Thorn in the side of the predators of press freedom

“Some journalists risk intimidation, detention and even their lives, simply for exercising their right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, through any media, and regardless of frontiers.”

He condemned the 77 murders last year and said the perpetrators must be brought to justice. All governments had a duty to protect those who work in the media.

“This protection must include investigating and prosecuting those who commit crimes against journalists. Impunity gives the green light to criminals and murderers, and empowers those who have something to hide. Over the long term, it has a corrosive and corrupting effect on society as a whole.”

He welcomed the global trend towards new laws which recognised the universal right to publicly held information. Unfortunately, these new laws did not always translate into action, he said. Requests for official information were often refused, or delayed, sometimes for years. At times, poor information management was to blame, but all too often, it happened because of a culture of secrecy and a lack of accountability.

“We must work to change attitudes and to raise awareness. People have a right to information that affects their lives, and states have a duty to provide this information. Such transparency is essential to good government,” he said

Reporters Without Borders reports that to date, in 2010 so far, nine journalists have been killed, 168 journalists imprisoned, nine media assistants imprisoned, as well as 120 Internet users, probably bloggers.

The RWB list of ”Predators of Press Freedom” was released on May 3, backed by a campaign advertisement produced by Saatchi & Saatchi agency, and on this year’s list are 40 names of predators, 40 politicians, government officials, religious leaders, militias and criminal organisations that cannot stand the press, treat it as an enemy, and directly attack journalists. They are powerful, dangerous, violent and above the law, says RWB.

RWB is launching a monthly video report in partnership with France’s Institut National de l’Audiovisuel. Using photos and video, each month’s report will examine the press freedom situation in one country or a particular aspect of press freedom. These are important means to fight predators of press freedom. There is need for more of them.

Asked in what ways the media could join with UNESCO to try to stop the numbers of journalists being killed for doing their job, Dr Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO at the conference, said UNESCO worked with NGOs and journalists’ organisations – and through events such as the Brisbane conference – to create wider awareness of the problem.

UNESCO had condemned the killing of 77 journalists in 2009 and was monitoring such crimes, he said. The monitoring included investigation of what outcomes there had been after a judicial process was instituted. In a March 25 media release, UNESCO described 2009 as one of the most dangerous years for media workers, stating governments needed to do more to protect journalists and to bring their killers to justice.

Dr Khan said in about 10 per cent of cases governments did not like it when UNESCO’s IPDC poked its nose in. But as member states of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) they had voted for its establishment themselves.

On a separate tack, Dr Khan asked why did not the media report on the media itself? The media should be at the centre of the debate on freedom of information and freedom of expression, he said, but there appeared to be some taboo.