Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, spoke about the importance of press freedom in an exclusive interview with representatives from WAN  and the World Editors Forum. The interview will be offered to newspapers for publication on May 3, World Press Freedom Day.

“The press plays a very important role in promoting peace and democracy,” said the Dalai Lama, the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

He also said that the media often have a tendency to ignore the “good news” and instead focus only on tragic events and negative change in society.

 “Many people live under the impression that the world is getting worse. I do not agree with that. I think that during the last century the world has become a much better place to live. But the media tell only about the tragic events, such as murders and wars,” the Dalai Lama said.

The full text of the interview, conducted in New Delhi, will be included in a package of editorial and advertising materials that WAN and the WEF are providing to thousands of newspapers worldwide in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day.

The materials, which include essays, interviews, infographics and advertisements extolling the benefits of press freedom and publicizing attacks on journalists and the censorship of newspapers, will be sent to 18,000 newspapers. They will also be available in mid-March on the WAN web site at www.wan-press.org.