A Hero of Free Expression
Fallen in Afghanistan

An essay on the life of murdered Afghan journalist Zakia Zaki appeared in World Politics Review on June 26, along with a video about her work. Author David Trilling met Zaki when he was Internews' Project Manager in Afghanistan. More on Zakia Zaki

A related Associated Press story on June 26 describes the dangers faced by female journalists in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's Press:
Thriving Yet Threatened

An article in the Economist about attacks on Afghanistan's press includes an interview with journalist Mirwais Social, the former production director for Internews in Afghanistan and currently head of Watander Radio, a station established by Internews.

Video Stories on Media in Afghanistan

Recent video stories by Arthur Kent (Sky Reporter) on the challenges faced by Afghanistan's media also feature journalist Mirwais Social.

Vietnamese Journalists Learn to Cover HIV/AIDS

Following training in reporting effectively on HIV/AIDS, Vietnamese journalists are writing stories that contain significantly fewer stigmatizing words and phrases, according to an Internews analysis.

The Power of Pictures:
The HIV epidemic in Kenya

“I have learned how to make my stories powerful – letting the pictures speak,” says Sylvia Chebet, a journalist for Kenya’s Citizen TV. Sylvia completed the first Internews Local Voices training in covering HIV/AIDS for television reporters.

Time Bomb for Roma

An article in Transitions Online warns that high levels of drug use and unprotected sex create a looming crisis for a Czech ethnic community. The authors are Mia Malan, Internews Senior Health Journalism Advisor, and Jayalakshmi Shreedhar, Project Director of Internews’ Local Voices project in India.

IT Can Foster Good Governance

An article in InterAction's Monday Developments explores how information technology reduces the opportunities for corruption by making government operations more transparent. The article was written by Marjorie Rouse, Vice-President for Europe, Eurasia and ICT Policy for Internews.

MAKE A DONATION TO INTERNEWS TODAY

Help us empower communities around the world with vital, quality news and information by making a contribution to Internews Network today.

TELL A FRIEND

Please forward this newsletter to friends or colleagues who care about independent media and access to information.

Harassment of Internews Russia Now Includes Criminal Charges

Dear Friend,

Photo: Internews

In a further setback to Russia’s struggling independent media, Russian prosecutors revealed on June 21st that they had several days earlier filed criminal charges of smuggling against Manana Aslamazyan, President of the Educated Media Foundation (EMF, formerly known as Internews Russia). They say they are officially considering opening an investigation on two more criminal charges, illegal business activities and money laundering. Also on June 21, a Moscow court rejected a motion to have the investigators' techniques ruled illegal; Aslamazyan’s lawyers will appeal. They are also considering appealing to the European Court for Human Rights if they feel they are not getting justice in Russia.

On the advice of her lawyers, Aslamazyan has been directing the protracted legal battle from outside the country. With little hope of returning to work in Russia in the short term, Aslamazyan announced on June 19 that she has accepted a consultancy position with the US-based Internews Network, which has been a long-time partner of the independent Russian NGO Educated Media Foundation.

In an essay "Putin Strikes Again" in the New York Review of Books, Jamey Gambrell puts Aslamazyan's case in the context of increasing attacks on Russian journalists under Vladimir Putin.

"Murdering journalists is simply the most visible manifestation of the constant campaign against the press. Far more effective are the economic, judicial, and administrative measures being used systematically to quash human rights and information-gathering organizations and other genuinely independent members of civil society… One of the most recent victims of the Putin bureaucracy has been an NGO called the Educated Media Foundation (EMF), formerly known as Internews Russia. Over the past decade, this nonprofit organization has trained more than 15,000 Russian broadcast journalists, mostly from the provinces, in the best practices of journalism… The only 'ideological' aspect of their work has been to explain and encourage internationally recognized ethical standards for fair reporting." Full article

Many thanks to all of you who have expressed support for Manana Aslamazyan and Educated Media Foundation. As always, we welcome your comments.

Sincerely,

Annette Makino
Senior Vice President for Communications and Corporate Affairs
Internews Network

"The ordinary oversight which I personally committed five months ago should not have destroyed this organization… There was only one guiding principle for all of our work: that people in every city of our enormous country deserve access to professional local television. Television that helps its fellow citizens understand the times in which they live and the events taking place in their country. Television that clearly knows that its responsibility is to its audience and to no one else."

Manana Aslamazyan, in an open letter to supporters

Mia Farrow Speaks at "Voices of Darfur"

Photo: Jay Brady Photography, Inc.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow joined Internews staff and others to speak on the role of the media in Darfur at "Voices of Darfur," an event at the Paley Center for Media (formerly Museum of Television and Radio) in New York last month. (See more photos of Mia Farrow, journalist Nick Clooney and other panelists.)

Associated Press ran a story about Internews’ work to provide community radio for refugees from Darfur who are living in camps in eastern Chad.

Internews' George Papagiannis recently discussed this project and the tragedy of Darfur on KPFA San Francisco's Sunday Morning with Peter Laufer. Audio

Fostering Environmental Reporting in the Developing World

As the world faces profound environmental threats such as climate change, deforestation and species loss, it is vital for the public to be informed and engaged in these issues. Yet in the developing world, environmental issues tend to be underreported and oversimplified. Internews' latest print newsletter focuses on our work improving environmental reporting in the developing world, primarily through our program, Earth Journalism Network (EJN). The newsletter features an interview with EJN Executive Director James Fahn on the unique challenges of environmental reporting in developing countries. Newsletter as HTML. Newsletter as PDF.

Fahn spoke at a recent event in New York, "Can Asia’s Growth Be Environmentally Sustainable?" sponsored by the Asia Society and Internews.