Media Release:
May 3, 2013
World Press Freedom Day
is an opportunity to commemorate the fundamental principles of press freedom,
to celebrate the press and to honour journalists who have demonstrated courage
in standing up for media ethics and free expression around the world.
This year the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is marking
World Press Freedom Day by focusing on the issue of 'Journalist Safety and
Journalists Imprisoned Around the World'.
Throughout the region,
IFJ affiliates are undertaking a number of activities during the week of May 3.
In
South Asia, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) with UNESCO support
launches a report on South Asia, the eleventh in an annual series that reviews
all developments that have a bearing on media freedom and quality journalism in
the region.
South
Asia: IFJ’s South Asia Press
Freedom Report for 2013, titled “Building Resistance, Organising for Change”,
seeks to bring into sharp focus the diverse experiences of media practitioners
in the South Asian region. Over the year under review, these have ranged from
the continuing threat of legal action and the growing menace of physical
violence, to the challenges posed by new forms of inter-personal communication
and engagement with the media and the defence of the traditional values of the
craft.
Australia: The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance
and its professional development arm, the Walkley Foundation will host the 2012
Press Freedom Media Dinner in Sydney on Friday, May 3. The dinner is the media
industry’s major fundraising event and recognises that free speech and a free
and unfettered press that serves the public good, are the most important
guarantors of democracy. Each year, media and business unite to recognise the
importance of press freedom and support the many journalists and media workers
under pressure in the Asia-Pacific region. In the last year more than 100
media workers worldwide have been killed while doing their jobs - their deaths
either accidental or targeted. In the Asia-Pacific region, 32 colleagues have
paid the ultimate price.2011Gold Walkley Award winner Sarah
Ferguson will deliver the keynote speech.
In the lead up to the
event, the MEAA and Walkley Foundation have been running a campaign to support and promote press freedom in
the Asia Pacific region: 30 Days of Press Freedom. Key public figures, journalists, actors, musicians and media
commentators have outlined their thoughts on press freedom in words, pictures
and sound for the online campaign.
Sri Lanka:The Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Press
Institute are hosting a a lecture by Mr.
Rohan Edrisinha Constitutional Adviser, UNDP in Nepal on ‘Freedom of Speech and Expression and the
Rule of Law.
Afghanistan: The
Afghanistan Independent Journalist Association will be participating in an
event in Kabul to celebrate and inaugurate the recently formed Afghan
Journalist Federation – the AIJA is one of the 9 organisations who make up the
new federation.
Maldives: The
Maldives journalists association is launching a T- Shirt campaign this WPFD.
The campaign advocates for the introduction of a working journalists act with the slogan "working
journalists act: protection".
New Zealand New Zealand: On May 3,
the NZ Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union (NZEPMU) will hold what
has now become the annual N.Z. Press Freedom Debate (a fun/satirical debate) to
raise money for the Media Safety and Solidarity Fund at the Backbencher pub in
Wellington.
Vanuatu The Media Asosiesen blong Vanuatu, will be holding an
event at 9am on the sea front stage in Port Vila - “Safe to Speak”. The program includes speeches from
media organisations, civil society organisations, performances from Youth
Against Corruption and Wan Smol Bag. An web brochure will be launched focussing on media freedom. The MAV will be announcing their status
as IFJ full affiliates at the event.
China: The IFJ submitted a
letter to the Chinese Ambassador in Brussels expressing concern at the number
of journalists imprisoned in China awaiting trial on charges of violating the Chinese
penal code or anti-terror laws.
India: IFJ’s Indian affiliates, the National Union of
Journalists (India), the Indian Journalists' Union and the All India Newspaper
Employees Federation will participate in the WPFD event being organised in
Delhi by UNESCO titled "Upholding Freedom of Expression through Mainstream and
Alternative Media". The event will include the formal release of the
SAPFR, panel discussions on "Media Responsibility in the Public
Interest" and "Community Media". The keynote speaker would be
Bharat Bhushan, former editor of the Mail Today and a frequent participant in
IFJ events. Jawhar Sircar, CEO of the public broadcasting entity, Prasar
Bharati, would be chief guest.
Indonesia: AJI
is organizing a peaceful protest involving all 36 chapters of the union. The
protest is to demand the prosecution of those who have perpetrated violence against journalists in Indonesia. In Jakarta, AJI will stage a peaceful protest in front of Indonesian Police Headquarters demanding the completion of cases in the
murder of 8 journalists. They are highlighting one case in particular, the case
of Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin a.k.a Udin, Yogyakarta journalist who was killed in
August 1996.
Philippines: The National Union of
Journalists and other media organizations are holding a kite flying
event. Simulkites: Soar High for Press Freedom. Representatives from media organizations and
institutions will fly a kite. Together they will spell out the words
"Press Freedom" at 4pm today. Finally the NUJP will hold an annual
Press Jam at 7:30 pm in Manila
Nepal: NUJ-Nepal will be attending various
press freedom events that are being held around Nepal to represent their
membership.
Pacific Region: ThePacific Freedom Forum in partnership with the Media Association of the
Solomon Islands will for the first time, convene a UNESCO Pacific WPFD event in
the Solomon Islands. The event will focus on self-regulation for Pacific
newsrooms and a regional media ombudsman.
http://www.ifj.org/en/pages/world-press-freedom-day-2013
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in
131 countries
Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific