World Press Freedom Day: When Truth Is Filtered, Children Pay the Price
World Press Freedom Day falls on 3 May. It should not become a polite annual tribute to journalism. It should make us ask a harder question: who decides what truth we are allowed to see?
That question matters to every child, survivor and person living under coercive control. When people hide, soften or avoid uncomfortable truths, abuse gains space to survive.
The issue is not only whether the press is free. It is whether the truth reaches the people who need it before harm is done.
What is World Press Freedom Day?
The United Nations marks World Press Freedom Day every year to defend press freedom, support independent journalism and remember journalists who have died in pursuit of a story. UNESCO says the day reminds governments to respect their commitment to press freedom and asks media professionals to reflect on press freedom and professional ethics.
In 2026, UNESCO’s global conference will use the theme “Shaping a Future at Peace”, linking press freedom to human rights, development and security.
A society cannot protect children while it controls who may speak, who may report and whose suffering reaches the public.
Why World Press Freedom Day matters to safeguarding
For Freedom Charity, press freedom matters because silence helps abuse survive.
Forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse often depend on secrecy, fear and control. Some children feel unable to speak. Some survivors fear blame. Some professionals miss warning signs when public understanding remains weak.
Good journalism can break that silence. It can explain the law, expose patterns of harm and help teachers, police, health professionals and neighbours recognise risk before it is too late.
Press freedom is not only about journalists. It is about whether the public can access the truth needed to protect people.
When the public turns away from the news
Another danger now sits beside censorship: many people no longer trust the news enough to read or watch it.
The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025 says traditional news media struggle to connect with much of the public, with declining engagement, low trust and stagnant digital subscriptions. Its executive summary also records trust in news across markets at 40%, after a clear decline over the last decade.
That shift matters for safeguarding. People who avoid the news may miss warnings about abuse. Those who rely only on algorithms, influencers or political loyalties may never see credible safeguarding advice at all.
Press freedom means little if truth cannot reach the people who need it.
Journalists still face danger
World Press Freedom Day also reminds us that many journalists face serious threats. Some report from conflict zones. Others work under authoritarian rule, legal intimidation, financial pressure or public hostility.
Reporters Without Borders says its 2026 World Press Freedom Index has fallen to a 25-year low. For the first time in the index’s history, more than half of the 180 countries and territories assessed fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
Anyone who cares about human rights should take that seriously. When journalists cannot report safely, the public receives fragments of truth. Hidden harm becomes easier to deny.
Who controls the story?
The public often hears that the media reports the news. In reality, the media also chooses the angle.
Editors decide what leads. Algorithms decide what spreads. Governments decide what can be accessed. Powerful interests decide what pressure to apply. Audiences decide what they are willing to believe.
That does not make all journalism corrupt. It means truth needs scrutiny. It also means independent, responsible reporting matters more, not less.
For children at risk of forced marriage, FGM or dishonour abuse, this is not abstract. A dominant story can make their risk disappear. A careless headline can turn coercion into “culture”. Weak language can soften danger until adults hesitate.
Weak language gives dangerous systems somewhere to hide.
Freedom Charity’s work shows why truth matters
Freedom Charity’s work relies on clear information reaching people before harm occurs.
Through education, books, training, awareness work, safeguarding resources and routes to help, Freedom Charity challenges the silence around forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse. This work matters because children cannot seek help for harm they have never been taught to name.
Freedom Charity has donated more than 100,000 copies of But It’s Not Fair and Cut Flowers to children, schools, professionals and libraries. These books help young people understand forced marriage and FGM in language they can recognise and discuss safely.
The charity’s Not in My Name campaign also speaks to boys and young men. Prevention cannot fall only on girls. Boys must help end abuse, challenge pressure and reject coercion.
This is truth in practical form: information reaching children, families and professionals before silence becomes danger.
What Freedom Charity believes
Freedom Charity believes truth protects.
We do not protect children by looking away. We do not protect survivors by dressing abuse in the language of culture when it involves coercion, harm or crime. Nor do we protect the public when news becomes so filtered, distrusted or exhausting that people stop listening.
World Press Freedom Day should remind us that every hidden abuse needs someone brave enough to tell the truth and someone responsible enough to hear it.
Silence protects abusers. Clear, careful reporting helps protect children.
If someone is at risk
Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
Seek safeguarding advice immediately if you are worried about a child or adult at risk of forced marriage, FGM or dishonour abuse. Professionals should follow their safeguarding procedures and act promptly where risk is present.
FAQs
What is World Press Freedom Day?
World Press Freedom Day takes place on 3 May each year. It defends press freedom, supports independent journalism and remembers journalists who have died while doing their work.
Why does World Press Freedom Day matter to safeguarding?
Safeguarding depends on truth. Journalism helps expose abuse, explain the law and support early action when children or adults face risk.
How does this relate to Freedom Charity?
Freedom Charity works to prevent forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse. Its work depends on clear public information, education, books, training, safeguarding resources and routes to help.
Why are people avoiding the news?
Research shows that news organisations face declining engagement and low trust. That creates a serious problem when vital safeguarding information fails to reach the public.
DONATE to Freedom charity
United Nations: World Press Freedom Day
https://www.un.org/en/observances/press-freedom-day
UNESCO: World Press Freedom Day
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/press-freedom
UNESCO 2026 conference
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-press-freedom-day-2026-conference-shaping-future-peace
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025
Reuters Institute 2025 executive summary
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025/dnr-executive-summary
Reporters Without Borders 2026 Index
https://rsf.org/en/2026-rsf-index-press-freedom-25-year-low
Aneeta Prem, London 3 May 2026