AAN was one of more than 20 organizations who observed World Press Freedom Day by issuing a joint statement pledging to do more to work together to strengthen journalism and protect the rights of free speech.  Noting a changing political climate and economic changes that have affected newsrooms, these groups hope to produce “more transparency, more democracy and a better world” by:

• Increasingly coming together for both professional endeavors and moral support.
• Reminding each organization’s own members of the primary goal to inform, not entertain.
• Seeking new ways to engage in important reporting.
• Engaging with communities to hear new stories and build new sources.
• Re-establishing the news media as a friend, not enemy, of the people.

You can also read an essay written by AAN Legal Counsel Kevin M. Goldberg for the National Press Foundation about the particular importance that World Press Freedom Day has taken on in 2017.