O National Press Freedom Day is a date celebrated in Brazil on June 7, with the objective of celebrating the importance of freedom of expression for our society, in addition to being a time to fight censorship and denounce the problems that journalists face in the Brazil.
This commemorative date is celebrated on June 7th because that was the day that a manifesto against censorship of the Military Dictatorship was released and signed by almost three thousand journalists in 1977. The Brazilian date is not celebrated on the same day as the international commemoration, which took place on May 3.
Read too: After all, what is censorship?
Summary on National Press Freedom Day
The National Press Freedom Day is celebrated in Brazil on June 7th.
This commemorative date aims to celebrate the importance of freedom of the press in our society.
In addition, this day is a time to combat censorship and denounce the problems that journalism suffers in Brazil.
The choice of June 7 is related to a manifesto by journalists against censorship during the Military Dictatorship.
There is a World Press Freedom Day, but this one is celebrated on May 3rd.
Why celebrate National Press Freedom Day?
Every year, the National Press Freedom Day is celebrated in our country, and the day set aside for this is June 7. This is a commemorative date that has great relevance for reinforce the importance of freedom of the press in building our society. This is because a democracy cannot be built without this fundamental right.
The importance of freedom of the press is demonstrated mainly because in recent Brazilian history, our society has already witnessed the evils caused by censorship. Therefore, it is a date on which we also seek to combat censorship, remembering the horrors caused by the deprivation of the right to freedom of the press.
This commemorative date is also a good time to fight violence against journalists — a serious problem at the national level. This is because Brazil is one of the countries that most commit violence against journalists, including physical and verbal aggression, intimidation, judicial persecution, etc.
Therefore, it is a fundamental date, as it reinforces the importance of freedom of expression, recalls the horrors of censorship and denounces the problems faced by the journalistic class in our country. The Brazilian celebration does not coincide with the international one, established by the United Nations and celebrated on May 3.
Origins of National Press Freedom Day
The National Press Freedom Day was established as a time to fight for the defense of journalism and freedom. The choice of date is related to an event that took place during the military dictatorship. This dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985, was marked by lack of freedom, repression, censorship and torture.
At the end of the 1970s, Brazilian society began to raise voices against the dictatorship in requests demanding the democratization of the country. One such group was journalists. ANDn 1977, around three thousand journalists signed a manifesto demanding an end to censorship and the democratic opening of Brazil.
The choice of the date on which we celebrate the National Day of Freedom of the Press is related to this manifesto, since it was released on June 7, 1977. Therefore, as a tribute to this event, we celebrate on June 7th.
Read too: Democratic State of Law — when the power of the State submits to the rights of citizens
Press freedom concept
Freedom of the press is one of the most basic rights existing in Brazilian society, and can be defined as the right for the entire population to have direct access to information, not being deprived of anything. In addition, the journalist also has the guarantee of access to information, being able to transmit it through any means of communication, not suffering any reprisal for doing so.
The right to freedom of the press is closely related to freedom of expression, two fundamental rights in one. democratic regime. With the freedom of the press, the population has access to the news, being able to form their opinion based on the process of building society. This right must be guaranteed by the State. To learn more about press freedom, click here.
Problems faced by the press in Brazil
This commemorative date, in addition to being a time to combat censorship, serves to denounce the problems faced by journalists in Brazil, and they are not few. This because Brazil is one of countries violence in the world against journalists.
Among the problems faced by the class of journalists are:
physical violence they suffer while carrying out their work;
verbal abuse and intimidation;
harassment in court;
financial problems faced by Brazilian newspapers;
spread of fake news, which establishes barriers to the acceptance of journalistic work.
Brazil's situation in this matter is more easily perceptible through an annual ranking by Reporters Without Borders, a non-governmental organization that monitors press freedom in 180 countries. In this ranking, Brazil occupies, in the year 2023, the 92nd position.
Sources
Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Brasília: Federal Senate, 2016.
LEYSER, Maria Fatima Vaquero Ramalho. Right to freedom of the press. Available in: http://www.mpsp.mp.br/portal/page/portal/documentacao_e_divulgacao/doc_publicacao_divulgacao/doc_gra_doutrina_civel/civel%2032.pdf.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Available in: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/por.pdf.
Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories. Freedom of the Press vs Freedom of Expression. Available in: https://www.tjdft.jus.br/institucional/imprensa/campanhas-e-produtos/direito-facil/edicao-semanal/liberdade-de-imprensa-x-liberdade-de-expressao.
Martinelli, Gustavo. The limits and duties of freedom of the press.Available in: https://www.aurum.com.br/blog/liberdade-de-imprensa/.
Alves, Isabella. How important is freedom of the press to democracy? Available in: https://www.politize.com.br/importancia-da-liberdade-de-imprensa-para-a-democracia/.
Mello, Celso. The fundamental importance of freedom of the press. Available in: https://direito.usp.br/noticia/e1b52f3319a8-a-importancia-fundamental-da-liberdade-de-imprensa.
Reporters Without Borders.World Press Freedom Ranking 2023: The dangers of the fake content industry. Available in: https://rsf.org/pt-br/ranking-mundial-de-liberdade-de-imprensa-2023-os-perigos-da-ind%C3%Bastria-de-conte%C3%Bados-falsos? data_type=general&year=2023.
PEACE Walmaro. Analysis | National Press Freedom Day is a day to fight censorship. Available in: https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2022/06/07/analise-dia-nacional-da-liberdade-de-imprensa-e-uma-data-de-luta-contra-a-censura
G1. On National Press Freedom Day, an action in defense of professional journalism. Available in: https://g1.globo.com/economia/midia-e-marketing/noticia/2022/06/07/no-dia-nacional-da-liberdade-de-imprensa-uma-acao-em-defesa-do-jornalismo-profissional.ghtml
By Daniel Neves Silva
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/7-de-junho-dia-nacional-da-liberdade-de-imprensa.htm
