Main section
-
Top story
UN World Press Freedom Day 2009
DATELINE: 17/4/09
The Evening Standard columnist Andrew Gilligan and NATO spokesperson Jamie Shea are to team up to argue that governments at war are winning the battle of controlling the international media, at an event organised by the UK National Commission for UNESCO on 1st May in London.
Gilligan and Shea will challenge the views of Alan Fisher (Al Jazeera English) and Jeremy Dear (NUJ), who claim that governments have failed to prevail in this ongoing struggle. The debate will be broadcast live online to a global audience.According to Gilligan, "Governments are becoming increasingly skilful at obscuring the truth during times of conflict. Recent examples demonstrate that the release of information is tightly controlled, resulting in a selective version of every conflict."
Arguing against the motion, Alan Fisher will argue that, "Governments have always failed in their attempts to silence the press and with new technology, their fight has never been more futile. Through the years, journalists have been intimidated, threatened and even killed but the message still gets out, the story still emerges. Governments may win the odd battle, but media is winning the war."
The panel of experts will debate the success of governments in controlling coverage in times of conflict and turbulence. A number of other speakers, including working and exiled journalists from Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will weigh in on this critical question.The annual World Press Freedom Day debate will take place at the Frontline Club from 10.00 to 12.00 noon on 1st May, in advance of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday 3rd May.
2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom International Prize:
The Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickrematunge has been posthumously awarded the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom International Prize. The late Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the Sunday Leader, who was assassinated on 8 January this year, knew his profession put him in danger and went so far as to write an editorial for publication after his death. It appeared in the Sunday Leader on 11 January 2009, voicing Mr Wickrematunge's commitment and readiness to die for press freedom: "[…] there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It is the call of conscience." The Sunday Leader has been nominated for a Guardian Journalism Award at the 2009 Index on Censorships Freedom of Expression Awards.We are pleased that Natalie Samarasinghe from UNA-UK, the niece of Mr Wickrematunge, will be speaking at the London debate on 1 May.
Tickets are available from worldpressfreedom@unesco.org.uk. Those unable to attend can see the debate live on the Frontline website at http://frontlineclub.com.
For further information, please contact Ian White at the UK National Commission for UNESCO on (0)20 7766 3492 or iwhite@unesco.org.uk.
Last modified: Friday, April 17, 2009
Previous events stories
CPBF Annual General Meeting 2009
Get SHAFTED now...
Under siege: Islam, war and the media
Briefing: NATO, Russia and the new threat of war
Should Internet content be regulated?
CPBF AGM 2008
Citizen Milton
Debate Undercover Mosque at the Frontline Club
Democracy and the role of the independent media
Meet Ken Loach
IAMC 2007 - Community Communication Section Call for Papers
Voice of the Listener and Viewer - autumn conference
Tony Benn: the media and the political process
Taking Sides: The Media and the ‘War on Terror’
2006 Annual General Meeting and Open Debate
Levellers Day
CPBF AGM
Conference to press for stronger BBC
Advertising Effectiveness and the Future Funding of Broadcasting
VLV autumn events
Robert Fisk at Bookmarks
Anti-war protest at BBC AGM
BBC Chair to speak and take questions
Impunity - Getting Away With Murder...
CPBF AGM (Sat 9 July): Globalisation and the media
CPBF Scottish meeting
Hear Amy Goodman on independent media in the US
News for sale - Friends of Le Monde Diplomatique event
CPBF/NUJ/BECTU Conference: 'The future of the BBC and public service broadcasting'
Iraq Occupation Focus
-
Notices
Events & Announcements
Fringe meeting at the TUC
DATELINE: 26/8/10Tuesday 14 September 6.00pm – 8.00pm Mayor’s Parlour, Manchester Town Hall, M2 5DB
‘Media for All – the Democratic Challenge’.
An open event hosted by Making Good Society and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom (CPBF), supported by the Carnegie UK Trust.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download PDFs of Freepress here.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE 09
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Media for All Conference 09
Conference Papers
-
Previous stories
Events
CPBF Annual General Meeting 2009
Get SHAFTED now...
Under siege: Islam, war and the media
Briefing: NATO, Russia and the new threat of war
Should Internet content be regulated?
CPBF AGM 2008
Citizen Milton
Debate Undercover Mosque at the Frontline Club
Democracy and the role of the independent media
Meet Ken Loach
IAMC 2007 - Community Communication Section Call for Papers
Voice of the Listener and Viewer - autumn conference
Tony Benn: the media and the political process
Taking Sides: The Media and the ‘War on Terror’
2006 Annual General Meeting and Open Debate
Levellers Day
CPBF AGM
Conference to press for stronger BBC
Advertising Effectiveness and the Future Funding of Broadcasting
VLV autumn events
Robert Fisk at Bookmarks
Anti-war protest at BBC AGM
BBC Chair to speak and take questions
Impunity - Getting Away With Murder...
CPBF AGM (Sat 9 July): Globalisation and the media
CPBF Scottish meeting
Hear Amy Goodman on independent media in the US
News for sale - Friends of Le Monde Diplomatique event
CPBF/NUJ/BECTU Conference: 'The future of the BBC and public service broadcasting'
Iraq Occupation Focus