Girne American University(GAU) assistant professor Ümmü Altan Bayraktar made a statement about the World Press Freedom Day.

Bayraktar: “Press Freedom is not a freedom just for journalists, it is the most important guaranty for everyone to live in a democratic society.”

Bayraktar  pointed out that in accordance with the decision in 1994 by the United Nations the “World Press Freedom Day” started being celebrated every year on 3 May all over the world and in our country and within this scope many events are being organized, and also added that while the purpose of journalism is being based on a classic liberal theory, a bond is being established between democracy, press and press freedom and with this approach, press is being accepted as one of the most important things to sustain and develop democracy. Within this scope, she emphasized that for the press to perform its duty in a democratic society and for democracy to work and develop, the press has to work in a free environment. Bayraktar also said, at the present time, by free market’s nature, monopolization and concentration tendencies in the press and other mass media, pressures from media owners pose a threat to the polyphony. And it sabotages the relationship between press and democracy, makes journalistic function debatable.

Bayraktar emphasized that it is only possible in a free environment for the press to work as a political arena function, to check the political authorities in the name of the people, to take the role of the observer of the public and work in a way that reflects different voices in society. Also said that “Press Freedom is not a freedom just for journalists, it is the most important guaranty for everyone to live in a democratic society.”

Bayraktar said in the article 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights dated 10 December 1948; Even though seeking, receiving and imparting information is officially recognized, when the recent developments are considered, developments that restrict freedom of the press continues in many areas.