In 1998, The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
To commemorate 2024’s World Press Freedom Day, Internews Europe CEO Meera Selva sat down with exiled Afghan journalist and founder of Rukhshana Media Zahra Joya for a conversation on the experience of journalists working in exile, the risks of declining media freedoms, and how the international community can help support journalists forced to flee. The conversation took place ahead of the release of Internews’ forthcoming report, “Flight and Fight, Supporting Exiled Media to Survive and Sustain,” (publishing 2 May 2024) which documents the issues exiled media face and how governments, donors, and others can support these outlets to continue their vital work.