1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
IranIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections

Press freedom

André LeslieMay 2, 2014

Violence against journalists and censorship by governments: for World Press Freedom Day, DW takes a look at the state of freedom of expression - and attacks upon it - around the world.

https://p.dw.com/p/18QzO
Press freedom protest in Paris
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

World Press Freedom Day was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following a recommendation by UNESCO. Since then May 3 is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It serves to remind people of the fundamental principles of press freedom as well as heightening the issues facing journalists around the world. It also commemorates journalists who have lost their lives for practicing their profession.

In the last 12 months press freedom has suffered major restrictions in numerous countries around the world and high-profile cases in Turkey, Egypt and Russia.

DW takes a closer look at the dangers facing journalists, examines the state of the media in selected countries and highlights the efforts being made to improve press freedom in various nations.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Pakistanische Männer lesen Zeitschriften - Taliban Führer Hakimullah Mehsud bei Drohnenangriff getötet

No place for journos

AI issues a damning report on the situation of Pakistan's media and the threat to journalists.
May 2, 2014
Asif Mohiuddin

Safe haven

Bangladeshi blogger Asif Mohiuddin recently moved to Germany, but he still fears for his life.
April 22, 2014
Edward Snowden

Whistleblower debate

Whistleblowing is a natural source of friction between journalists and intelligence agents.
April 29, 2014
A person uses a laptop computer showing Youtube's logo on March 27, 2014 in Istanbul, near a poster Berkin Elvan, the 15-year-old boy who died nine months after he was hit by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during the 2013 protests in Istanbul. OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images

EU slams Turkey website bans

EU foreign ministers have criticized Turkey for blocking internet sites such as Twitter and YouTube. They called on Ankara to respect freedom of expression in view of its long-running bid to join the bloc.
April 5, 2014
Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir

Military vs. media

Pakistan's Geo TV has come under criticism for accusing the ISI of attempting to kill a journalist.
April 24, 2014
Symbolic picture of no cameras allowed

Media in jeopardy

Despite rapid growth, Afghan media faces many challenges that threaten to undo hard-won gains.
March 25, 2014
Screenshot http://zaycev.net/ Russland Internet Piraterie Gesetz

Kremlin vs. the Internet

The Russian government seems intent on stifling dissent in the blogosphere and social media.
March 13, 2014
Pressefreiheit Journalisten Ägypten Al Jazeera

Press freedom

The attitude among Egyptian journalists to the Al Jazeera trial is complex.
March 18, 2014
Audience from Myanmar at the expert talk "Media International" (photo: Reiner Freese).

Myanmar: How free is the press?

Myanmar's newspaper industry is booming thanks to a looser censorship and ownership regulations. DW Akademie and Germany's ARD public broadcaster invited experts to Berlin discuss the changing media landscape.
September 19, 2013
Protesters sit outside the office of Hong Kong's Chief Executive during a demonstration demanding for freedom of speech and press freedom in Hong Kong February 23, 2014. Organisers said more than 6,000 people took part, while police put the crowd at 1,600 at its peak, as they protested against what they see as diminishing press freedom in the territory, government radio reported on Sunday. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Hong Kong media freedom march

Protesters have rallied in Hong Kong to demand that the city government halt a perceived erosion of media freedom. Journalists claim mainland China is increasingly seeking to influence editorial decisions.
February 23, 2014
Bunyamin Aygun in Aleppo, Syria, runs from a bomb attack

Journalists under fire

Dozens of reporters have been killed or disappeared covering the Syrian conflict.
January 30, 2014

Protecting journalists’ sources

The Courage Foundation aids whistle-blowers by raising money for their legal fees.
January 23, 2014
Show more stories