Bloomberg Recognizes World Press Freedom Day 2023
Originally published on bloomberg.com
Bloomberg recently observed the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. This day of recognition unfortunately comes at a time in which journalists in various countries are put at risk simply for doing their jobs, and freedom of expression is increasingly under attack.
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day, which is observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and mark the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek, Namibia in 1991.
“Now more than ever we need to support journalists who are reporting under extremely difficult circumstances in far too many countries around the world,” said John Micklethwait, Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief. “The detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia is a chilling example of the urgent need to protect independent journalism and the people who do this hugely important work that is essential to any democratic society.”
Bloomberg is committed to protecting journalists, accuracy in the media, and a free and fair press around the world. Since 1994, the company has invested over $40 million globally to support non-profit organizations to train and protect journalists, promote free speech, and advance human rights.
We continue to support organizations advocating for press freedom such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, International Women’s Media Foundation, International News Safety Institute, Reporters Without Borders, and globally, many more journalism organizations and associations.
In addition, to help develop and support journalism talent worldwide, the company established the Bloomberg Global Business and Financial Journalism Education Initiative. Over the course of 20 years, the initiative has expanded to having 41 journalism training programs to advance business and economic reporting, with more than 25,000 students participating to date. As part of this initiative, we work to inspire the next generation through bespoke mentorship programs, including the Bloomberg Journalism Diversity Program targeting US and UK based students, as well as those intended to support experienced professionals through the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa.
