Media and good governance

UNESCO has decided to pay tribute to the critical role played by the media in promoting democracy and good governance by choosing ‘Media and Good Governance’ as the key theme for this year’s celebration of World Press Freedom Day. Can one seriously speak of “good” governance while a relentless assault on freedom of expression takes place in country after country? As Aidan White of the International Federation of Journalists points out, this freedom is under increasing threat even in the most democratic states. This is not because of good legal and constitutional protection – nothing could be clearer than Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – but because of the lack of rulers and administrators who lack the courage or vision to respect these rights and seek to apply them to our everyday lives.

Publisher: UNESCO
Year of Publication: 2005