While May 3 is known as World Press Freedom Day, June 7 is when National Press Freedom Day is celebrated. The difference between these two dates is beyond the name they bear.
May 3 is celebrated in honor of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This article defines that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which implies the right not to be disturbed by their opinions and the right to seek, receive and impart, regardless of frontiers, information and ideas through any means of expression”.
In other words, it is a way of showing that all people are free to talk about the subjects or themes they want, in addition to being able to use the press to expand their sources of knowledge.
On the other hand, the celebration of June 7th concerns the Spanish press, as it is a national date, and the censorship to which the Spanish media has already been subjected. If the 3rd is a day to talk about press freedom in the world, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 7th is a day to talk about the limitations that the Spanish press should not face.
Media censorship in España became wide open during the Military Dictatorship (1964-1984). At that time, the government led the way in which information was transmitted and selected what could be said or not. The objective was for the population to have a good impression of the military in power.
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A department was even created responsible for defining the news, approving it or conducting it. It was about DIP (Department of Press and Propaganda).
As a result, a wave of omission and misinformation took over the country. Cake recipes were shared in newspapers, journalists were tortured and killed. A striking case was the murder of journalist Vladimir Herzog, who took a stand against the government.
At the time, it was reported that he had hanged himself. From the photo released and from further studies, it was identified that this version was not true. This is just one of the examples of information professionals who were victims of this dictatorial regime.
Since redemocratization took hold, the press gradually began to regain the necessary freedom to inform. The objective of journalism will always be to present a critical view of the problems that society faces.
Despite all the criticism of the Spanish press, the maxim of George Orwell, writer prevails: “Journalism is publishing what someone doesn't want published. Everything else is advertising”. Censorship against the media will always be a way of preventing the press from being in full swing.
Fortunately, society is moving towards freedom of the press to be increasingly valued and conquered. An example of this is the space that columnists have to produce opinionated texts in newspapers, magazines and content sites, such as Eu Sem Fronteiras.
On this site, people can write what they think about the most different topics, always looking for reliable sources to form their opinions and positions. Without censorship, it is possible to produce content that allows information about different realities, new ways of thinking and placing oneself in the world.
It is essential that more and more media outlets adopt this stance, so that society is always properly informed and aware of the numerous possibilities of talking about a subject.
