A two-day Global Conference for Media Freedom, aiming to zero in on issues faced by journalists across the world, began in the British capital on Wednesday.
The conference, based on the theme 'Defend Media Freedom' has been sponsored by the UK government and the government of Canada and has brought together media personalities from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Journalists, government representatives and other stakeholders from Bangladesh as well as from the Bengali diaspora are taking part the conference.
The conference, spread over a number of sessions over two days, covers a wide range of subjects related to media freedom and the varied threats journalists face in the performance of their professional responsibilities.
Among the themes being discussed and debated on at the meeting are 'Media Ownership is Media Independence', 'Journalists Under Threat', 'Why Public Media Matters', 'Safety of Female Journalists', 'Media Freedom in the Americas Challenges and Opportunities', 'Eastern Europe and Central Asia Building an Integrated Support System for Journalists Facing Hostile Environments', 'Religion and the Media Telling the Untold Story', 'Laws, Lies and Liberty --- the Landscape of Media Freedom in South-East Asia', 'Strengthening Media Freedom Across the Commonwealth', 'Press Freedom, Development and Democracy in Africa', 'Navigating Disinformation', 'Taking a Stand How We Defend Freedom', 'Supporting Media Freedom in Challenging Environments', 'Innovation to End Journalist Murders', 'Trust in the Media the UK in Focus', 'Media Freedom in the Western Balkans and New Ways of Working' and 'International Partnership for Information and Democracy'.The conference will end today with national and regional statements on the state of the media being issued at the concluding session.
---from London