As the digital media landscape is rapidly changing, shaping new cultural identities and a means of expression for people who find themselves at crossroads in democracy-seeking countries, its importance has never been more crucial.

Thus, organizations with broad outreach such as the United Nations Foundation, IREX, Internews Network, International Center for Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the Center for International Media Assistance, just to name a few, will host the “World Press Freedom Day 2011 – 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers.”

The event is meant to foster freedom of expression and of the press as a basic human right, and to inform about how freedom is not free in so many countries around the world, where “publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.” 

Participants come from different corners of the world, like Guatemala, Mexico, Bangladesh, Australia, Belarus, Romania, Hungary, Pakistan, India, the United States, Malaysia, Russia, China, Argentina.

The event will take place May 1 – 3, 2011, at the Newseum for the first two days, and at the National Press Club for its last day, both venues located downtown Washington, D.C.

More information about this initiative, including speakers, bios, agenda and the World Press Freedom Day live blog can be found on www.wpfd2011.org.