JAMAICA ENJOYS a relatively free press ranked 34th in one recent world survey, above the United States. But others and other countries may not be so lucky.
To that end, the theme of World Press Freedom Day today is how press freedom can ensure another human right - the right to be free from poverty. According to the United Nations, more than one billion people live on less than US$1 per day. Another 2.7 billion live on less than US$2 per day.
Koïchiro Matsuura, director-general of UNESCO, said that to alleviate poverty, journalists need to be allowed to report freely.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), a record 150 journalists were killed last year.
He said governments must assist the process "... by taking the necessary precautions that make it possible for journalists to continue to provide us with the essential knowledge and information that flow from a free and independent press."
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