#DemandPressFreedom

Across the globe, journalists are being censored, intimidated, and worse – simply for doing their job. The world’s access to news is becoming more and more obstructed. In June 2017, a Saudi-led coalition of governments in the region imposed sanctions on Qatar, including the demand to shut down Qatar-based news and media organization Al Jazeera.

The strategy was to interrupt the news on the supposed demand deadline with a live broadcast outlining Al Jazeera’s own list of demands – a call for solidarity in the pursuit of press freedom.

Featuring Al Jazeera journalists, the demands were a rallying cry to preserve press freedom and the rights of all people to be heard. There were farther-reaching implications than simply defending Al Jazeera’s journalistic integrity. Press freedom worldwide was under attack, and by not speaking up and fighting back, it would set a dangerous precedent for basic human rights worldwide.