World Broadcasting Unions Celebrates World Press Freedom Day
For Immediate Release
WBU Statement on 2026 World Press Freedom Day
PRESS RELEASE – World Broadcasting Unions Celebrates World Press Freedom Day
TORONTO, ON — May 1, 2026 — The News Committee of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) is celebrating World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2026, at an inflection point. Journalists across the world are reporting amid unprecedented levels of danger and fake news distribution. From every corner of the world, journalists continue to risk their lives to ensure the world has access to verified, unbiased information.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) continue to report on the increasing number of journalists killed in countries around the globe, especially in areas of conflict. In addition, several hundred journalists are currently being detained worldwide in violation of their civil rights and mission to report on global affairs.
The service journalists deliver is essential to the bedrock of democracy, a safeguard against abuse of power and a vital force for diversity, dialogue and human rights. But artificial intelligence poses an added threat to the transparency, accuracy and accountability that readers, listeners and viewers expect from a free press. The World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) acknowledge this threat and call upon media outlets worldwide to stand up for news integrity in the age of AI by demanding AI platforms commit to accuracy and attribution in using media content, obtain media companies’ permission to use their content and develop standards of safety and transparency.
WBU supports the five principles for responsible use of news by AI set out by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) that protect the integrity of news. For more on these principles, visit https://www.newsintegrity.org/home.
Now is the time for all stakeholders to join the World Broadcasting Unions in standing as a bulwark against the insidious influence of misinformation and disinformation and in defence of facts. We urge responsible use of artificial intelligence and issue a clarion call for big tech companies to deepen their collaboration with the News Integrity initiative.
We are committed to playing our part in ensuring that AI is used as a vehicle for propagating accurate information, as part of an information ecosystem anchored by trust in news. We urge consumers of content around the world to scrupulously assess the source of the news they receive, to avoid becoming unsuspecting victims of the purveyors of disinformation. On this World Press Freedom Day, we reflect on the time-honoured tenets of our field: accuracy, fairness and fearlessness and are determined to ensure they are immutable in a world of rapid technological change.
It is our commitment to the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day: “Shaping a Future at Peace.”
** ASBU abstains from this statement.
About WBU:
The World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) was established in 1992 as a coordinating body at the international broadcasting level. Since then, the WBU has provided global solutions on key issues for its member unions. The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) acts as secretariat for the WBU.
For more information, please contact:
Chris Holzmann, Manager, Digital and Administrative Operations
cholzmann@nabanet.com