Home Thoughts Cartoons World Press Freedom Day May 3, 2016

World Press Freedom Day May 3, 2016

World Press Freedom Day is sponsored by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It is intended to highlight the importance of a free and independent media. UNESCO’s director-general, Irina Bokova says, “At this time of turbulence and change across the world, including new challenges that require global cooperation and action. The need for quality information has never been so important this requires a strong environment of press freedom and well-functioning systems to ensure the people’s right to know.”

The survival of independent news coverage is becoming increasingly precarious throughout the world in both state and privately-owned media because of the threat from ideologies, especially religious ideologies, that are hostile to media freedom, and from large-scale propaganda machines.

The United States ranked 41st in a report issued by the United Nations, up eight places from last year. The report concluded that a major obstacle to press freedom in the United States is “the government’s war on whistle-blowers who leak information about its surveillance activities, spying and foreign operations.”

Edward Snowden and corporate whistleblowers Sherron Watkins, and Cynthia Cooper would agree with that rating. Sherron Watkins exposed the misdeeds of Enron Corp. Cynthia Cooper exposed fraud at Worldcom.

“At a time when corporate dishonesty is dominating public attention, Extraordinary Circumstances makes it clear that the tone set at the top is critical to fostering an ethical environment in the workplace.” – Cynthia Cooper

World Press Freedom Day: US 41st

Whistleblowers help journalists uncover fraud and other wrongdoing. The state of the Union is not good, and these famous names remind us of that.

FBI agent Colleen Rowley exposed FBI inaction on 9/11 terrorists. Jeffrey Wigand informed on the tobacco industry, which continues to wreak havoc in the third world. Remember Karen Silkwood? She blew the whistle on nuclear plants. Frank Serpico was a NYC police officer. He moved out of the country after being shot in the face. Linda Tripp informed on the White House scandal with Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

World Press Freedom Day. - Hill Communications Canada © Michael Pohrer 5-3-2016.
World Press Freedom Day

Three years ago, Politico published this excellent list of 10 famous whistleblowers.

Michael Pohrer; Internationally Syndicated Missouri Animator / Cartoonist / Illustrator. Currently Newsblaze’s Featured Editorial Cartoonist, Editorial Cartoonist for The Global Free Press. Creator of FIDDLESTIX©, Welcome To The Jungle© and the new feature cartoon strip A Minute With Captain Obvious©. Spilling ink on drawing boards since 1979. Delivering daily funnies to the masses through the printed pages since 1988. Currently a member of SCCS Southern California Cartoonists Society – San Diego Chapter of The National Cartoonists Society, CAPS, Comic Art Professional Society, I.C.C. International Cartoonist Conspiracy, and The St. Louis Gateway Arts.

The various animations / digital graphics / and cartoons produced at PC Studios can be seen throughout various media sources internationally such as The Global Free Press (Kingston, Ontario Canada), The Nashville Free Press (U.S.A.), Newsblaze Publications (U.S.A.), and Newropeans Magazine (Paris, France).Broadcast across network television through the MeTV Network, NBC Sports and NBC, available through Google News, included in “Best Editorial” compilations, Comic Books (U.K. and Britain) as well as anthologies, newspapers, magazines and exhibits in Galleries / Museums.

For more cartoons you can check out Michael’s TOONED IN© Blog or email him directly at fantasticgraphics @ gmail dot com

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