Journalists from various parts gather in Addis Ababa to celebrate World Press Freedom Day

The journalists and media specialists from all parts of the globe have gathered in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to attend a three-day conference and celebrate the World Press Freedom Day (falls on May 3).

Among various topics, one of the burning issues in the discussion is 'fake social media contents'. The Associated Press Correspondent in Ethiopia, Elias Meseret highlighted the rise of hate speech on social media in Ethiopia. Meseret urged the journalists to play vital roles in exposing such contents whenever they come across any such thing.

Meseret also brought forward the affiliation of some journalists in Ethiopia with certain political groups as a threat for the fledgeling press freedom of Ethiopia. "The responsibility of the journalists should be to align themselves with the truth and the truth only. Not with certain political groups," Elias said, as reported by New Business Ethiopia website.

According to Meseret, if the law is applied in a good manner it helps to contain the growing hate speech on social media and regional media, which some described as ethnic media. Applying professional standards in journalism will help tackle hate speeches, according to Alistair King Smith, United Kingdom Foreign Office's Global Campaign for Media Freedom, who was also one of the panellists.

David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression on his part stated that governments and civil societies should also look into how they can stigmatize hate speech.

"No democracy is complete without access to transparent and reliable information. It is the cornerstone for building fair and impartial institutions, holding leaders accountable and speaking truth to power," said António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, In his message a few days ahead of the World Press Freedom Day.

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