Mr Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic
of China
Mr Wen Jiabao
Premier of the State Council of the
People’s Republic of China
Mr Sheng Guangzu
Minister of General Administration
of Customs of the PRC
Mr Gao Siren
Director of Liaison Office of the
Central People's Government in HKSAR
Mr Liao Hui
Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the
State Council
Mr Tian Congming
Chairman of All-China Journalists
Association
Re: Concerns About Media Rules Raised at IFJ Regional Meeting, Hong Kong
Dear Sirs,
We, the leaders
and representatives of journalists’ associations and trade…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reaffirmed its commitment to defend the
interests of journalists in Palestine and Israel in response to concerns expressed by its
affiliate the National Federation of Israeli Journalists (NFIJ) that recent actions in
carrying out a mission to Gaza and IFJ
statements over the crisis have not adequately taken account of the views of
journalists in Israel.
The IFJ says that the emergency mission to Gaza was primarily focused
on the conditions and circumstances of Palestinian journalists and media and
was not designed or intended to examine the situation in Israeli journalism. The IFJ recognises that Israeli journalists…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemned the humiliating and
degrading treatment suffered by four women journalists who were stripped naked
in public in Kenema, Eastern Sierra Leone
where they were covering events to mark the International Day against female
circumcision. "We condemn this
serious assault and violation of the right to dignity which can have traumatic
effects," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "We expect the authorities to apply the full
force of the law to the perpetrators and to eradicate the lawlessness that has
led to numerous incidents of violence against journalists over the recent
months." …
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemned the humiliating and degrading treatment suffered by four women journalists who were stripped naked in public in Kenema, Eastern Sierra Leone where they were covering events to mark the International Day against female circumcision.
"We condemn this serious assault and violation of the right to dignity which can have traumatic effects," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "We expect the authorities to apply the full force of the law to the perpetrators and to eradicate the lawlessness that has led to numerous incidents of violence against journalists over the recent months."…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the violent knife attack on Hassan Bulhan Ali, Director of Radio Abudwaq station in Central Somalia, who was stabbed
five times on Saturday and is in a critical condition. "We are concerned
about the escalation of violence against journalists in Somalia," said Gabriel Baglo,
Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "The situation is simply unacceptable and
the government must make it a priority to ensure that those who perpetrated
these crimes are arrested and brought to justice in order to prevent more attacks."
According to the
National union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), IFJ affiliate, Hassan Bulhan Ali…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is disturbed to learn that the Sri Lanka
Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) has been blocking and in other ways interfering
with BBC World Service programs that SLBC has contracted to carry over its FM
channels.
The SLBC and the BBC have had a
contractual relationship whereby the latter provides programming in English, Sinhala and Tamil for rebroadcast through the
former’s FM channels. According to a press release issued by the BBC, the SLBC - Sri
Lanka’s national broadcaster - has been
blocking and in other ways interfering with these broadcasts, in violation of the agreed contractual…
The
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) joins the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in
expressing alarm at the threat to free media presented by Indonesia’s Information and
Electronic Transactions Act.
AJI, an IFJ affiliate,
has joined forces with other Indonesian free speech groups and Indonesian
bloggers to challenge the Act (Law No 11 of 2008).
AJI
reports that some articles in the law,
which is usually used to regulate pornographic content and gambling on internet
publications, present a real and
immediate threat to Indonesia’s
free press in the scope for interpretation.
Article
27(3) contains an…
The International Press
Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission (also
known as the International Media Mission) visited Nepal from 5 to 8 February to
undertake a rapid response assessment of the press freedom situation in the
country. The International Mission
was represented by ARTICLE 19, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International
Media Support (IMS), International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), UNESCO and World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC).
Press
freedoms in Nepal
continue to face serious threat despite the hope that restoration of democratic
rule would improve the situation.
The
Federation of Nepali…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today expressed its dismay at the
six year jail sentence for Fahem Boukadous, a reporter for the satellite TV El
Hiwar station, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal in Gafsa, Southern
Tunisia. Boudadous had been convicted of membership of a criminal
group following his coverage of demonstrations held in Gafsa last year. "This
is an appalling miscarriage of justice against a journalist who was only doing
his job covering the demonstration," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.
"Our colleague should never have been put on trial in the first place as there
has been no evidence to suggest he took part in these demonstrations.…
This 2008 report shows that on average the gender pay gap decreased in the majority of the EU Member States.
The only exceptions are Germany, Denmark, Italy and Finland, where the gender pay gap increased.
In Estonia, Austria, Portugal, Slovakia and the United Kingdom the gender pay gap stayed the same.
The gender pay gap in 2006 varied from some 4 % in Malta to 25 % in Estonia.
In general, Member States can be divided into three different groups. The first group, with a gender pay gap
below 10 % in 2006, consists of Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia.
The second group, with a gender pay gap between 11 % and 20 % consists of…
This 2008 report shows that on average the gender pay gap decreased in the majority of the EU Member States. The only exceptions are Germany, Denmark, Italy and Finland, where the gender pay gap increased. In Estonia, Austria, Portugal, Slovakia and the United Kingdom the gender pay gap stayed the same. The gender pay gap in 2006 varied from some 4 % in Malta to 25 % in Estonia.
In general, Member States can be divided into three different groups. The first group, with a gender pay gap below 10 % in 2006, consists of Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia.
The second group, with a gender pay gap between 11 % and 20 % consists of Bulgaria, the Czech…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the murder of Said Tahliil Ahmed, Director of
HornAfrik- a radio and television station in the Somali Capital Mogadishu- who
was gunned down on 4 February 2009. "We condemn this murder which is the result of the lawlessness in Somalia," said Gabriel
Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "This crime, the second in as
many months to claim the life of a journalist in 2009, demonstrates that criminal
organisations are on a killing spree in Somalia and that journalists are clearly in their
sights." According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Said was killed near the Bakare
market in central…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns
the brutal beating of an online journalist by Chinese authorities in Chengdu,
Sichuan Province.
The incident occurred after plain-clothes officers prevented
the journalist, who works for SCOL.com.cn, a website owned by Sichuan Daily Network Media
Development Ltd, from taking photos
of government officials in Chendu’s Chenghua District,
on February 1.
The journalist’s camera was confiscated and he was taken to
a security room for interrogation, according
to local media reports.
When the officers found that the journalist was attempting
to record his interrogation, he was
reportedly…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal in Cairo, Egypt
to remove jail sentences imposed on four editors who were prosecuted on the
charges of "harming the public interest" and called for their fines to be scrapped
as well. "We welcome this Court's
decision which is the result of our colleagues' determination not to let an
unjust outcome stand," said Aidan White,
IFJ General Secretary. "They now deserve full exoneration by removal of the
fine as well." According to media reports, the Appeal Court in Cairo on Saturday quashed the one year jail
sentence which had been handed in 2007 to Adel
Hammouda, Wael Ibrashi,…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Tunisian
authorities to release for publication the latest issue of Attariq Aljadid newspaper which was stopped last week. "There
seems to be no end to violations of press freedom in Tunisia," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Existing press
laws are clearly designed to control media and crack down on any publication
which fails to toe the government's line. This is not acceptable." According
to the Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens (SNJT), the issue no 113 of Attariq Aljadid, a weekly
publication of the Tunisian opposition party Ettajdid was impounded by the
authorities on Saturday 31…
A new report by the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on press freedom in China’s
Olympic year highlights significant shortcomings in China’s approach to press freedom
during 2008.
The report, China’s Olympic Challenge: Press Freedom in 2008,
is the result of a 12-month press freedom monitoring project coordinated by IFJ Asia-Pacific from Sydney
and Hong Kong. It examines the major problems faced
by foreign and local journalists reporting in China during 2008.
When granted the Olympic Games, China
promised that all foreign journalists, including journalists from Hong Kong,
Macau and Taiwan,
would enjoy freedom to report. Overall,…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the Gambian authorities' decision to charge Pape Saine, co-proprietor
and editor of the Point newspaper, with
publication of false information following the printing of an article
concerning the arrest of a Gambian
diplomat. "Journalists in The Gambia
continue to work in a very hostile environment due to the repressive nature of
the Government" said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "Over
the past decade, the government has orchestrated a systematic pattern of
harassment against journalists and caused many journalists to flee the country.
Arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists have become…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns an attack on a
senior journalist in Pakistan,
Kamal Azfar, whose brother - also a journalist - was murdered last week.
According to
the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ),
an IFJ affiliate, Azfar’s car came
under fire in his hometown of Kohat,
in Pakistan’s
North-West Frontier Province (NWFP),
on February 1.
Azfar did
not suffer serious harm, but his car was badly damaged. The attackers
reportedly fled from the scene.
Azfar’s
brother, Amir Wakil, who worked for a local television station and newspaper, was
murdered in Rawalpindi
on January 24.…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) strongly decries a warning issued by Sri Lanka’s Defence
Secretary that foreign media organisations would face “dire
consequences” and be “chased out” of the country if they did not behave
“responsibly”.
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa
accused three international news organisations - CNN,
Al-Jazeera and the BBC - on February 1 of partisan reporting
on the situation regarding civilian casualties and suffering in areas of
conflict between government forces and Tamil separatist insurgents, according
to news reports.
Rajapaksa also reportedly targeted…
Country
Job Losses
Context and number of journalists
Austria
1000
ORF:
restructuring plan between 2009 and 2012 concerns mostly non editorial
staff (live performance, technicians
and administration)
Belgium (Flandern)
284
VRT:
reducing of workforce in 2009 - no compulsory redundancy according to
the management TM, 5 journalists Corelio (De Standaard/Het Nieuwsblad; 16
journalists dismissed + at least 35 "false" freelances put aside and unknown
number of contracts not renewed De Morgen, 16 journalists (1/4th of
newsroom!) Salomoa/magazine Milo:
stopped, because advertisement target was no…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the attack on a female journalist in
Freetown, Sierra Leone. "The continued
attacks on journalists in Sierra
Leone need to be addressed urgently by the
Government" said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "These
attacks constitute a serious threat to the democratic ideals of the country and
must stop". According to a
press release issued by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ),
Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, publisher and proprietor of the Awareness Times newspaper, was attacked in the capital, Freetown on
January 27. She believes the attack was connected to the case being tried at…
(NYT)Congress has given a significant boost to civil rights by approving legislation to overturn a notorious 2007 Supreme Court decision that made it much harder for employees to challenge unlawful pay discrimination based on gender, race, age and disability. Following its passage with a final House vote on Tuesday, the measure goes to the White House where President Obama is expected to sign it this week.
Read on NYT web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed3.html?ref=opinion
(NYT)Congress has given a significant boost to civil rights by approving legislation to overturn a notorious 2007 Supreme Court decision that made it much harder for employees to challenge unlawful pay discrimination based on gender, race, age and disability. Following its passage with a final House vote on Tuesday, the measure goes to the White House where President Obama is expected to sign it this week.
Read on NYT web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed3.html?ref=opinion
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
today condemned the arrest of a private radio's editor by security forces who have
also laid siege to the Tunis-based station. "The IFJ protests at the arrest of Dhafer Otay and condemned
"the brutal interruption of the normal business at the Kalima radio station,"
Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary said: "This heavy handed police action just
proves the lack of press freedom in Tunisia and the regime's
determination to frustrate independent journalism." According to the Observatory of Press Freedom,
Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC), Otay, coordinator of Kalima, a
private radio broadcasting from Tunis,
was arrested on 27…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the decision of the management at State television and radio to review the contracts of hundreds of employees, including journalists who have been on strike to demand rights at work and legal contracts. "We welcome this decision which was achieved by media staff standing up for their industrial rights to full contracts and social insurance," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "All employees are now entitled to fair terms of contracts which guarantee secure employment."According to the Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens (SNJT), the management of Tunisian State radio television has…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the decision of
the management at State television and radio to review the contracts of
hundreds of employees, including journalists who have been on strike to demand rights
at work and legal contracts. "We
welcome this decision which was achieved by media staff standing up for their
industrial rights to full contracts and social insurance," said Aidan White,
IFJ General Secretary. "All employees are now entitled to fair terms of contracts
which guarantee secure employment." According
to the Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens (SNJT), the management of Tunisian State
radio television has agreed to…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) supports
the ongoing program of nationwide protests by the Federation of Nepali
Journalists (FNJ) to demand quick and accountable action by the Government of Nepal in defending
media freedom and security.
The
protest campaign was sparked by the brutal murder of a young print and radio
journalist, Uma Singh, in the south-eastern Nepali town of Janakpur on January 11.
Several incidents
of intimidation and harassment of the media community by cadre of the United
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – the main constituent of the ruling
coalition in the country – have also been reported.
The…
Germany: DJV: http://www.djv.de/Honorare dju in ver.di: http://dju.verdi.de/freie_journalisten/tarifvertrag_ftaz/linkliste_freien-honorare
Denmark: JOURNALISTS http://www.journalistforbundet.dk/graphics/pjecer/Freelance/Vejledende_vilkaar_for_freelancejournalistik.pdf
PHOTOGRAPHERS http://www.journalistforbundet.dk/graphics/pjecer/Pressefotografer/Et_oejebliksbillede.doc
CARTOONISTS/ILLUSTRATORS: http://www.journalistforbundet.dk/graphics/pjecer/freelance/en_streg_i_sandet.pdf
TV-PHOTOGRAPHERS AND OTHER TV- AND RADIO CONTENT PROVIDERS http://www.journalistforbundet.dk/graphics/pjecer/ansatte/klar_til_optagelse.pdf Finnish Union of Journalists…
The Rajasthan Patrika Group is glad to announce the Second Karpoor Chandra
Kulish International Award 2008 (KC Kulish Award 2008).
This annual
award, in the hallowed memory of Karpoor Chandra Kulish, is aimed at
recognizing efforts of thought leaders in media, journalist's outstanding
contributions to upholding professional values as well as protecting and
promoting ethics and morality, right and freedom of the people for better
quality of life. The
award theme for the year 2008 shall be "Terrorism & Society".
The award, together with US$ 11,000 in prize money, is given to the winner of KC Kulish
Award. The
trophy and prize…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) strongly denounces an appeal by Sri
Lanka’s Defence spokesman urging journalists in Sri Lanka to
inform authorities about what he described as suspicious activities by fellow journalists.
Defence spokesman Keheliya
Rambukwella was reported in local media on January 23 to have called on "journalists and all
those attached to media organisations … to be vigilant about those who enter
the media field”. He asks journalists to report “any person who appears
suspicious".
Rambukwella reportedly asked
journalists to help in apprehending cadre of the insurgent Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is increasingly alarmed at the deteriorating
press freedom environment in Fiji
as authorities deported the publisher of The
Fiji Times today. It is the third deportation of a senior newsman in less
than a year.
Rex Gardner, the publisher and
acting CEO of The Fiji Times, was
deported to Sydney, Australia, after being declared a
prohibited immigrant. Gardner
is an Australian citizen.
Gardner’s expulsion
follows on the heels of a court ruling on January 22 in which he and The Fiji Times were convicted for
contempt of court for publishing a letter to the editor which criticised a High
Court ruling upholding…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the release of Atiqullah
Khan Masud, editor of the Bengali daily Janakantha, following bail
granted by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
According
to reports from Dhaka, Atiqullah Khan was
released on January 20 after more than 22 months in detention.
Atiqullah
Khan was taken into custody in March 2007 by Bangladesh special forces and charged
with alleged corruption under the emergency regulations then in force. He was
later convicted in six separate cases to a total of 48 years’ imprisonment, by
special courts set up under the emergency regulations.
“The IFJ…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned Israeli attacks on journalists in Ramallah in which at least one foreign journalist was injured. Eye-witness reports say that journalists came under fire three times before a demonstration rally in the town.
"This appears to be another example of reckless soldiering by Israeli forces," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "This was an incident that should never have happened and which confirms that the already dangerous work of journalists in the region is put at further risk by the actions of Israeli military."
According to media reports, Israel's soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets in the…
This list is an indication of provisions that should be included in a freelance contract.
Agreement between .......................................................................... (hereinafter referred to as ' author')
and .................................................................................................... (hereinafter referred to as 'publisher/broadcasting company')
Author agrees to undertake the work described in the description below for publisher under the following terms and conditions:
1. Description of the work: ...........................................................................................................
(brief description of the work…
Media coverage of trafficking of women and children, migration and sex work is confused and inaccurate. Media wrongly uses the terms ‘sex work' and ‘trafficking' synonymously, perpetuating stereotypes and stigmatisation and contributing to the violation of women's right to free movement and livelihood options, say these authors
Read on Infochange News and Features:
http://infochangeindia.org/Media/Related-Analysis/Figure-it-out-Reporting-on-trafficking-in-women.html
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
today welcomed the release of Somali journalist, Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, after 146
days in captivity. Photojournalist, Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, was abducted
on August 23, 2008 with two foreign journalists, namely Amanda Lindout of Canada and Nigel Brenan of Australia. Elmi's two drivers,
Mohad Isse and Marwali were also abducted. According to National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ),
Elmi was released on Thursday, January 15, 2009 together with the two drivers,
Mohad and Marwali. "While we welcome the release of Elmi, we are still
deeply concerned about the safety of Amanda Lindout and Nigel Brenan," said Gabriel…
This list is an indication of provisions that should be included in a freelance contract.
Agreement between .......................................................................... (hereinafter referred to as ' author')
and .................................................................................................... (hereinafter referred to as 'publisher/broadcasting company')
Author agrees to undertake the work described in the description below for publisher under the following terms and conditions:
1. Description of the work: ...........................................................................................................
(brief description of the work…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is worried at the Bhutan High
Court’s sentencing of journalist Shanti Ram Acharya to a prison term of
seven-and-a-half years on terrorism charges.
According
to the Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA), an organisation active
among Bhutanese exiles in Nepal, Acharya
is accused of “involvement
in subversive activities" against Bhutan and alleged
links to a Maoist group.
However, APFA is concerned that Acharya may have fallen victim to a draconian law which criminalises the return
of exiles to Bhutan.
Acharya,
20, lived in refugee camps in Nepal
since he and his…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) extends its solidarity to journalists in Afghanistan who are strenuously protesting
the rough treatment of three reporters by a provincial governor at a press
conference.
The program of protests and boycotts in Kunar,
an eastern province of Afghanistan, continued
for a fourth day yesterday,
following the rough treatment by provincial governor Fazalullah Wahidi of three
reporters at a press conference on January 18.
According to the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), an IFJ affiliate,
Wahidi publicly addressed three journalists and threatened to destroy their
professional equipment.…
The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) is concerned at the status of the free media in Timor Leste as
a local newspaper editor faces a possible prison sentence on charges of
criminal defamation.
According to local reports, the editor
of Tempo
Semanal, Jose Belo, was issued with a notification of
defamation charges on December 12, 2008, in relation to a series of news reports
published on October 12, 2008. The reports investigated alleged corruption by
Justice Minister Lucia Lobato.
Belo appeared at the Prosecutor’s
Office on January 19 and was reportedly questioned for three hours before being
released.
The IFJ is also concerned…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the decision of a court in Thailand to jail an Australian writer for three
years on charges that he insulted Thailand’s monarchy in a
self-published novel.
Harry Nicolaides, 41, apologised and pleaded guilty to charges under Thailand’s
harsh lese majesty laws. The court reduced the sentence from six years.
According to the leading court judge, Nicolaides’ 2005 novel, Verisimiltude,
suggested that there was an “abuse of royal power” and was critical of the King,
the Crown Prince and the monarchy. According to Nicolaides, 50 copies were
printed and fewer than…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns a violent
attack on the publisher and editor of the Vanuatu
Daily Post in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on January 17.
According to local media reports,
Marc Neil-Jones was attacked in his office by a group of men he alleged were
members of the Vanuatu Correctional Services Department. The men were
reportedly angry about a report in the Daily
Post about the country’s prisons. Neil-Jones’ injuries include a broken
nose and substantial facial bruising.
Neil-Jones said the newspaper’s investigative reports on an internal
management crisis at a Port Vila prison,
which led to the…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned about the spiraling violence against
media in Venezuela after a
second journalist is murdered since the beginning of the year. "January has been a fatidic
month for freedom of expression in Venezuela,"
said Gregorio Salazar, Director of IFJ Latina America Office. " Two journalists have been murdered, another survived an assassination
attempt and a string of criminal attacks and serious violations of press
freedom have been perpetrated including the decision of the National Congress (
Asamblea Nacional) to deny TV crews access to the Parliament room as was the
practice." Orel Sambrano, Director of
Radio…
The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes a clarification by Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh that his Government has no immediate intention of
introducing a statutory code for broadcast news channels in designated
“emergency” situations.
India’s Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting (MIB) had reportedly prepared a code requiring news channels to
carry only pre-authorised content during situations notified as “emergencies”.
The issue became a serious concern with the MIB following the live coverage of
the November 26 attacks in Mumbai and the 60-hour siege of three buildings in
the city.
“The IFJ…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today announced that it plans
to organise a wide ranging investigation into Israeli actions against media during
the current conflict in Gaza
after another building housing media organisations was struck this morning by
Israeli missiles. "We
are witnessing in Gaza
unprecedented and deliberate attacks on media which put journalists and others
in harm's way," said Aidan White,
IFJ General Secretary. "There have been a string of such actions, and a
concerted effort to ban, control and manage media, all of which demands full
investigation." The
IFJ says it will support a wide ranging investigation particularly into the…
The
Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and other professional journalists’ organisations
united on January 13 in nation-wide protests over the murder of Uma Singh. The
print and broadcast journalist, aged in her mid-20s, was murdered in Janakpur
in south-eastern Nepal
on January 11.
“The IFJ joins
the FNJ and all journalists in Nepal
in expressing outrage and grief at the brutal murder of Uma Singh”, the IFJ’s
Asia-Pacific Director, Jacqueline Park, said.
“We call
upon high-level authorities in Nepal
to enter into good faith talks with the FNJ and all other relevant bodies to
improve the media freedom situation in the…
The decision
by troubled media company Mecom to sell its prize German assets is a golden
opportunity to abandon reckless cutbacks and put quality journalism back on the
media agenda, says the European Federation of Journalists Mecom, a
transnational giant based in Britain
and funded by investment bankers, has bought up hundreds of newspaper
titles across Europe over the past few years
and has become notorious for enforcing tough editorial cutbacks and changes to
squeeze profits out of media that are caught up in major restructuring of the
industry. They have now been forced to sell German newspaper
publishing houses Berliner Verlag and the Hamburger…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today condemned the arrest of two Palestinian journalists from Gaza who are detained by Israeli military
authorities since 5 January 2009 . "We
demand that these journalists who are being unlawfully detained are released
immediately," said Aidan White, IFJ
General Secretary. "Israel
has no legitimate reason to detain journalists who are neither on its soil nor
involved in fighting in Gaza." According
to media reports, Khadir Shahin, journalist for Al-Alam TV and his producer
were arrested by Israeli soldiers on Monday 5 January 2009 and have since been
detained in unidentified location. The
IFJ has condemned the…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands an immediate investigation into the murder of a young journalist in her home in Janakpur, in the Dhanusha district of Nepal’s central region, on January 11.
According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), an IFJ affiliate, Uma Singh was attacked repeatedly with a sharp weapon by a group of 15 to 16 people who entered her house in Janakpur in the early evening.
Singh, aged in her mid-20s and a correspondent for the daily Janakapur Today and Radio Today FM, died on the way to hospital, FNJ President Dharmendra Jha said in a statement.
On the same evening, Kantipur Daily correspondent Manika Jha received death threats when…
The following editorial by Lasantha
Wickrematunge, who was murdered in Sri Lanka
on January 8, 2009, was published in The
Sunday Leader on January 11.
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins journalists and human rights defenders in Sri Lanka in
grieving the loss of a courageous journalist and defender of human rights. He
has paid the ultimate price.
No other profession calls on its practitioners to lay down their lives
for their art save the armed forces and,
in Sri Lanka, journalism. In the course of the past few years, the independent media have increasingly come under
attack. Electronic and print-media institutions have been…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands an immediate investigation into the murder of a young journalist in her home in Janakpur, in the Dhanusha district of Nepal’s central region, on January 11.
According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), an IFJ affiliate, Uma Singh was attacked repeatedly with a sharp weapon by a group of 15 to 16 people who entered her house in Janakpur in the early evening.
Singh, aged in her mid-20s and a correspondent for the daily Janakapur Today and Radio Today FM, died on the way to hospital, FNJ President Dharmendra Jha said in a statement.
On the same evening, Kantipur Daily…
The International Federation of Journalists has called for the protection of media and journalists to be guaranteed in any talks taking place to end the violence in the Gaza Strip following the bombing on Friday of a building housing news organisations.
The Al-Johara Tower, an eight-storey building in Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, was hit twice by Israeli aircraft, even though the building was clearly marked as housing media staff. Up to 20 news organisations work inside the building including Iran's English-language Press TV and Arabic-language network of al-Alam. Satellite transmission equipment on the roof of the building was destroyed and at least…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) expressed shock at the murder of Lasantha Wickramatunga,
one of South Asia's leading journalists and
press freedom campaigners, who was shot dead yesterday in a targeted
assassination.
Lasantha, editor in chief of
the Sunday Leader in Sri
Lanka, was shot after has car was ambushed
by two assassins on motorcycles. They blocked his car, used crowbars to smash
the windows and shot him at a busy intersection in Colombo as he was driving to work. Sri Lankan president Mahindra
Rajapaksa reacted sharply to the murder and suggested that it may be part of a
conspiracy to discredit his government. "This brutal attack and
murder of…
The International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ) has today called for a full ‘independent and exhaustive'
inquiry into the shooting of an Iraqi woman journalist in Baghdad by American soldiers. Hadil Emad, 25, an editor
with Biladi TV was shot and critically wounded by America soldiers as she was heading
home in the al-Karrada district of Baghdad on 1 January 2009. She was taken to hospital and
has undergone extremely difficult surgery involving the removal of her kidney
which had been damaged, according to the Iraqi Union of Journalists. "The circumstances of our
colleague's shooting are suspicious," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary "and
we demand a…
The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) has condemned the killing of two journalists in a double-bomb attack in
the town of Dera Ismail Khan, north west of Pakistan. Mohammad Imran and Saleem
Tahir Awan of local dailies the Eitedal and Apna Akhbar were
among the five killed in the explosion. A further 25 people were injured. The incident occurred on January 4, reports
the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ-affiliate, who said a
suicide bomber struck when the area had been cordoned off by the police and
forensic experts were collecting evidence after an earlier blast. The IFJ says terrorist strikes in recent
times have often used the tactic of setting…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today strongly
condemned the attack on the studios and facilities of the Maharaja group of
media enterprises in the Pannipitiya suburb of the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, during the early
hours of January 6. According to reports received from IFJ affiliates in Sri Lanka, more than a dozen armed
intruders entered the premises and overpowered the security guards who were
held at gunpoint and one among them was badly beaten. They forced one of the guards to open the door to the main control room
of the three TV and four radio channels that the media group operates. They
fired at random, detonating a hand grenade and…
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the attack on the offices of the Sindhi language newspaper, Awami Awaz, in Pakistan's commercial metropolis of Karachi on January 1.According to information received from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an IFJ affiliate, the attack was carried out by armed activists of the Sindh National Front (SNF). They detained the staff including the managing editor for a length of time and used abusive language against the chief editor, Jabbar Khattak.The attackers were angry over what they claimed was the newspaper's lack of coverage of SNF statements. But the IFJ warned that acts of intimidation against…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed to learn of the arrest
of B.V. Seetaram, chairman and chief editor of Chitra Publications, by police
in the district of Udupi in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Seetaram,
whose principal publication is the evening newspaper, Karavali Ale, published
from the adjoining district headquarters town of Mangalore, is reportedly being held on
charges of defamation filed two years ago. He was arrested while travelling
with his wife through Udupi district by car. The police have also detained his
wife who is a director of Chitra Publications. When
produced before a magistrate in Udupi on January 5, Seetaram reportedly…
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today welcomed the ten-point
agreement between the Nepal
government and the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), which led to the
cancellation of a nation-wide demonstration over growing attacks on the media. In
signing the agreement, the Information and Communications Minister Krishna
Bahadur Mahara, has reportedly said that the government would make a firm
commitment in ongoing debates in the Nepali Constituent Assembly, to
safeguarding press freedom and ensuring the security of journalists and media
houses. According
to the information received from the FNJ, an IFJ-affiliate, the Ministry will
create a special bureau…
