19 March 2002

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY EVENTS FOCUS ON TERRORISM


The effect of terrorism on the media and press freedom will be the focus of World Press Freedom Day activities held this year by UNESCO and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). On 3 May, the organisations will hold separate activities to mark the internationally celebrated event. Since 1991, World Press Freedom Day has been held every year on the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, which affirms that a free press is essential to the existence of democracy and is a fundamental human goal.

UNESCO will convene a two-day conference in Manila, the Philippines, on 1 to 2 May focusing on the theme "Media and Terrorism." An estimated 100 participants are expected to attend, including the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the Thai Journalists Association and the Pacific Islands News Association. Topics for discussion will focus on how the media are reporting on terrorism as well as how terrorism impacts on the media and on the safety of journalists. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Abid Hussain will deliver the closing speech at the conference. On 3 May, UNESCO will then present its 2002 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Geoffrey Nyarota, editor-in-chief of Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper "The Daily News." [See IFEX "Communiqués" #11-8, #10-47]. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=4161">#11-8, #10-47].

Meanwhile, WAN has unveiled a comprehensive editorial package which it is encouraging newspapers world-wide to use on 3 May. The package includes an interview with writer and former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel, who assesses the state of freedom of expression in Central and Eastern Europe; an essay on the impact of terrorism on press freedom in democratic countries; and details of the killings of 58 journalists in 2001 and on journalists currently in prison. Political cartoons by Michael Cambon are also featured, as well as a report on Colombia, the world's most dangerous country for journalists.

The full editorial package is available in English, French, Spanish and German and can be downloaded from WAN's website: www.wan-press.org/3may.">http://www.wan-press.org/3may">www.wan-press.org/3may.

For more information on UNESCO's activities, contact Sylvie Coudray, UNESCO, by e-mail: s.coudray@unesco.org.




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Also from the Communiqué, 19 March 2002

INTERNATIONAL: CJFE SPONSORS NEW JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP 19 March 2002 ZIMBABWE: MUGABE SIGNS RESTRICTIVE MEDIA LAW 19 March 2002 CUBA: FREE EXPRESSION GROUPS CALL FOR JAILED JOURNALISTS' RELEASE 19 March 2002 BANGLADESH: 8 JOURNALISTS RECEIVE DEATH THREATS 19 March 2002 AFGHANISTAN: DRAFT MEDIA LAW CONTAINS "SERIOUS FLAWS" 19 March 2002 RWANDA: REPORTER MURDERED 19 March 2002 INTERNATIONAL: ITALIAN JOURNALIST KILLED; RSF URGES ADOPTION OF SAFETY CHARTER 19 March 2002
 
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