Welcome!

Twelve years ago, on May, 3rd, 1991, a UNESCO-Conference in Windhoek adopted a Declaration in which it was stated that "the establishment, maintenance and fostering of an independent, pluralistic and free press is essential to the development and maintenance of democracy in a nation and for economic development." After 40 years of East-West-Confrontation, the political changes of 1989 opened the door for a full and global implementation of the rights and freedoms, enshrined in Articlel 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO decided to celebrate the day of the adoption of the "Windhoek Declaration" as the "World Press Freedom Day"

The call for media freedom was in the center of the "velvet revolutions" of 1989 und 1990 in the eastern part of Europe and in particular of the Leipzig "Monday Demonstrations" which paved the way fort he fall of the Berlin Wall.
Insfar it was only natural, that the "Media City Leipzig e.V.", a non-for-profit organisaton, in cooperation with the city administration and the German UNESCO Commission, launched in 1995 the "Leipzig Round Table on the World Press Freedom Day". The Round Table gives on opportunity, to discuss annualy on challenges, deficiencies and achievments with regard to press freedom in the world. Since 2001 the Media Foundation of the Leipziger Sparkasse uses this day to award a spezial "Price,fort he Freedom and Future of the Media" to outstanding international journalists, who made an contribution to the promotion of press freedom in the world.

Gideon Levy,
Israelian Journalist,
Editor-in-Chief, Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv

Daoud Kuttab,
Palästinian Journalist,
Director of the "Institute of Modern Media", Al-Quads University in Ramallah

Wladimir Mostowoj,
Ukrainian Journalist,
Editor-in-Cief, Zerkalo Nedeli, Kiew

"Netzwerk Recherche e.V.", Wiesbaden
Thomas Leif, Chairman