There have been so many words uttered about the importance of press freedom. DDB Paris’ campaign is made with very few. The campaign for UNESCO for World Press Freedom Day asks five simple questions. Questions with vital words redacted. Those censored questions reaffirm the role of information as a public good.

“Some crises can act as revelators,” DDB Paris explained. “What was striking during the Covid-19 crisis was this deep dependence on public goods such as water, transit, health infrastructure and equipment. Goods so common that we forget how vital they are. Information is one of those fundamental assets.

“The role of journalists in a society is to inform, investigate and denounce. More than just a right, press freedom is the sine qua none condition for any democracy. If people do not know what is happening in their society, if their leaders, if economic, moral or religious powers act under the veil of secrecy, no one is able to act.”

The five questions confront readers with the beginnings of problems in today’s world. Their authors have been muzzled, leaving the reader wondering about the truth and through them UNESCO asks the reader to consider the individual and collective consequences of a lack of press freedom.

“When journalists can’t ask, we can’t act,” each ad concludes.

The global campaign is running in the press, digital and social media throughout May.