International Day of Media Freedom
The Ambassadors to Guatemala from the United Kingdom, Carolyn Davidson, and Canada, Rita Rudaitis-Renaud wrote an article for the newspaper Prensa Libre in Guatemala to commemorate the International Day of Media Freedom on 3 May.
Meeting with Journalists
To mark the International Day of Media Freedom, the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada are joining forces to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of the work of journalists in promoting and protecting democracy. Building an open and transparent democracy requires media able to work free from censorship and from threats against its independence and integrity.
Defending this freedom is a central plank of British and Canadian foreign policy, in line with our countries’ role in promoting democratic societies, protecting human rights and defending fundamental freedoms. In July this year, the UK and Canada will host in London an international conference on freedom of the media. Our goal is to bring together countries that believe in this cause to agree a consensus around the protection of journalists. We are inviting Guatemala to join this initiative through the participation of government representatives, elected authorities, members of civil society and the press.
We firmly believe that it is the role of citizens – committed citizens – to safeguard democracy. And their best weapon is freedom of expression. In Guatemala, particularly in this election year, the work of journalists will be vital to ensure that citizens have reliable, accurate and impartial information on which they can make decisions. Similarly, in Guatemala and around the world, the role of the media as a scrutiny body has been vital as an ally in the fight against corruption.
We are concerned, however, that globally the ability to speak the truth and the ability of citizens to question their governments is under attack. At the same time the widespread use of digital technologies has opened the way for proliferation of false information and propaganda by hostile states. In this context, supporting a free media also means counteracting the influx of disinformation. Although it has never been this easy to publish and receive information, it has also never been easier to spread lies and conspiracy theories. Social media channels provide a malicious opportunity to stoke hatred and instigate violence against vulnerable minorities. Guatemala is not exempt from this trend, even more so in its election year, where the objective and professional press is more vulnerable than ever.
In light of the current global problems, Canada and the UK believe there is a real need to defend media freedom by protecting the right of the media to speak and the public’s need to access information to be able to exercise their democratic rights. We hope the July conference will help in the discussion of these priorities.
On behalf of the governments of the UK and Canada, we wish to thank journalists in Guatemala and around the world for their tireless search for the truth, for their efforts to bring transparency and justice to the public debate and for helping us to discover new perspectives.