The World News Day is celebrated every year on September 28. It was conceived in 2017 by Globe and Mail Editor-in-Chief David Walmey. Last year the Day was supported by more than 500 newsrooms around the world. This year’s theme is Choose Truth and includes fact-based journalism. The campaign this year requires journalists to highlight the importance of truth-based journalism and those participating in it are requested to amplify it by tweeting # Journalism Matters # ChooseTruth.
In Pakistan, many newsrooms including Dawn have joined the Choose Truth campaign. Internationally, The Telegraph, Financial Times, Press Trust of India, Global Investigative Journalism Network, and The Guardian Foundation have also joined this campaign.
The Day is being celebrated amid the ever-evolving new technologies, shifting business models, and political autocracies. Real journalism faces trouble from the no-holds-barred disinformation, fabrications, and lies being disseminated through Social Media. Those who shout loudest on Social Media seem to be the newsmakers of the day, overshadowing the professional reporters and editors trained and determined to stand behind everything they publish. Responsible journalism is a tougher business than polemicists and propagandists.
Journalists’ journey starts with a photograph, incomplete information, a complete file, a final edit, and verified facts before placing the story in public discourse. The great miracle is: that facts are not suppressible. Journalists move into communities, villages, towns, and the wider world and find stories to be told to people. These journalists are threatened, hassled, and belittled but they respond with more facts, more answers and more independence of thought to maintain a link between you and the outer world.Journalists are our bridge that build our future , supported by readers , audiences and all those who want to choose facts over fiction , truth over lies. The latest press freedom index places Pakistan at 152 based on detentions and disappearances . In the index of press freedom we are ranked below Rwanda and Somalia. Yet our journalists are holding onto the prestinetenets of this noble profession.
On the occasion of World News Day , our journalists owe salute from us for holding out there despite all obstacles and threats . They have decided to Choose Truth , as truth cannot be suppressed.
