The International Federation of Journalists today welcomed two
significant developments for Bahrain journalism during yesterday’s World Press
Freedom Day Celebrations.
The Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) announced the creation of
a media self-regulatory body to promote journalists ethics as an alternative to
the government controlled model contained in the draft media law. On the same
day, the King of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah, said, in a public
statement, that he will not accept any journalist to be imprisoned nor any
newspaper closed down for exercising their constitutional rights to free
expression.
“This is very good news…
At a hearing held in Brussels on 23 April, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) called on the European Commission (EC) to ensure journalists benefit from collecting societies.
Pamela Morinière, Authors' Rights officer of the EFJ presented an overview of various practices of collecting societies which collect payment on behalf of journalists in Europe for the second-use of their work.
In particular, Morinière stressed that although most collecting societies representing journalists function well, not every journalist can benefit from CRM in the EU.
She pointed out, "There is a great disparity according to different practices of collecting societies across Europe and…
Hu Jintao, President of China
Wen
Jiabao, Premier of China
Esteemed President Hu and Premier Wen,
To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) respectfully asks that you, in your
capacity as China’s most
senior leaders, and the ruling Communist Party honour public promises to build respect
for the independence and rights of China’s journalists and media professionals.
Since the beginning of 2010, propaganda departments across China have
issued numerous orders that restrict journalists in conducting their work
in the public interest. These…
The European Federation of
Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ), today backed Greece's
journalists and media workers who will take part in another day of strikes on
Wednesday 5 May.Following the drastic "cost
cutting" plan imposed by the Greek Government over the public, including
journalists, the Journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers,
Journalists' Union of Macedonia Thrace daily Newspapers, the Periodical and
Electronic Press Union along with other unions representing media workers under
the auspices of the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists Unions are all
participating in the strike under the following…
29 April
France:
Social Media Club Told Journalists to Create More Interactive Multimedia
The Social Media Club, a group of French journalists specialised in new
media, argued that journalists should produce more interactive multimedia in order to
attract audiences. They said journalists should look to movies and television
for ideas to present their news in a more attractive and interactive way.
http://socialmediaclub.fr/2010/04/le-storytelling-digital-formes-emergentes-nouveaux-metiers-business-models/
28
April
Australia:
Nine Network to Become the First Broadcaster Offering 3D Live Programmes
The
Australian broadcaster Nine Network will roll out…
Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) encouraged its member organisations throughout Europe to mark this year's May Day by putting professional standards, decent working conditions and unions' rights at the centre of the debate on the future of journalism and the future of democracy in Europe."This is the time to stand up for unions' rights and to fight together for our rights to practice journalism in decent conditions. It is a day when we give real meaning to the notion of professional solidarity. We want to continue our dialogue with social partners, but also with civil society and politicians," said EFJ President Arne König. "We in journalism understand…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands the Philippines
Government urgently investigate a threatening message sent to Philippines Daily
Inquirer and GMA7 News TV correspondent Williamor Magbanua in the southern Philippines
yesterday.
According to the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP),
Magbanua, 30, received a wreath containing a threatening note at his home in Kidapawan City,
Cotabato Province, Mindanao.
The note, purporting to have been sent
by New People’s Army (NPA) regional commander Valentine Palamine, accused Magbanua
of defamatory reporting about a political candidate.
The NUJP,
an IFJ…
Journalists demonstrated at the occasion of the 11th anniversary of the bombing of Radio Television Serbia (RTS) in Belgrade. On 23 April 1999, 16 journalists and media workers were killed in the bombing of the broadcaster by the NATO. Their message reminded that media should never be targeted by the military.The photo was made in front of the
building which was hit.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today condemned the German publishing company Bauer Media Group for imposing " anti- authors' rights " contracts on freelance journalists and photographers in the UK.
"Once again, Bauer is attempting to exploit loopholes in UK copyright law by using unfair contracts to strip away authors' rights of journalists," said EFJ President Arne König.
The EFJ has learned that 200 freelance journalists and photographers working at Bauer's music magazines Kerrang!, Mojo and Q were given an ultimatum to sign away all their rights by 16 April 2010.
The EFJ says these contracts require freelances to give ‘an exclusive, irrevocable…
To mark International Copyright Day on April 23, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today calls on groups representing those who exploit free access to media content to begin a dialogue with journalists' unions on the importance of defending authors' rights and the right of journalists to be paid for the use of their work.
"Protecting authors' rights of journalists is increasingly important," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "Internet portals, thousands of information websites, and millions of online users are getting a free ride for unauthorised use of journalistic material. Plagiarism is rampant."
To confront this crisis the EFJ and its parent…
To mark International Copyright Day on April 23, the
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today calls on groups representing
those who exploit free access to media content
to begin a dialogue with journalists' unions on the importance of
defending authors' rights and the right of journalists to be paid for the use of their work. "Protecting authors' rights of journalists
is increasingly important," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan
White. "Internet portals, thousands of information websites,
and millions of online users are getting a free ride for unauthorised use of
journalistic material. Plagiarism is rampant." To confront this crisis the EFJ and its
parent…
The
International Federation of Journalists today slammed the hypocrisy of New
York Times company chiefs who took millions of dollars in extra pay while
their journalists and media workers were having their salaries cut or being
sacked. Furious
staff at the Boston Globe have told the management of the New York Times
Co, which owns the newspaper, that they want their money back after last year's savage $10 million cut in payroll
costs which management imposed after threatening to close the paper. A recent report filed at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission showed
that in 2009, New York Times Chief Executive Janet Robinson received a 32
percent pay…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is concerned that China’s Southern Metropolitan newspaper suspended an editor from work due
to pressure by the Guangdong Provincial Propaganda Department.
The
newspaper’s Forum Page editor, known as Zhu, was suspended on April 13 after
approving the publication of an article with the headline, “Love of Country is
not equal to Love of Government”.
According
to local reports, the article was a hot topic among Chinese web-users just
hours after it was posted online. Local media workers believe that the intense
cyber activity generated by the article was likely to have drawn attention…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) calls on all candidates running for President in the Philippines to
make a public commitment to overturn the country’s culture of impunity for the
killing of journalists and to observe and respect the independence of the
judiciary.
The call comes as the Philippines
Government announced it would drop charges of multiple murder against Zaldy and
Akmad Ampatuan.
The pair have been implicated in the
massacre of 58 people, including 32 members of the media, in the southern province of Maguindanao on November 23.
“Less than a month before national
elections on May 10, and five months after the…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the "mindless violence" behind a targeted
suicide attack in Pakistan
which led to the killing of a journalist and injuries to five others at a
hospital in the town of Bajau
in the tribal areas of the country.
Seven people were killed in the
attack including Malik Arif, a veteran cameraman of Samaa TV. He was one of a
group of media staff filming a gathering of friends of a local businessman who
had himself escaped assassination and was being treated at the hospital. The
bomber opened fire on the group before blowing himself up.
"We mourn another media victim of mindless violence,"
said…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global voice
of journalists, has expressed fresh concern over efforts on all sides in Somalia to wipe
out independent media. The intervention follows a serious deterioration of the
situation for private media outlets operating out of Somalia's
densely populated and war-torn capital city of Mogadishu. According to the
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), an IFJ affiliate, the Somali
Islamist insurgent group, Hisbul Islam, has imposed bans on radio stations instructing
them not to air music and songs and to refer to foreign fighters fighting the
country not as "foreigners", but as "Muhaajiriin". Some 14 radio…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today denounced the convocation on Monday in Douala, of Mrs. Henriette Ekwe, Director of the Weekly newspaper, Bebela by officers of the Secret Information Service, the military security and the Head office of External Research (DGRE), over her appearance on a programme broadcast on Equinox TV on April 6th.
“This convocation worries us because it occurs after those of other journalists who were later hauled before the courts accused of having exercised their right to freedom of expression,” declared Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office.
On Monday April 12, Henriette Ekwe, founding member and…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today vigorously condemned the decision of the Hizbul Islam group on Tuesday 13 April 2010 to force fourteen private radio stations based in the Somali capital, Mogadishu to stop airing music after a ten-day ultimatum.
“We condemn this order which is a direct interference in media affairs designed to control media output,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “We are outraged by the lack of reaction from the international community to end the chaos in Somalia”
The insurgent group, Hizbul Islam, ordered radio stations to stop broadcasting music which the group called…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today welcomed the acquittal of five journalists and leaders of Egunkaria newspaper which was the only title published entirely in the Basque language (Euskara) until its closure in February 2003 following allegations of association with the terrorist organisation ETA. "The Closure of a newspaper is not something to be decided lightly in a democracy," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary, "And it should not have happened in this case where in the end even the prosecutor had to drop charges against the five accused journalists. It has caused lasting damage to the…
The European Federation of
Journalists (EFJ), the European network of the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) today accused Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc of
"intolerance" over the ruling party's call for an
official boycott of media in a dispute over coverage of his
government's work. The dispute is focused on
the work of two networks -- Realitatea TV and Antena 3 -- which
the Prime Minister has accused of not giving the government an opportunity to
reply to critical reports. "The actions of the
Prime Minister illustrate a degree of intolerance that is chilling for press
freedom," said EFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "Romania…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned
by reports of a series of threats levelled against the Khuzdar Press Club in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province
over the past 12 months.
The threats are in the form of
letters, phone calls and the persistent presence of armed men at the club
premises in the central Khuzdar district.
The Pakistan
Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, reports the threats have
been made by Baloch Musallah Difah Tanzeem (BMDT), a separatist organisation angered
by local journalists’ coverage of nationalist parties and politics.
The BMDT has also reportedly threatened
individual…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned in the strongest terms the assassination of Patient Chebeya Bankome , 35, independent journalist-cameraman in Béni, 3rd city of North Kivu Province in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Monday, April 5, 2010.
“We strongly condemn the murder of this colleague and demand that the continuous attacks against journalists in the Eastern Congo be halted with immediate effect and the perpetrators severely punished” declared Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “Violence and assassination of journalists in the Eastern DRC constitutes a systematic attempt to intimidate and…
A new media decree proposed for Fiji
by the military regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama is nothing more than
reinforcement of the sweeping censorship that has been in force in Fiji since
“temporary” emergency regulations were imposed in April 2009, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said
today.
The IFJ has obtained a copy of the
draft Media Industry Development Decree 2010, which was only delivered to media
stakeholders in Fiji hours
before so-called public consultations on the decree began in Suva today. Stakeholders were reportedly not
permitted to allow copies to leave the location of the discussions.
The IFJ is alarmed…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) holds grave concerns for the welfare of Japanese freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka,
40, who has not been seen since April 1 while travelling in a Taliban-controlled
region of northern Afghanistan.
According to the Afghan Independent Journalists’
Association (AIJA), an IFJ affiliate, Tsuneoka was travelling from Kabul through the Markazi-Baghlan
district of Baghlan province near Pulikhumri city when he was kidnapped by unidentified
gunmen. It is not clear whether an Afghan fixer or driver was accompanying
Tsuneoka at the time.
A provincial police chief told AIJA it is believed Tsuneoka
is…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
concerned to learn that the Yahoo email accounts of 10 Beijing-based foreign
journalists and the IFJ’s Hong Kong-based China
coordinator were infiltrated during March.
Staff from Yahoo Hong Kong reportedly contacted
some of the affected journalists to alert them to unusual movement in their
accounts but did not provide further details.
The IFJ understands the journalists do not know
how their accounts were hacked, or by whom. However, some of journalists
reported that their private mails had been forwarded to unknown people.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China
(FCCC)…
31 March
US: Yahoo! News Recruits Journalists to Create Original Content
The Internet search engine Yahoo !
recently hired a dozen of professional journalists hoping to produce more
original news content to increase the popularity of its
online search site Yahoo! News. According to the company,
it aims to create more original news articles and videos on various topics
following its success for original sport coverage launched three years ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/technology/31yahoo.html?ref=technology
30 March
US: Sports
are Laboratory for Automated "Journalism"
StatSheet,…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes
reports that Fiji’s interim government has said it will permit the Fiji Times and Fiji Television to participate in consultations on a government-devised
Media Decree, after initially barring the two media outlets from the process.
The move,
announced by interim
attorney-general Aiyaz
Sayed-Khaiyum during a press conference on March 30, follows the administration extending its emergency regulations by one
month to the end of April.
The regime
of Commodore Frank Bainimarama is reported to have said it will lift the
regulations once the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 is finalised.…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined
European and global press and journalists' organisations in calling on the
Estonian Parliament to reject a proposal for a new law that would force
journalists to reveal their sources or risk being sent to prison. Newspaper
publishers and journalists have expressed their deep concern that the draft law
now being considered by the Estonian Parliament "poses a serious threat to
freedom of the press"."Unfortunately we are seeing a lot of threats against the
journalists sources in many European countries, to fight this trend is a
priority for the journalist organisations in Europe", says Arne König, President
of the…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is concerned that China’s
Central Propaganda Department banned media reporting on the trial of public
health campaigner Zhao Lianhai in Daxing District Court, Beijing, on March 30.
It
further prevented media personnel from attending the trial of Zhao, 38, who was
charged in November with inciting social disorder for his alleged involvement
in organising public protests from September 2008 to 2009.
After
Zhao’s child was among 300,000 victims affected by contaminated milk powder in
2008, he set up a website on the public health crisis and organised the victims’
families to seek…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the release of Hisham Bashraheel, Editor of Al Ayyam newspaper who was arrested in January following a
three day siege by Yemeni security forces. The Federation also called for the
release of all journalists currently in detention. "It is indeed good news that the Yemeni authorities finally heeded the
call from journalists worldwide and consented to release Hisham," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "The cases of at least
three journalists are still pending including that of Mr. al Maqaleh, editor of
Al Eshteraki, who is in bad health and has been tortured and denied
medical assistance." Bashraheel was…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned
a decision by the Belarus Supreme Court rejecting a complaint by the Belarusian
Association of Journalists (BAJ) over a Ministry of Justice warning against them
in January. The journalists' association say they are suffering legal
intimidation over their rights to support their own members by issuing press
cards and giving them legal advice and support. But on 22 March the Supreme Court has upheld an official warning by the Ministry
of Justice which accused BAJ of breaching the media law by issuing press cards
when it is registered as an NGO and not a media organisation. The Ministry also says the…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) calls on the Philippines government to urgently investigate a
series of threatening messages sent to Newsbreak editor-in-chief Marites
Danguilan Vitug in the national capital region of Manila in the past week.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines (NUJP),
an IFJ affiliate, Vitug received two text messages from an unknown mobile phone
number.
One of the messages reportedly
said,“Your kind is the reason why journalists are being killed. Ampatuan had
valid reason to kill those journalists. I wish you were one of
them.”
The message refers to the…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) today renewed its call to Iranian
authorities to release up to thirty journalists, including the General
Secretary of the Association of Iranian
Journalists (AoIJ), an IFJ affiliate, who are still detained following a
massive media clampdown in the wake of the controversial presidential election
of June last year. The call came ahead of the celebrations of Iran's
New Year which are taking place on 21st March."We demand the release of all
journalists whose continued detention has only served to show the country'
intolerance of democratic debate," said Aidan White,
IFJ General Secretary. "The New Year should usher in a new chapter…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned about the security and safety of journalists in Somalia following the detention of Mohamed Salad Abdulle, of Somali Broadcasting Corporation and correspondent of Markabley radio in Kismayo and Mohamed Abdikarim, a correspondent with Hornafrik and Markabley radio station. The two were arrested on Tuesday 16 March 2010 by the Al Shabaab Administration in Jubba and Gedo regions.
“We firmly condemn these arrests which add to our concerns for the safety of our colleagues in Somalia. This climate of terror against the journalists is unacceptable,” declared Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office.…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on Fiji’s administration to reconsider
its process for holding public consultations on a controversial Media Decree,
and ensure all stakeholders are given the opportunity and adequate time to provide
input on the decree.
The IFJ is concerned that the
administration of coup leader Frank Bainimarama has said it would allow only one week for consultation on the decree before
implementing it at the end of March, while two leading news outlets have been
banned from participating in the process.
Fiji’s Permanent Secretary
for Information, Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni, announced on March…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned by the Indonesian Government’sorder to halt broadcasts by the Batam-based Era Baru Radio station.
The order against the station, which broadcasts mostly in Mandarin, came on February 15.Shortly before, Era Baru began legal action in Indonesia’s Supreme Court to protest the RadioFrequency Monitoring Agency’s unexplained refusal to issue it with a licence earlier in the year,despite the station’s compliance with relevant regulations.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), an IFJ affiliate, said in a statement this week thatthe agency’s actions demonstrate a lack of respect for legal…
The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the African Regional Organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), today strongly criticized the Press and Journalists Bill in Uganda on the grounds that it is unsound and constitutes a major stumbling block to press freedom and democratic standards in the country.
According to Uganda Journalists Union (UJU), an affiliate of FAJ and IFJ, the proposed bill has several draconian, autocratic and vaguely worded articles and clauses which will restrict severely freedom of the media and the right of journalists to provide impartial, independent and credible information to Ugandan people ahead of elections.
Under the bill,…
he International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the ruling of Monday, 8 March by the Ethiopian Supreme Court which reinstated the hefty fines which had been imposed by the country’s High Court against four publishing houses which had successfully appealed a judgment of the High Court following the infamous treason trial of 2005. The High Court had ordered Serkalem Publishing House to pay 120,000 birr (about 12,000 US dollars), Sisay Publishing House 100,000 birr (about 10,000 US dollars), Zekarias Publishing House 60,000 birr (about 6,000 US dollars), and Fasil Publishing House 15,000 birr (about 1,500 US dollars). “The ruling of the Supreme Court flies in the…
After more than six years of on-going negotiations between the German newspaper publishers and the journalists unions over common rules of payment for freelancers, an agreement was finally reached.
The agreed new rules will give freelancers equitable remuneration that is compliant with the German legislation on authors' rights contract. The new rules will come into force on 1 February once they are adopted by the boards of both unions and publishers' associations.
However, an agreement between publishers and the journalists unions DJV and ver.di on fair remuneration for photojournalists has not been reached. An on-going negotiation is still taking place among the dispute parties.
…
After
more than six years of on-going negotiations between the German newspaper
publishers and the journalists unions over common rules of payment for
freelancers, an agreement was finally reached.
The
agreed new rules will give freelancers equitable remuneration that is compliant
with the German legislation on authors' rights contract. The new rules will come
into force on 1 February once they are adopted by the boards of both unions and
publishers' associations. However, an agreement between
publishers and the journalists unions DJV and ver.di on fair remuneration for
photojournalists has not been reached. An on-going negotiation is still taking
place among…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today accused the Yemeni authorities of
"brutal inhumanity" in their treatment of a leading editor who has been subject
to kidnapping, detention and denial of access to basic medical treatment for
six months. "The ordeal of Mohammed al
Maqaleh is a scandalous story of neglect and brutal inhumanity," said Aidan
White, IFJ General Secretary. "We fully support our colleagues in the Yemen who
demand his immediate release and an end to all the violations of his rights." The IFJ is backing protest
by the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), an IFJ affiliate over the case and
has written to the country's President
Ali Abdullah…
The European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) today backed Greece's journalists and media
workers who take part in the 24-hour nationwide strike declared by the
country's trade unions between, 11 March, 6am, and 12 March, 6 am.The Journalists' Union
of Macedonia
and Thrace Daily Newspapers (ESIEMTH), the Journalists' Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) under the auspices of the Panhellenic
Federation of Journalists' Unions (POESY), is taking part in the strike in
demand of the following:
- Withdrawal of the recent anti-labor measures that are injurious not
only to the media workers, but harm the…
Afghanistan’s media community and state security agencies have agreed on protocols for media coverage of insurgent and terrorist actions, according to the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
The IFJ welcomes the Afghan Ministry of Information’s effort to ensure the views of the Afghan journalists’ community are heard in developing the protocols, rather than seeking to enforce state-directed restrictions on media content.
The AIJA said a three-day meeting convened by the Minister for Information and Culture, Sayed Makhdom Raheen, has agreed on mutual obligations and…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is dismayed to learn that China’s Central and provincial
propaganda departments have issued a new order banning media reporting on any
matter related to threats made by Hubei province governor Li Hongzhong against a
Beijing Times reporter on February 7.
The
order bans all media reporting and online discussion about an incident on February
7 in which Li refused to answer a Beijing
Times journalist’s question, demanded the name of her employer, confiscated
her recording device and threatened to contact her boss. The journalist had
reportedly asked Li about a case in Hubei
in May 2009 when a hotel…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) is backing protest demonstrations in support of the Israeli Broadcasting
Authority (IBA) led by the Jerusalem Journalists Association, a group within
the National Federation of Israeli Journalists, which is an IFJ affiliate."Journalists and other media staff are angry
that their working rights are being threatened as well as the rights of Israeli
citizens to an independent public broadcaster," said Aidan White, IFJ General
Secretary. "We fully support our Israeli colleagues because Israel, like any other vibrant and
democratic society, needs public service broadcasting, free of political and
commercial interference. It is…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on Indonesia’s
Government to reverse a ban on an award-winning film depicting the murder of
Australian journalists in 1975, and urges Australia’s
Government to raise the killings with Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono
when he visits Australia
this week.
Christopher Warren, a member of the IFJ Asia-Pacific steering committee and Federal
Secretary of Australia’s
journalists’ union, the Media Alliance, has written to Australia’s
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, urging him to raise the issue of the
killings and the ban on Balibo with
Dr Yudhoyono this week.
The…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the JS Group’s illegal
sacking without notice or pay of more than 100 staff at Pakistan’s Business Day newspaper.
According to
IFJ affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), the Karachi-based national
English daily was closed suddenly on February 27.
All staff were reportedly locked out
of the paper’s premises. Many had worked at the paper for more than four years.
“The IFJ is appalled by the complete
disregard shown by Business Day’s
owners for their staff and for Pakistan’s
labour laws, and demands that governing authorities hold the owners…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on media owners to take steps to raise women's profile in the news, both as professionals and as news topics.The IFJ says too few women have so far reached leadership positions in media houses. An IFJ survey covering the Middle East and the Arab World to be released on 8 March in Bahrain found that despite scores of universities and journalism schools female graduates, women continue to lag behind men in the region with regard to access to leading roles in the newsroom and in the unions. "The situation is deplorable," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Media organisations remain dominated by men the…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Afghan Independent
Journalists’ Association (AIJA), in expressing concerns about efforts by Afghanistan’s
Government to censor television live coverage of militant attacks.
The proposed ban was discussed at a meeting at Afghanistan’s
National Security Directorate between authorities and some key media outlets on
March 1. Official notice of the new restrictions was sent out by the Kabul police chief on
March 2.
“These new broad restrictions can only be termed government censorship,”
IFJ General Secretary Aidan White
said.
“Blocking…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused Iranian authorities of seeking to wipe out
independent media following a ban on three reformist newspapers, including the country's
biggest circulation paper, the Etemaad which authorities alleged has breached media laws. "These
closures play to a Government agenda that is more about stifling of independent
voices and free reporting than about compliance with the law," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It is further proof
that media continue to be primary victims of a crackdown by government to avoid
hard truths and public exposure over the regime's political troubles." Media reports say
Iranian authorities…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and
the National Union of Journalists in Great Britain and Ireland
(NUJ), joined the Campaign for Human
Rights in the Philippines and
Amnesty International at a rally yesterday at the Human Rights Action Centre in
London to mark 100 days since the massacre of 23 November 2009, which left 58 people
dead, including 32 journalists in the southern province of Maguindanao in the Philippines. "The Arroyo government is responsible for allowing a
culture of impunity to grow over the past decade that created the conditions in
which the Ampatuan
Town massacre could take
place," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ
President. The IFJ is…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) calls on Nepal’s Government to act immediately to protect
journalists facing increasing attacks and threats in Nepal’s Tarai region,
following the murder of Today media group chairman Arun Singhaniya on March 1
and threats against other journalists in recent days.
According to the
Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), an IFJ-affiliate, Singhaniya was shot
dead in the south-eastern Nepali
town of Janakpur as he returned home from celebrating the festival of Holi.
News reports indicate that two local
armed groups – the Tarai Janatantrik Party (Madesh) and the Janatantrik Tarai
Mukti Morcha…
On this occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), UNESCO join forces with international and regional media organizations to launch the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative. Under the theme, "Towards Gender Sensitive Indicators for Media: Best practices for gender perspective in media and in media content", WMN 2010 is intended to initiate a global exchange on the importance and the need for gender sensitive indicators for media organizations. Fifteen years ago the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995, highlighted the key role of media to promote gender…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is
encouraged to learn that Sri
Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered an inquiry
into the alleged political victimisation and interdiction of eight media
workers in the state-run broadcaster, the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
(SLRC).
According to
IFJ affiliates in Sri Lanka,
a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court heard the petition from eight
employees claiming a severe infringement of their fundamental rights, and
directed a former judicial officer to conduct an inquiry and file a report
within two weeks.
Kanchana
Marasinghe and seven other SLRC staff claim that they suffered verbal and
physical abuse…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins Sri Lanka’s
five leading organisations of journalists in calling for an immediate inquiry
into the illegal detainment of a senior Jaffna
journalist by supporters of Sri
Lanka’s ruling coalition on February 27.
N. Parameswaran, Jaffna
correspondent for the Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa and the BBC Tamil service, was held by supporters of the Sri Lanka Peoples’
Party (SLPP), a party within the ruling coalition, as he gathered information from
internally displaced peoples (IDPs) from Vanni outside the party’s office in Jaffna.
Parameswaran told the Five Media Collective
(also known as the…
A report prepared for the
International Federation of Journalists into a controversy over illegal
telephone hacking in the tabloid press in Britain says that the country's self-regulator
is in need of urgent reform to enhance the reputation of British journalism. The report was commissioned by the
IFJ after the British Press Complaints Commission carried out two inquiries
following claims of illegal tapping of the telephones of celebrities by
journalists at The News of the World, the flagship title of the Rupert
Murdoch press in Britain. The claims, made by The Guardian, were dismissed by the PCC which accepted the tabloid management's view that
the actions of two employees who…
26 February
UK:BBC to Close Two Radio
Stations and Cut Web Page StaffIt has been reported that
the BBC is to close two radio stations and cut 25% of its staff working
on the
corporation's web pages. The Times reported that the BBC's
decision to
scale down its operation came out of the "strategic
review" which is due to be announced to the public next month. The
review contains proposals to cut its online services, spending on
imported TV
programmes and on broadcast rights for sport events as well as other
spending
cuts. The National Union of Journalists launched a petition against
these cuts:http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/bbccuts#petition…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed police action which has seen
the arrest of a suspect in the investigation into the killing of Venezuelan journalist Orel Sambrano, who was
killed on 16 January 2009 after been shot at close range in the central
city of Valencia. The arrest came
after a huge police operation against drug traffickers in the city of Morón, in central Venezuela
on Sunday. "This is a
sign that the authorities are moving to confront impunity in the killing of
journalists," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It is
long overdue but we welcome this as a positive step to bring justice to
those in…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
today expressed its concern about the situation of journalists at the Ukrainian
media holding "Glavred" where journalists are on strike for non-payment of
their salary."The non-payment of wages is a serious
violation of workers' rights. It's not just illegal, it's also an attack on
journalists' integrity," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "We support the demand of striking
journalists and our affiliate in Ukraine, the Independent Media
Trade Union".The Glavred media company is owned by businessman Igor Kolomoisky and
the Central European Media Enterprises (CME). Its media portfolio includes
Glavred, Profile, Telecity…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned to learn of a new effort by Pakistan’s
newspaper owners to secure a judicial order that declares the law on wages and
working conditions in the industry contradicts constitutional freedoms.
According to reports received from
the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, a bench of
the High Court of Sindh in Karachi
held one hearing of the petition brought before it by the All Pakistan
Newspaper Society (APNS) and the Herald Newspapers group yesterday and will
resume hearings tomorrow.
“The IFJ is appalled that these
long-running stalling tactics by newspaper owners…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) appeals
to Sri Lanka’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has recently also assumed the
role of Media and Information Minister, to do all in his power to investigate
the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and ensure his safe return to
his family.
The Lanka-e-News.com
online reporter and cartoonist disappeared on January 24, two days before the
country’s presidential elections. Eknaligoda is reported to have written
several articles during the election campaign in favour of defeated candidate
Sarath Fonseka.
Eknaligoda’s
wife, Sandhya, publicly appealed to Sri Lanka’s…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today gave its full backing to the
Greek journalists' union (J.U.A.D.N, J.U.M.-TH.D.N,
P.F.J.U, E.S.P.I.T) for their participation in the 24-hour strike organised by the General
Confederation of Greek Workers."As the country is going through a terrible financial and economic crisis,
Greek journalists and media workers are put under pressure, but they should not
suffer from a situation which they are not responsible for," said EFJ
President Arne König. "All over Europe we see social standards attacked in the
name of the crisis, but unions will oppose this and…
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today gave its full backing to the Greek journalists' union (J.U.A.D.N, J.U.M.-TH.D.N, P.F.J.U, E.S.P.I.T) for their participation in the 24-hour strike organised by the General Confederation of Greek Workers."As the country is going through a terrible financial and economic crisis, Greek journalists and media workers are put under pressure, but they should not suffer from a situation which they are not responsible for," said EFJ President Arne König. "All over Europe we see social standards attacked in the name of the crisis, but unions will oppose this and…
The journalists of Romania must not be made scapegoats for the country's media crisis, says the European Federation of Journalists following demands by employers to revise their collective agreement with the Romanian Journalists Federation (FRJ) MediaSind."The current media crisis has its roots in the irresponsible greed of owners who have put profit before policies that can deal with difficult conditions," said Aidan White, EFJ General Secretary. "Journalists and media workers must not be forced to sacrifice their labour rights or be made the scapegoats for the crisis."The EFJ is backing its affiliate MediaSind in opposing attempts to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes
the release of Chandana Sirimalwatte, editor of the Sinhala newspaper Lanka, on February 16 after 18 days in
detention without charge.
According to
IFJ sources, Sirimalwatte’s unconditional release was ordered by a magistrate’s
court after the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Sri Lankan police
failed to present charges against him.
Sirimalwatte
was taken into custody on January 29, two days after incumbent president Mahinda
Rajapaksa was declared re-elected to a second term in office.
Lanka is aligned with a political party that had
strongly backed the rival…
The International Federation of
Journalists and its affiliate in the United
Kingdom, the National Union of Journalists, today
challenged the Gaza
authorities over the unprecedented action of security officials to detain a
British freelance journalist. The arrest and detention
yesterday of documentary filmmaker Paul Martin came as he was about to give
evidence at a military tribunal. His detention was a "shocking violation of
journalists' rights" according to the IFJ, who demanded his immediate released. Martin was told he was suspected
of security offences and would be held for 15 days, in an action that has
raised fears for the safety of all foreign correspondents in the Gaza…
The
European Federation of Journalists today condemned a
"rogue" media management in Romania over anti-union
policies and victimisation of journalists which have undermined efforts to
create a new culture of industrial relations in Romanian media. The EFJ says
the actions of the Adevarul media group in failing to meet
its legal responsibilities over workers rights is a shameful betrayal of
efforts to improve social dialogue and co-operation between unions and
media in Romania. "We firmly
condemn the actions of this company which reflect an anti-union
culture that prevails in much of Romanian media," said EFJ…
