Every year on May 3, many countries celebrate World Press Freedom Day. This day was declared relatively recently, in 1993, which in itself is rather peculiar, given that the world’s first printed newspaper first appeared in China back in the 8th century. It took Europe another six centuries to establish the printing industry, and nine centuries in Russia and the United States.
Coincidentally, the first American newspaper, founded in Boston on September 25, 1690 by the English journalist and publisher Benjamin Harris, was immediately closed. The colonial authorities did not like that it addressed the problems of the indigenous inhabitants of the continent. There was not even a trace of any freedom of the press in those days. But does it exist today?
We have to admit that today the basic principles of journalism – accuracy and objectivity – are increasingly violated. The information space is filled with tendentious and biased materials, where all kinds of fake news mislead people, and it is difficult to distinguish а truth from a lie.
It is not for nothing that journalism is called the Fourth Estate: the role of mass media in national politics is enormous. And that means a huge responsibility to people and the world.
