How to use the Press Card

On May 25, 2009, 48 journalists from 19 European countries signed the European Charter for the freedom of the press, which was intended to protect the press from governmental interference and ensure journalist's entrance to informational sources. Today, this document, which defines the fundamental values that public authorities should respect regarding journalists, has been presented and consigned to Hans-Ulricht Jörges managing editor of the German magazine Stern and promoter of the Charter, to the commissioner Viviane Reding who was satisfied with the adoption of the first European Charter for the freedom of the press on behalf of the journalists.
The Press Card is the official identification for journalists that allows them the privileges of the class and reinforces its fundamental values and rights, which they can invoke against governments and public authorities when they see the freedoms of their work unjustly threatened.
The Press Card accredits professionals with private businesses, organizations and authorities, and permits them to freely carry out their work; it is guaranteed in the free world by specific laws, and in many countries, including the USA, it is protected by the constitution.
Access to public and private manifestations must be requested through a specific accreditation, even though it's almost always enough to just show the Press Card which acts as a pass. If you use the AIPA Press Card to accredit yourself at a manifestation, congress, performance or sporting event, remember to insert the www.dataverify.org link in the request for accreditation, which allows the control of the validity and authenticity of your pass. If you are a free professional or a freelancer, you can use the AIPA logo and our address in letter requesting accreditation.

Press Freedom?
England and USA have rank 21º and 22º
"Reporter Without Borders" www.rsf.org 

Reporter Without Borders (Rsf) compiles a Press Freedom index every year on the basis of questionnaires that are completed by hundreds of journalists and media experts around the world. "It is disturbing to see European democracies such as France, Italy and Slovakia fall steadily in the rankings year after year," Julliard said. "Europe should be setting an example as regards civil liberties. How can you condemn human rights violations abroad if you do not behave irreproachably at home? The Obama effect, which has enabled the United States to recover 16 places in the index, is not enough to reassure us."
Europe long set an example in press freedom but several European nations have fallen significantly in this year's index. Even if the first 13 places are still held by European countries, others such as France (43rd), Slovakia (44th) and Italy (49th) continue their descent, falling eight, 37 and five places respectively. In so doing, they have given way to young democracies in Africa (Mali, South Africa and Ghana) and the western hemisphere (Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago).
Journalists are still physically threatened in Italy and Spain (44th), but also in the Balkans, especially Croatia (78th), where the owner and marketing director of the weekly Nacional were killed by a bomb on 23 October 2008.