Radio Sagor Giri (a link organization of YPSA) and Sitakund Press Club jointly organized a seminar at YPSA HRDC Sitakund on 3 May to mark the World Press Freedom Day 2013. WPFD 2013 focused on the theme of “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media”. A free, independent and pluralistic media environment, online and offline, must be one in which journalists, media workers, and social media producers can work safely and independently without the fear of being threatened or even killed. It needs to be an environment where attacks, intimidations, harassments, abductions, arbitrary imprisonments, and threats are the exceptions and not the norm.
Journalists (as well as citizen journalists), editors, publishers and online intermediaries alike should not be subjected to political or financial coercion and manipulation. They should especially be protected from threats to the security of themselves and their families.
According to UNESCO, more than 600 journalists and media workers had been killed in the last ten years. In other words, every week a journalist loses his or her life for bringing news and information to the public.
Mr. Shah Sultan Shamim, Station Manager, Radio Sagor Giri presented the keynote while Mr. M. Hedaet, President of Sitakund Press Club presided the meeting.
