WAN-Ifra has assembled a mass of material for publishers who want to mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

Newspapers and online news sites can publish editorial, photographs, cartoons and advertising material on press freedom themes.

These are available online at http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org

The resources are designed to engage readers with the issues surrounding press freedom as well as highlight the fragility of the right to freedom of expression. A comprehensive package of editorial, visual and advertising content can be downloaded free of charge, in part or in full and in a selection of languages, ready for publication on or around the day.

Among the materials offered is an exclusive WAN-Ifra editorial that discusses the media’s ongoing struggle to remain free and independent against a backdrop of violence, threats and journalist deaths:

“Online and off, new challenges or familiar threats are no less shocking,” says deputy chief executive and director of communications and public affairs Larry Kilman.

“Each year heralds a roll call of journalist casualties, imprisoned media professionals and publications threatened, intimidated or financially strangled to the point of closure. “Above all, with a sense of solemn reflection, May 3 is an occasion to remember colleagues targetted for their work, especially those killed in the line of duty.”

High-resolution advertising materials from award-winning design team Iris Worldwide, along with evocative photographs from the last 12 months of news coverage by Agence France-Presse, provide a range of alternatives for striking visual coverage.

A short animated film is also available for sharing that highlights the number of journalists killed over the last 15 years and encourages support for the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity – a global call, backed by WAN-Ifra, for all stakeholders to better protect media professionals working in dangerous environments.

Other material includes editorial cartoons provided in association with French organisation Cartooning for Peace, a multimedia package highlighting journalists killed that includes infographics revealing the world’s most dangerous regions for media professionals, and resources for educators and newspapers to engage with young readers.

The full package of materials can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org.

WAN-Ifra also encourages publications and news sites around the world to get in touch with their own ways of marking May 3, World Press Freedom Day.