When real-life drama meets theatre: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2023 in Vienna On 3 May, we once again emphasise the fundamental importance of press freedom. It is a day when we reflect on and evaluate the state of press freedom around the world and stand up to defend the media from attacks on their independence. We also pay tribute to all journalists in Europe and worldwide who have died in the exercise of their profession. We call on all States to condemn violence against journalists, to take action to improve the safety of journalists with particular attention to women journalists, and to bring perpetrators and instigators of such violence to justice. The EU has always been very vocal in defending and protecting freedom of expression and qualitative information. This year marks the 30th anniversary of International World Press Freedom Day. As part of the events the Delegation of the European Union to the International Organisations in Vienna together with the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Malta in Vienna will present a play, which focuses on the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. A panel discussion will follow the play to discuss the state of journalism in 2023, as well as related risks and challenges. Daphne Caruana Galizia: Malta's most controversial journalist of her time Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese journalist and blogger. Caruana Galizia was brutally murdered by a car bomb outside her house in 2017. She was killed months after she started exposing high-level corruption. The real-life tragedy shines a light on the importance of the protection of independent journalism. It also sparked a new debate about press freedom and the safety of journalists in Europe and worldwide. They Blew Her Up – written and directed by Herman Grech The story of Daphne Caruana Galizia already sounds like crime fiction. Herman Grech, writer and editor-in-chief of the news organisation Times of Malta investigated the story and gained access to some of the protagonists behind the scenes. The result is this captivating work where journalism meets theatre to tell a story that sent shockwaves around the world. The production, featuring five of Malta’s finest actors, was already staged in Malta, Belgium, Italy and Cyprus and won the Production of the Year Award at the Arts Council's Premju ghal-Arti in Malta. Panel Discussion A panel discussion will follow the play. Daphne Caruana Galizia’s son, Matthew, will be one of the panellists. Matthew Caruana Galizia is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and engineer. He worked at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) prior to co-founding the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation in 2018, where he acts as Director. Other participants in the panel: Nabeelah Shabbir is Senior Research Associate at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and co-author with Dr Julie Posetti of the 2022 ICFJ-UNESCO report The Chilling - A global study of online violence against women journalists. She is also co-author of the OSCE Guidelines for monitoring online violence against female journalists, currently under development. Thomas Seifert, Deputy editor-in-chief of the Wiener Zeitung, has extensive experience in reporting from crisis regions and has worked for various print media including Die Presse, News, Welt am Sonntag and the Sunday Telegraph. Seifert was honored with Ari Rath Prize for his critical journalism in 2021. The panel will be moderated by Stephanie Liechtenstein who is a freelance journalist based in Vienna. Her articles and research are focused on multilateral diplomacy, foreign and security policy, Austrian politics, and international organizations in Vienna. About World Press Freedom Day Every day across the world, in an era of disinformation and propaganda, journalists face countless threats and risk their lives as they stand up for freedom of expression, to report the truth, even under the most difficult circumstances. According to “Reporters without Borders”, in 2022, 57 journalists were killed, 65 taken hostage, 49 went missing and 533 were detained for doing their job around the world. Freedom of the press, freedom of expression and safety of journalists are indispensable for the upholding democracy and security and are essential drivers for all human rights. PRACTICAL INFORMATION They Blew Her Up - A play by Herman Grech Date and Time: Wednesday, 3 May 2023 at 19.00 Venue: AKZENT Theater Vienna Theresianumgasse 18, 1040 Vienna Free Entry: Free tickets can be reserved at the theatre or online: https://shop.akzent.at/Events?lang=en Special Arrangements for Journalists: There will be special reserved seats for journalists. Please register via
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