May 2, 2008

Internews Celebrates World Press Freedom Day

What Does Press Freedom Mean to You?

As we mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Internews honors those journalists around the world who are devoting their lives to ensure that people can get the news and information they need to make decisions for themselves, their families, and their larger communities. What does press freedom mean to you? Please e-mail us your thoughts, which we may include in future newsletters or on our web site. In this issue:

• The Elders Celebrate World Press Freedom
• And Now, for the Good News on Press Freedom
• Good Morning Afghanistan: On the Front Lines of Building Independent Media
• New Google Earth Layer Features Profiles by Internews
• Knight Foundation Supports Internews’ Worldwide Network of Journalists

The Elders Celebrate World Press Freedom

To mark World Press Freedom Day, Internews has produced a public service announcement (PSA) on media freedom on behalf of The Elders group and their human rights awareness campaign, Every Human Has Rights.

The PSA features former United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, who, along with Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and others, forms The Elders, a group of leaders dedicated to use their wisdom, independent leadership and experience to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.

"Think of a world where everybody's afraid to speak out," says Robinson in the PSA. "Then think of a world where no one is afraid to speak up."

Internews is distributing the PSA, rights-free, in 30-second and 45- second versions to its partner TV stations around the world, to air in their countries in order to raise public awareness of the importance of press freedom as a vital component of human rights.

The "Every Human Has Rights" campaign is a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Article 19 of the declaration guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

• View the Press Freedom PSA on YouTube
• Download the PSA in full broadcast format

And Now, for the Good News on Press Freedom

By David Hoffman, President, Internews Network

Some 2,500 years after Thucydides became the world's first military correspondent covering just the straight facts of the Peloponnesian War, and 600 years after Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, it could be expected that the world's population has grown comfortable with factual information, mass communications and the wide dissemination of news and ideas. But freedom of the media and access to information across the globe is still an idea that requires constant tending. (Read on)

Good Morning Afghanistan: On the Front Lines of Building Independent Media

"Sometimes, when you lose a colleague, it only makes you want to fight harder." In an article in the UK's Daily Mail, Morgan Williams writes about her experience working for Internews in Afghanistan, including the killing of Zakia Zaki, a woman who directed Peace Radio, one of 30-plus Afghan-owned radio stations supported by Internews.

Since Zakia's death, the Taliban have attacked four Internews partner stations.

In the above photo, Williams surveys the damage from a fire in March at Radio Zafar, a community radio station in Paghman District, west of Kabul. (Full article) (Sign up to receive our Afghanistan newsletter)

New Google Earth Layer Features Profiles by Internews

Internews has contributed profiles of several journalists who exemplify freedom of expression as well as other rights to Google Earth's new human rights layer.

The "Every Human Has Rights" layer, which was unveiled by The Elders, aims to refocus attention on human rights issues 60 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was made. The layer highlights people who work in some of the world's most difficult areas. The layer, which ties into the Elders' campaign, "Every Human Has Rights," helps organizations highlight their work geographically using photos, audio, video and text.

Each placemark on the map features a short profile of someone who has stood up for the plight of their fellow human beings, often under trying circumstances.

To view the layer, you will need to have Google Earth installed. Explore the layer "The Elders: Every Human Has Rights" under the "Global Awareness" group of layers. Or fly directly to the following Internews profiles:

Knight Foundation Supports Internews’ Worldwide Network of Journalists

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has made a three-year grant to Internews Network that will establish an international network of media professionals. Internews trains over 9,000 journalists, station managers and other media professionals each year, in topics ranging from the technical aspects of radio news production to investigative reporting. This grant will establish an online alumni network of these journalists, and will enable members to further their professional development via online journalism training. (More)