World Press Freedom Day 2018

On May 3 the world celebrated the 25th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, originally designated by the United Nations in 1993. This day serves as an annual reminder about the importance of freedom of the press in elevating public discourse, illuminating issues of civic importance, holding public officials accountable, and strengthening democracy across the world. World Press Freedom Day carries special significance in the wake of the killing of ten journalists in Afghanistan on April 30 -the bloodiest day for reporters since the war began.

Twitter was created 12 years ago to be a platform where anyone -- no matter where they are in the world -- can answer the question, “What’s happening right now?” Today journalists, NGOs, and defenders of the free press play a vital part in answering that question on Twitter. Twitter stands with journalists as they practice their profession in precarious circumstances to bear witness to history and give insight into what’s happening in their corner of the world.  

For World Press Freedom Day 2018 Twitter activated a special #WorldPressFreedomDay emoji to help amplify individual voices coming together to share why they stand together in defense of press freedom. People who use Twitter across the world, including journalists, NGOs, and government officials, united around this hashtag to stand up for a free press.  

Using the hashtag #ImAJournalistBecause, we’ve heard from reporters around the world about where they come from, why they chose reporting as a profession and how they stay motivated to ask the tough questions in briefing rooms, war zones, and during interviews:

Twitter has also participated in and hosted events around the world to celebrate journalists who speak truth to power.

For 12 years, Twitter has focused on creating a platform that defends and respects our users’ voices and fosters a culture where anyone can speak truth to power. Thank you to all those journalists who continue to use Twitter to tell us all “what’s happening.”

Check out the Moment below for a small sample of some of the conversation around #WorldPressFreedomDay: