In 1993, the United Nations (UN) defined May 3 as World Press Freedom Day.with the aim of assessing attacks on the independence of the media and journalists.

A commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the declaration was held yesterday at the headquarters of the United Nations, and on social media Unesco shared a post like: Without #LibertadDePrens, there is no peace. Without #FreedomOfExpression we cannot protect #HumanRights.

Disinformation has become a weapon to attack freedom of the press. Journalists are distracted from their function of reporting and research, which many want to keep quiet about, because they have to devote themselves to exposing fake news that is placed on social networks or pages created by special interests.

And May 3 at the crossroads

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, assures that “the truth is threatened” by those who want to “blur the lines between fact and fiction, between science and conspiracy.”

Who is in the interest of weakening the press? To those who want to destabilize democracy, that the public does not have reliable news. The Internet came to contribute to development, but when misused, it becomes a weapon of misinformation that threatens the population.

Governments are urged to provide protection to journalists and independent media who are going through an economic crisis, but also virtual harassment and threats, such as the journalists of three Ecuadorian media who received envelopes with an explosive device.

Without journalists delivering news and information that people can trust, I fear we will continue to see civic bonds unravel, democratic norms erode and trust in the institutions and people so essential to order around the world undermined,” Arthur Gregg rightly warns. Sulzberger, president and publisher of The New York Times. (OR)