The International Federation of Journalists today condemned "outrageous intimidation and threats" against a leading foreign correspondent in Zimbabwe and called on the government of Robert Mugabe to lift its vendetta against independent media in the country.
The IFJ statement follows a night-time visit by a group claiming to be immigration officials to the home of Harare based journalist Andrew Meldrum. His lawyers claim that the latest action is the culmination of personal attacks and harassment by the Zimbabwean authorities for over a year.
Meldrum, the correspondent of The Guardian, who has gone into hiding with his wife, enjoys the protection of a high court order issued last…
Hazards Magazine
Hazards is an independent union-friendly magazine, providing resources for better, safer work. Hazards is edited by the IFJ health and safety officer Rory O'Neill.
The International Federation of Journalists has sent a letter of protest
to the President of Pakistan, voicing its concern over the recent
violent attack assault and abduction of Sami Paracha, a district
correspondent for the Daily Dawn newspaper in Kohat, North West Frontier
Province.
Recommended action:
Send appeals to:
General Pervez Musharraf
President and Chief Executive of Pakistan
Via Email: [email protected]
Condemning the assault and abduction of Sami Paracha
Urging the Government of Pakistan to bring his attackers
to justice.
Urging the Government to ensure the safety of all journalists working in Pakistan.
For more information please contact Jacqui Park…
The International Federation of Journalists has sent letters of protest
to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare voicing its concern over the
proposed law, prosecuting all people who publicly criticise the
government.
Recommended action:
Send appeals to:
Sir Michael Somare
Prime Minister
Papua New Guinea
Via email: [email protected]
Condemning the proposed law.
Asking the prime minister to halt all legal action against Rod Mitchell and Mike Manning
Asking the Prime Minister to ensure press freedom in Papua New Guinea.
Please copy appeals to the IFJ Asia Office at [email protected]
For more information please contact Jacqui Park at the IFJ Asia…
1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES:
1.1 The International Federation of Journalists representing more than 450,000 journalists in over 100 countries, believes that professional journalists, organised in free and independent trade unions, play a key role in the creation and maintenance of a democratic media culture.
1.2 The IFJ believes that democracy depends upon the extension of freedom of expression and social justice worldwide. The IFJ insists that democracy depends upon an understanding of the special and particular role of the media in democratic society.
1.3 The IFJ believes that media must respect the professional and ethical principles of press freedom upon which the freedom of…
A Media for Democracy Handbook
The challenge of objectivity, impartiality and balance in journalism is faced daily by journalists, but there is no test of professionalism greater than that posed in the heat and pressure of a bitterly-fought political election.
How do journalists cope with these pressures? How can they enforce professional guidelines and rules which will help them to put all sides of an argument? What laws and regulations should restrain political interest groups from exercising undue influence?
This handbook will help journalists and media organisations to prepare themselves for the challenges which these elections will pose.
This handbook and the election…
World Press Freedom Day 2003
Kingston, Jamaica, 2-3 May
Something of enormous and lasting importance occurred quietly on a rainy day in Brussels last November.
For those of us in the news community, the event in the International Press Centre was, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
An unprecedented coalition of news media organisations, press freedom groups, unions and humanitarian campaigners agreed to establish the International News Safety Institute, an independent network dedicated to protecting journalists against a rising tide of violence.
The Institute launches formally in Brussels this very weekend.
More than 80 news organisations already have expressed…
The winner of the inaugural IFJ Journalism for Tolerance Prize in South Asia was announced at a special prize giving ceremony and media forum held in New Delhi today. The IFJ Journalism for Tolerance Prize, supported by the European Commission, is about promoting tolerance, combating racism and discrimination and contributing to an understanding of cultural, religious and ethnic differences. The Prize carries a cash award of Euro 1500 (Rs 75,000).
The winner of the Prize for South Asia is: Muzamil Jaleel (India) Srinagar Bureau Chief of The Indian Express, for his entry “Setting out in Search of Kashmiriyat” which appeared in Indian Express, March 24 2002.
Comments of the jury: “In…
This UK-based media ethics charity exists to:
promote high standards of journalism;
provide assistance to those with complaints about inaccurate, intrusive or sensational coverage in UK newspapers, magazines and radio or television programmes;
encourage understanding about how the mass media and media regulators operate;
conduct research into all aspects of media law, regulation, policy and practice.
The Presswise Trust
The European Federation of Journalists, the regional group of the International Federation of Journalists, is calling on photographers to boycott the tour by Peter Gabriel over plans by the tour management to grab control of their work. The concert tour management Peter Gabriel Ltd gives photographers permission to take photographs provided that they sign a very restrictive contract, which the EFJ describes as "greedy, incoherent and outside international law".
The contract allows pictures to be taken only from narrowly defined perspectives, gives photographers permission to use pictures once and in one media only and provides for the transfer of all authors' rights to the tour…
IJNet is the International Center for Journalists' online source for media assistance news, journalism training opportunities, reports on the state of the media around the world and media directories.
IJNet
The undersigning members of the Jury of the IFJ Prize Journalism for Tolerance 2002, met in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on friday april 25, 2003, to the end of examining the works competing for the said prize, after having deliberated, have agreed the following decisions:
1. The Tolerance Prize, Mention Written Press, is awarded to the Report “Como conviver com as Diferencias”, presented by the journalists: ELIANE LOBATO, RITA RODRÍGUEZ DE MORALES and CAMILO VANNUCHI, published in the Revista ISTOE, in its edition dated october 23, 2002, as we consider that the work analizes the problem of intolerance in daily life, especially in the family area, because of political,…
Better quality in media depends on higher protection for authors' rights says the International Federation of Journalists today in a statement to mark UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day on April 23rd.
"A key element in any strategy to maintain high standards of media content is to preserve and enhance the economic and moral intellectual property rights of authors" according to the IFJ, which says converging technologies are changing the nature of journalism and the conditions in which journalists work.
The IFJ blames media competition and obsession with quick profits for pressure on traditional rights and definitions of work, which are being altered, often without proper…
17 August: Killed: Mazen Dana, a 43-year old Palestinian cameraman for Reuters, was shot dead on 17 August by US troops on a tank at Abu Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad. The US military said soldiers had mistaken Mazen Dana's camera for a rocket propelled grenade launcher.
6 July: Injured and Killed: Jeremy Little, a 27-year old Australian television soundman for NBC, died on 6 July of injuries sustained one week ago in a rocket-propelled grenade, which was fired at the car in which he was travelling. Little, another young freelancer, was embedded with the U.S. Third Infantry Division in the town of Falluja.
5 July: Killed: a sniper shot and killed 24-year old British freelance…
The shooting by soldiers of a journalist filming protests on the West Bank at the weekend provides fresh evidence that the lives of Palestinian media staff are "recklessly being put at risk" by Israeli forces says the International Federation of Journalists.
The IFJ says that the killing of Nazih Darwazeh, 45, a father of four who was a freelance cameraman who had worked for the Associated Press, was horrifying. "He was wearing brightly coloured, unmistakable clothing clearly marked 'press'," said the IFJ. "It is impossible to ignore the evidence here of soldiers deliberately targeting journalists."
Darwazeh was one of five Palestinians shot dead in violent clashes in the West Bank…
Bahasa Translation
The winners of the inaugural IFJ Journalism for Tolerance Prize in South East Asia were announced at a special prize giving ceremony and media forum held in Bali today.
The IFJ Journalism for Tolerance Prize, supported by the European Commission, is about promoting tolerance, combating racism and discrimination and contributing to an understanding of cultural, religious and ethnic differences.
The winners of the Prize for South East Asia are:
Print/on-line category:
Sanitsuda Ekachai (Thailand), "Searching for a State" Bangkok Post, 25 June, 9 and 23 July, 2002
Jury comments:
A moving, well-researched, well put together series about the Karen…
The International Federation of Journalists today called for action in Somalia to counter a "wave of terror" in the capital Mogadishu where a journalists' leader is in hiding fearing for his life.
Omar Faruk Osman, an internet journalist based in Mogadishu, is currently under threat from security police staff of the transitional government. "He is the latest victim in a wave of terror against journalists and civil rights activists that has reduced Mogadishu to a state of lawlessness," said Aidan White IFJ General Secretary. The IFJ says social activists are harassed, killed, arrested, threatened, tortured and kidnapped by militia demanding money. Omar Faruk, 27, was informed that he is…
The International Federation of Journalists today called on the Colombian Government to provide an immediate and acceptable level of protection to 16 journalists in Arauca who have received death threats from both guerrilla and paramilitary groups. The IFJ is seriously concerned with their safety, in view of the assassinations of three journalists in Colombia this year. The most recent case is radio journalist Emeterio Rivas who was shot to death by unidentified gunmen on 7 April in Barrancabermeja, north of Bogotá.
"The danger these journalists are faced with is unacceptable," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "The IFJ demands that these journalists are provided with immediate…
Introduction
Working in a trouble zone presents myriad potential dangers for a journalist, snipers, stray bullets, car bombs, mines, kidnappings, ambushes, to name a few threats. Staying alive, avoiding injury, jail, expulsion or other perils - and still getting the story. That's the problem.
The lessons learnt by journalists over the years and risk awareness and first aid training can cut down the risks. An increased level of awareness based on an understanding of the threats and potential threats will enable journalists and media staff to reduce exposure to danger.
Staying out of trouble
No story is worth your life. You are more important than the story.
If you are clearly…
Two people are STILL MISSING from an ITN team caught in the crossfire between coalition and Iraqi forces, killing the correspondent.
Terry Lloyd was killed by the American fire in the bombardment near Basra, near the town of Al Zubayr. (March 22).
Fred Nerac, the French cameraman and his Lebanese interpreter Hussein Osman where last seen near Basra on Saturday morning 22 March. ITN is trying to contact anybody in the area.
Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman (Othman) were both wearing three Press cards around their necks - one American, two Kuwaiti. These included both men's name and picture. They both had their passports with them that morning.
Fred was wearing a new blue Gortex jacket…
The Italien Government transposed the European Directive on authors rights and neighboring rights in a Decree dated 9th April 2003.
The text of the decree can be found on the Italien government web site
The International Federation of Journalists condemned the jail terms imposed on Cuban journalists arrested in a recent crackdown on dissidents. The trials began on April 3, and the first sentences were announced yesterday. Among those sentenced was independent journalist Raúl Rivero, who was jailed for 20 years.
"This is an outrageous and unacceptable attack on independent journalism," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Journalists around the world, many of who are sympathetic to Cuba given the history of political and economic isolation the country has suffered, will be shocked at this action."
The IFJ says the victimisation of independent journalists is a serious blow for…
