WAN-Ifra and the World Editors Forum marked World Press Freedom Day yesterday with an appeal for improved physical protections for journalists, an end to censorship and other pressures facing news media.

The event marks "yet another tragic year for the profession": so far this year 19 journalists have been killed in connection with their work, eight of them related to the January 7 attack on the newsroom of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The numbers follow at least 61 journalist deaths in 2014.

"WAN-Ifra uses World Press Freedom Day to repeat the call that 'enough is enough' when it comes to the killing of journalists and demands that more is done to better protect the profession," secretary general Larry Kilman says. "The Charlie Hebdo attack was a wake-up call to many that critical views even in democratic societies are under severe threat - already a fact, sadly, on a daily basis in many other parts of the world.

"But it is not simply through the horrendous criminal acts of fanatics that the press is silenced. We are witnessing an alarming rise in attempts to undermine the independence, financial stability and digital security of news organisations from multiple sources, which is something that should be of deep concern to us all. A critical press is more essential than ever in denouncing all forms of attack on freedom of expression in order to hold the powerful to account."

While killings, physical attacks and jailing continue to dominate the headlines and provide the most shocking reminder of the fragility of the profession, more subtle and often overlooked forms of censorship are fast eroding media freedoms worldwide, often with equally devastating consequences for freedom of expression.

One form is indirect government censorship, or 'soft censorship'.

Less visible than more traditional forms of harassment against media professionals, the term soft censorship refers to indirect or under-the-radar abuses of financial, regulatory and other government powers to punish critical reporting and reward favourable coverage. Where the financial leverage of governments and their cronies is used against media, it often leads to unbalanced reporting and promotes a culture of fear among media professionals, finally spiralling into self-censorship, the organisations say.

A new website www.softcensorship.org and accompanying Twitter account @softcensorship / #SoftCensorship have been created to help expose government interference with a free press.

Through its new online platforms, WAN-Ifra says it aims to denounce cases of unfair official advertising allocation, biased distribution of subsidies, paid "news", bribery and payments to journalists and editors, and other administrative pressures such as licenses, import restrictions, excessive tax bills and audit procedures that contribute to strangling a free press worldwide.

Media are invited to use the resources to expose instances of soft censorship and contribute to a broader understanding of the phenomenon as a means to better protect transparency and independence.

"While we must use every means available to prevent the killing of journalists and better protect those most at risk, equally, we cannot afford to ignore challenges to independent media from elsewhere," says Kilman. "Left unchecked, these threats will grow to undermine the work of our colleagues who have sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom of expression. All attacks on a free press have the goal of silencing critical reporting, and we must be alert and ready to denounce them, wherever and however they arise."

Resources currently available include an editorial addressing press freedom concerns - including journalists killed and soft censorship - at http://www.wan-ifra.org/node/129940/

• As part of the Global Media Freedom Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark has announced the allocation of 14 million Danish Kroner (1.9 million Euros) to launch an initiative to support the development of free and independent media in developing countries and fragile states.

Danish minister for trade and development cooperation Mogen Jensen expressed concern that freedom of the press was under pressure in many parts of the world: "A free and critical press is crucial to give insight into the decisions of those in power and thereby to hold them responsible. In the context of development, press freedom is a prerequisite to encourage democracy and good governance," he said.

Partner WAN-Ifra will provide support and training to more than 60 media from 12 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Among other things, the project will focus on digital development, professional training for women editors and executives, as well as better legislative protection of media.

Larry Kilman says the "support on a large scale" will help strengthen independent news media around the world. Denmark also announced it would make an allocation to International Media Support, in cooperation with global associations like the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists, to create a global forum for development and exchange of best practices in relation to the security and protection of journalists.