U.S. State Department to officially designate Radio Free Europe reporter Alsu Kurmasheva as being wrongfully detained in Russia, saying it’s an important step the department has taken in other cases to aid the process of securing release
Here is the recording of that session:
Haisten WIllis is a Washington Examiner White House reporter and former FOIA committee chair for the Society of Professional Journalists.