World Press Freedom Day being marked today

KATHMANDU, May 3: The 32nd World Press Freedom Day is being commemorated worldwide, including in Nepal, today on the theme of 'Time to Put AI on the Social Agenda.'

World Press Freedom Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1993, when the United Nations called for it to commemorate the release of a declaration on free press on May 3 at the Conference of African Journalists held in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1991.

Although it is not celebrated at the government level in Nepal, this day has been celebrated here since 1995 at the non-governmental level.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, various media and journalism-related organizations in the country have been organizing various programmes.

To celebrate this day, UNESCO sets the theme every year and organizes activities related to that slogan throughout the year and encourages other states and civil society organizations to carry out their activities focusing on that theme.

According to UNESCO, this year the World Press Freedom Day global commemoration will focus on the profound influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism and media under the theme "Reporting in the Brave New World—The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.”

This theme is not only very important in itself but also meaningful compared to the past.

Of course, today's journalism is very much guided by technology, and it is not unreasonable. Especially after the development of the Internet, the use of technology in the field of communication and journalism has increased, and both its good and bad effects have been felt in this field.

In today's world, there is probably no area that AI has not influenced or cannot influence. But it would not be wrong to say that the media and journalism sectors are the most impacted by AI.

The situation is such that AI can be presented in an interventionist role in many of the contents to be made public through journalism and in many of its broadcasting or publishing activities.

Journalism is all about the pursuit of truth based on facts and communicating it to the masses. In a way, the presentation of facts is also said to be the main aspect of journalism. Now, the situation has arisen in which AI plays a vital role in the search and examination of data and facts.

In today's world, journalism is constantly changing its form and style. Today's journalism relies heavily on 'computer-assisted reporting,' in which AI plays a crucial role. The theme of the World Press Freedom Day this year is more relevant in this context.

May 3 every year acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.

Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for the media that are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.