The annual World Press Freedom Conference 2020 has been held in December. The World Press Freedom Conference 2020 is an event that annually brings together journalists, media companies, human rights defenders, judicial officers, politicians, scientists, youth, non-governmental organisations – all those who are interested in press freedom issues around the world.
Master's degree students at the Department of Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations of the Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities took part in the World Press Freedom Conference online, although the event itself was held in a mixed format (online and offline). The conference was organized by UNESCO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where the speaker of the conference Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, said:
"A free press is essential for a functioning democracy and a free society."
The conference raised issues of the safety of journalists, legal protection of freedom of expression, global challenges and their solutions, public trust, the increasing influence of the audience on media content, etc. Journalists, editors, directors of relevant organisations and other specialists from different countries were invited for the discussion.
"Participation in the conference was very fruitful for me. I learned about organisations in the field of media, human rights protection, heard the opinions of experts, and made notes on some interesting cases. The conference immersed me in the world of journalism with its peculiarities, problems, and the people who care," said the conference participant Kristina Krainova, Master's degree student at the Department of Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations of the Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities.
The conference was held in English and its format implied holding a discussion. Questions could be sent via a special window. At the conference venues, there was also an opportunity to vote for one of the opinions on a certain issue, after which the results were summed up.
"Society needs reliable information and honest opinions about events," expressed his opinion the conference participant, Master's degree student at the Department of Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations of the Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities Georgii Borkoniuk. "To make this possible, it is necessary to resolve a number of issues that were discussed at the conference: open access to information, safety of expression, interaction with media, etc."
All the materials are available in the recording on the platform.