Mark the 30th World Press Freedom Day anniversary with these events, activities

MANILA, Philippines – As the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marks the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day in 2023, various groups in the Philippines will be conducting events and activities starting Wednesday, May 3. 

Taking off from UNESCO’s theme, freedom of expression as a “driver for all other human rights,” these activities aim to highlight the importance of media and free press in the country, and amplify the calls of journalists to uphold press freedom.

Here is a running list of events commemorating the 30th World Press Freedom Day anniversary: 

Fair and art exhibits

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Metro Manila is holding a press freedom fair on May 5 at 6 pm at Quirido Bistro, TUCP Compound, Elliptical Road, Quezon City. With the campaign #NeverWriting30, the fair aims to highlight the courage of journalists to write in the toughest times.

The Foundation for Media Alternatives, a nonprofit organization in the Philippines that promotes the strategic and appropriate use of information and communications technologies, will be opening “Drawing Dissent,” an exhibit on online information disorder.

The exhibit will open on May 3, from 5 pm to 7 pm, at the UP Film Institute Media Center in UP Diliman. This will feature the works of local artists, such as Tarantadong Kalbo, Manix Abrera, Jesie Castro, Kapitan Tambay, and Marian Hukom.

Attendees must register here.

Roundtable discussions

The Asian Center for Journalism, in support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is holding “Meet the Press: A World Press Freedom Day Activity,” from May 2 to 3, at the Leong Hall Auditorium, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. 

The two-day discussion will feature talks on Intergenerational Conversations on Journalism, Master’s Project Presentations, and Pitik: Forum Series on Visual Journalism.

The event will feature Bloomberg Hong Kong’s Ryan Chua, TV5’s Ed Lingao,  Inquirer’s Krixia Subingsubing, Pumapodcast’s Franco Luna, and freelance journalist Jhesset Enano.

Register here.

The Freedom for Media Freedom for All (FMFA) Network, in partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, is inviting everyone to join the “Fight for Truth and Human Rights” forum to discuss the state of press freedom in the Philippines. 

The forum will happen on Wednesday, May 3, from 1 to 3 pm, at the UP College of Mass Communication Auditorium, Diliman, Quezon City. This will also be broadcast online via Zoom, @DZUP1602am’s Youtube, and FMFA’s social media channels. 

Zoom participants may register here.

The UP College of Mass Communication (CMC), in collaboration with Freedom for Media Freedom for All Network, is inviting everyone to join their roundtable discussion titled “Fight for Truth and Human Rights.”

The event will be held at the UP CMC Auditorium in Diliman on May 3, from 1 pm to 3 pm. This will also be available online via Zoom and will be broadcast on DZUP1602am’s Youtube.

Register here to join the Zoom session.

After the discussion, the college will also be opening the Dean Luis V. Teodoro Nook and Exhibit, and the Media Freedom Wall at the CMC library and CMC grounds, respectively.

The PUP College of Communication joins the celebration of WPFD with an online roundtable discussion on May 3 at 2 pm. 

Titled “Breaking Barriers: Journalists as Catalysts of Freedom of Expression,” the discussion will be done on Zoom with a live broadcast on the Facebook pages of the PUP College of Communication, Southeast Asian Media Studies Association, PUP Journalism Guild, and The Communicator.

Register here to join the online discussion.

Meanwhile, the PUP College of Communication Student Council is inviting students from PUP to join its forum titled, “RED ALERT: Dangers of Red-tagging and Union-busting to Press Freedom” on May 8 at 1 pm at the PUP College of Communication Audio Visual Room.

Register here to join.

The University of the Philippines’ Department of Journalism,  the University of Santo Tomas, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is  inviting faculty and students to attend the Philippine Journalism Research Conference 2023 with the theme, “Journalism and Generation Truth.” 

This will happen on May 5, from 9 am to 5 pm, at the College of Mass Communication in UP Diliman, and will feature various speakers in the journalism field – all alumni of UP CMC and recipients of the Canadian embassy’s Marshall McLuhan fellowships: Joseph Morong of GMA News, Karmina Constantino of ABS-CBN, and Miriam Grace Go of Rappler.    

There will also be four parallel sessions for academic research, investigative journalism, special projects, and photo essays. The best research papers and journalistic output will be awarded respectively. 

Kindly register here for free: https://bit.ly/PJRC2023_RegistrationForm

Participants can either attend at the UP CMC Film Studio, Quezon City or join via Zoom or Facebook livestream.

Do you know of any events or activities organized in celebration of World Press Freedom Day? Send them to move.ph@rappler.com. – Glenn Jr. Ferrariz/Rappler.com

Glenn Jr. Ferrariz is a Rappler volunteer from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He’s in his fourth year of taking up Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.