27 August 2003
Volume 12 - 2003 Issue 34 (26 Aug. 2003)
North Africa
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is launching a campaign, from 1 to 12 September, focusing on freedom of expression in the francophone North African countries of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The organisation is "deeply concerned about the continued repression of the freedom of expression of writers and journalists" in these countries.
Philippines
Noel Villarante, a journalist with radio station DZJV and the newspaper "Laguna Score", was shot dead on 19 August in Santa Cruz, in Laguna Province, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Colombia
On 22 August, Juan Carlos Benavides Arévalo, a journalist with the community radio station Manantial Estéreo, was shot and killed at a checkpoint near the southern town of Puerto Caicedo, report the Foundation for Press Freedom (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, FLIP), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Jaime Conrado Juajibioy Cuarán, Benavides' colleague at the station, was also seriously injured when suspected rebels shot at their vehicle, which did not stop at the roadblock. The two journalists were travelling with a group to a meeting between President Alvaro Uribe and regional officials in Puerto Asís.
Eritrea
Fifteen journalists are still languishing in Eritrean prisons nearly two years after a crackdown on the independent media, according to Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile (AEJE). The two organisations criticise the "arbitrary" way in which the authorities carry out arrests as well as the secrecy surrounding journalists arrested in Eritrea.
Zimbabwe
High-ranking government officials in both Namibia and Zimbabwe have lashed out recently against the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).
International
ARTICLE 19 has raised concerns about proposals from the Council of Europe's Media Division to establish a "right of reply" on the Internet. Under a draft recommendation, all online publications that are "frequently updated" and contain "edited information of public interest" should grant an enforceable right of reply to individuals whose rights have been affected by inaccurate factual statements, notes ARTICLE 19. The only exception would be for websites "operated by individuals."
International
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) will host a conference on 20 October at the European Parliament in Brussels on the theme of "Public Service Values in the Information Age: European Models for Broadcasting."
International
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has appointed Finnish journalist Kajsa Törnroth to the post of Director of Press Freedom Programmes. Törnroth, who joined WAN in February 2001 as Coordinator/Editor of the African Press Network for the 21st Century, will coordinate the association's press freedom activities, including campaigns and lobbying, World Press Freedom Day activities, Media in Danger conferences and some fundraising and development activities. She can be reached by e-mail at ktornroth@wan.asso.fr.
International
An International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) study confirms that journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean face enormous obstacles in carrying out their work, especially when it comes to investigating government activity. Journalists' working conditions are particularly worrisome in Paraguay, El Salvador, Colombia and, surprisingly, Uruguay, one of the most solid democracies in the region, says ICFJ.
International
American freelance reporter Elizabeth Rubin and Indian journalist Asha Krishnakumar are the winners of Columbia University's second annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism. The awards, which honour the freelance reporter killed in a military ambush in May 2000, recognise exceptional reporting that sheds new light on controversial issues, including conflicts, human-rights concerns or cross-border issues.
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