The world is in celebratory mood these days after the Royal Wedding last Friday (April 28), the beatification of John Paul II last Sunday (May 1), the death of Osama Bin Laden yesterday (May 2) and now journalists and even bloggers around the world celebrate the “World Press Freedom Day” today, May 3.

The World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Press Freedom Day “celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.”

The theme of this year’s event is 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The event will affirm fundamental principles of media freedom in the digital age—the ability of citizens to voice their opinions and access diverse, independent information sources—20 years after the original declaration was made in Windhoek, Namibia. The World Press Freedom Day 2011 program and agenda are available here.