Dates: 1- 4 May 2017
Country: Indonesia, Jakarta
The Media Diversity Institute (MDI) has been invited to participate at the official celebration of the World Press Freedom Day in Jakarta organised by UNESCO, the Government of Indonesia, and the Press Council of Indonesia.
Under the global theme of Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies, participants including the MDI Executive Director Milica Pesic will examine current challenges facing media, including the continuous trend worldwide of attacks against those who bring journalism to the public.
Over 100 national celebrations take place each year to commemorate 3 May, the World Press Freedom Day while UNESCO leads the worldwide celebration. At the UNESCO event in Helsinki last year, MDI gathered prominent experts from different parts of the world and produced a session on the impact of the refugee crisis on public service media (PSM) values. The session was co-organised with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Finnish Broadcasting Co. YLE. Citing examples from Asia-Pacific to Afghanistan and South America, to Middle East, North Africa and Europe, the MDI panel looked at the controversy surrounding the media coverage that is often sensationalised in countries with predominantly commercial broadcasters.
During the main programme of the Press Freedom Day event in Jakarta this year, the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity will be tackled by experts from all over the world.
Also, Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned Eritrean-Swedish journalist, has been chosen to receive the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Mr. Isaak was arrested in a crackdown on the media that occurred in September 2001. The last time he was heard from was in 2005. His present location is unknown.