Press Freedom
Today marks the 30th anniversary of May 3 being proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as ‘World Press Freedom Day’, a hallmark day of reflection about the critical role journalists serve in upholding democratic principles worldwide.
Much has changed with the profession since the first World Press Freedom Day in 1993. In Canada, we are all-too-familiar with being asked to ‘do more with less’ and fight the seemingly sisyphean battle against increasingly secretive government agencies and broken access to information systems.
The alarming rise in online hate and harassment is also a scourge on our industry that prevents us from doing our jobs. These vile attacks not only seek to silence individual journalists but also strive to undermine our collective purpose as a profession.
There is, also, another dimension to Canadian journalism’s changing reality. We recognize efforts to diversify, and bring new voices into newsrooms, have been uneven. As well, we are only beginning to reckon with the human costs associated with covering traumatic events and reconciling with colonial legacies.
The many challenges confronting our industry today cannot be addressed by any single grandiose gesture. That’s why, on World Press Freedom Day 2023, the CAJ promises to continue to serve you and support our colleagues across the country through shared learning, advocacy, and community. We’re here. Every. Single. Day.
– The CAJ Board
