UNESCO Press Freedom Day

Disinformation the Theme of This Year’s Report

By Maya Plentz

Geneva, 3 May 2020

UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the UN agency that supports international cooperation through education, science, and culture, marks the World Press Freedom Day today, on the 3rd of May. This year's UNESCO 2020 World Trends Report on Media Independence report will focus on disinformation and COVID-19.

UNESCO will also present latest data from its 2020 World Trends Report on Media Independence and Press Freedom in Times of COVID-19, to be launched on 5 May. Taking a closer look at the news media and social media information landscape during the pandemic, the report highlights research showing that nearly 42 % of over 178 million tweets related to COVID-19, during the period studied, were produced by bots, and that 40% of these messages were unreliable.

On Monday, 4th of May, UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, will host an online discussion on the “importance of free media in providing the public with…