Speaking at an event to mark World Press Freedom Day in Gaborone over the weekend, Gavin said a free press and the open exchange of ideas are imperative in safeguarding and promoting human rights and democracy. Therefore, she said, it is very critical that governments protect the right of the media to operate freely, "but as with any human right, its protection requires constant vigilance". She revealed that there has been an improvement in press freedom in the past years, citing Burma's release of journalists from custody. "But you don't have to look far to find examples of such constraints; from journalists detained in China to last week's news of a television reporter murdered in Honduras". According to the US ambassador, 18 journalists have been killed in Honduras in the last three years, the highest rate globally, adding that press freedom around the globe is retreating.
"The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that nearly 180 journalists are currently detained globally, up from 120 in 2001", she said.Despite all of these, she said, the media is having a positive impact, "especially through the use of social media and new technologies". Therefore she said it is clear that media is not often a passive bystander, "but rather can be a catalyst for social and political change".
