World Press Freedom Day special focus on the Right to Know
3 May 2010 is World Press Freedom day. It focuses this year on the “Right to Know”, the right of everyone to access information held by public bodies. This right is an essential part of the right to freedom of expression anchored in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Proclaimed by the UN in 1993, World Press Freedom Day aims to raise awareness of media freedom issues and to promote the right of journalists to collect and disseminate information without risk to life or liberty. To deny journalists and others the right to request and receive information held by public bodies is now clearly established in international law as a violation of the right to freedom of expression and information.
In 2009 the European Court of Human Rights confirmed that access to information is protected by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, saying that where governments have an “information monopoly” they should disclose information that is needed for public debate on matters of public importance.
Access Info Europe has a number of special events to mark World Press Freedom Day:
Legal Leaks Toolkit launch with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media: in her first World Press Freedom Day since she was appointed in March 2010, Dunja Mijatovic will present the “Legal Leaks Toolkit” developed by Access Info and Berlin-based n-ost Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe with OSCE support. Read more …
Read here the press statement from after the presentation of the toolkit.
Download the Legal Leaks toolkit here.
Tell Us What You’ve Done! Initiative launched: Access Info and Transparency International, together with members of the Freedom of Information Advocates Network and the UNCAC Coalition, are marking World Press Freedom Day by submitting requests for information in 30 countries around the globe. The questions to the governments are simple: tell us what you have done to implement international anti-corruption treaties. Read more …
Open Cyprus Coalition renews its call for full recognition of the right of access to information in Cyprus, which has no full access to information law. The bi-communal initiative notes that journalists play an important role in ensuring the right of the wider public to engage in public debate in an informed manner. Public bodies should therefore respond fully to journalists’ requests for information. Read more …
Spain’s Coalición Pro Acceso calls on government to publish the draft of the future access to information law. The 30-member coalition is calling on the government to publish the draft before it is sent to parliament, so that civil society can provide comments and suggestions. The Coalición Pro Acceso argues that a public debate will benefit the future law and that publishing the draft would be a gesture of transparency in line with the openness that the future law will require. Read more …