Shaping a future at peace is unattainable unless people in the most repressed places can access accurate, timely news and information. RFA does just that. Marking World Press Freedom Day, RFA President and CEO Bay Fang delivered the following video message:
Transcript:
Hello. I’m Bay Fang, President and CEO of Radio Free Asia.
As we mark World Press Freedom Day, I’m proud to say that RFA is back.
Our journalists have resumed producing the news that would otherwise go unread, unseen, and unheard.
Since returning, RFA Uyghur broke the news about Uyghur children in Xinjiang being forced into manual labor;
RFA Burmese saved lives with its coverage of a community in a war-torn village of Myanmar that lacked critical supplies.
And RFA’s Mandarin Service let listeners in China hear from Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu’s father, who fled China after the Tiananmen protests in 1989.
Audiences have made it clear how much RFA means to them.
And in March, digital engagement showed RFA’s viewership is rebounding.
This is a win, as our existence was in jeopardy last year.
So thank you for sticking by us, as we fought hard to bring uncensored news to you.
But journalists still face enormous challenges.
We were thrilled and relieved that RFA Burmese contributor and award-winning documentarian, Shin Daewe was released.
She had been wrongfully detained for almost three years.
And she is not alone as an RFA journalist facing persecution. We still have four contributors serving lengthy prison sentences in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, hundreds more journalists are imprisoned or detained worldwide, with China, Myanmar, and Vietnam among the worst offenders.
As we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, let’s remember that a free press is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.
It can also help shape a future at peace, which is what the world needs right now.
At RFA, we will keep fighting to bring our audiences the truth.
No matter the odds, no matter the obstacles that stand in our way.
I promise you: We’ll meet the moment.