Attendance for the World Press Freedom Day conference in Washington this week was the largest in the event's almost 20-year history, with more than 800 participants.
The Omidyar Network awarded four grants to media organizations Tuesday in recognition of the role an independent and impartial media plays in promoting government transparency.
A panel of journalists and experts at the Newseum expressed hope that people would continue to use social media to fight oppressive regimes, despite censorship tactics used by those governments.
Through a prolific stream of tweets, Andy Carvin has become a leading voice on revolutions in the Middle East. He is at the forefront of a movement that is redefining news.
The smallest proportion of the world's population in more than a decade - just one in six - had access to a free press in 2010, according to an annual report from Freedom House.
The Thai government is prosecuting the site's webmaster and director, known as Jiew, for critical comments that users posted about Thailand's monarchy.
According to the latest Freedom House report, presented at World Press Freedom Day, press freedom is now in decline in almost every part of the world. Only 17 percent of the world's citizens live in countries that enjoy a free press.
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