Press Freedom

OPC Commemorates World Press Freedom Day, Highlighting Threats to Journalist Safety Worldwide

NEW YORK, May 4, 2026 — World Press Freedom Day commemorates the need for journalists worldwide to be able to do their work freely and independently, without intrusions by governments and without fear of being harassed, jailed, injured, or even killed for doing their jobs. It is also a day to celebrate the role of a free press globally and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their freedom or their lives in upholding the ideals of a free press.

The Overseas Press Club of America both celebrates and soberly commemorates World Press Freedom Day this year. As an association of journalists with a mission that includes advocating for the freedom and independence of journalists throughout the world, and with many members who have been foreign correspondents, the OPC is a staunch opponent of any restrictions that could hamper a free press.

In the past, the OPC has spoken out against the dangers faced by journalists doing their jobs around the world, often in authoritarian regimes and in war zones. Most recently, journalists covering the war in Gaza and, in recent months, the war in the Middle East have been prevented from gaining access to information and sites needed to fully cover the conflict, and they have been harassed, maimed, and killed.

According to data compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 130 journalists and media workers were killed in 2025. As of Dec. 1, 2025, CPJ estimates that 334 journalists and media workers were imprisoned and 85 were missing. The OPC finds these numbers shocking and unacceptable—even one death or one jailing of a journalist seeking to do their job is too many. The OPC will continue to steadfastly uphold the principles of a free press globally, even in countries with authoritarian governments that do not view independent journalism as a right.

Yet on this World Press Freedom Day, the OPC must also focus on dangers in the United States, where press freedom is constitutionally protected. Since we commemorated this occasion in 2025, there have been a number of incursions on press freedom in the U.S. These include the Pentagon’s attempts to restrict press coverage by curtailing access and the privileges of journalists covering the Pentagon. Even after the Pentagon’s restrictive press policy was deemed by federal courts to violate journalists’ constitutional rights, the Pentagon has continued to restrict access in other ways, most recently by requiring that journalists visiting the Pentagon have an official escort.

Since last year, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has dissolved after its federal funding was eliminated by Congress, affecting PBS, NPR, and more than 1,500 local stations. The Trump administration also sought to shut down Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Middle East Broadcasting Networks and continues to try to pare back safeguards protecting the editorial independence of journalists working for these international broadcasters.

Given the threats to press freedom in the U.S. as well as internationally, the OPC joins other press organizations globally in advocating for journalists to operate freely and condemns governments, companies, organizations, and individuals who seek to impede those rights. We also remember and honor those journalists who, in the past year, gave their lives in pursuit of journalism.

Overseas Press Club of America