The United Nations observedWorld Press Freedom Day on May 3. Organizers held a related global conference in Uruguay last week.
This year’s theme for World Press Freedom Day was “Journalism under digital siege.” Among other things, the theme refers to the digital era’s impact on freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, and access to information.
The U.N. General Assembly first issued a World Press Freedom Day in December 1993. The U.N. describes it as an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
