On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated every year on 3 May, the UNESCO New Delhi Office organized an hour-long Talk Show with eminent media personalities and community media researchers. The online event aimed at addressing the issue of “Reporting in the Times of COVID 19”.

The online vent began with opening remarks by Eric Falt, UNESCO New Delhi Director, and was attended by media experts from UNESCO’s Cluster countries—India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. It was moderated by Pankaj Pachauri, Founder and Editor-in-chief of GoNews.

Hezekiel Dlamini, Adviser for Communication and Information, UNESCO welcomed the panelists: Namgay Zam, Journalist Association of Bhutan; Minha Faiz Rasheed, One Media Group, Maldives; Kumar Lopez, CEO, Sri Lanka Press Institute; Uditha Jayasinghe, Daily Financial Times, Sri Lanka; Venu Arora, Ideosync Media Combine and Chinki Sinha, an independent journalist from India.

The debate addressed issues related to the safety of media workers; a free and independent press, the role of professional journalists during a health crisis at a time of information overload on the online platforms. With a keen focus on the challenges faced by journalists as well as community media professionals, the conversation highlighted personal stories from the ground.

Sharing her experiences as a reporter covering COVID crisis in India, Chinki Sinha, an independent journalist said that the people in media are key responders to the health crisis.  She said,  “We are vulnerable and scared and yet we want to write stories that can connect people in the times of physical distancing. I guess this is what we should take note of on World Press Freedom Day”.

To watch the full video click here.

Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, World Press Freedom Day is a day to commemorate the essence of media; it is a day to honor the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence. On this day, UNESCO calls on governments, media and civil society to join us in a global online movement to draw the world's attention to these issues which are essential to the survival of our democracies, Eric Falt observed in his address.