The American Center here held a special screening of Academy-award winning film 'The Spotlight' to mark the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day today.
"The role of a free and independent press holds a special place both in India and the US. It is responsible for holding elected leaders accountable, giving voice to the voiceless and shedding light on society's challenges," Joseph Kruzich, US Embassy spokesperson said.
He said the US and India shared the values of democracy and liberty and both the countries also had a free and independent media.
"A total of 1,187 journalists have been killed since 1992 while 452 journalists were forced into exile since 2010. 71 journalists were killed this year. Only 1 in 7 people live in a country with a free press like the United States or India," he said.
The UN General Assembly had designated May 3 as World Press Freedom Day in 1993.
It aims to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, 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.
'Spotlight', a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer, follows The Boston Globe newspaper's investigation unit 'Spotlight' to probe cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in Boston by numerous Roman Catholic priests.
The film won the Oscars for the Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay in 2015.
