U.N. secretary-general commits to defending press freedom

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

25 Jun 2011 10:06 Africa/Lagos



U.N. secretary-general commits to defending press freedom

PARIS, June 24, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Press freedom, particularly free expression online, will be a priority for newly re-elected U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. chief pledged today in a meeting with the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.

The heads of both organizations said they were encouraged by statements made by the secretary-general in support of press freedom during the upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa.

"The uprisings in the Middle East have demonstrated that people all over the world are hungry for information and cherish their ability to communicate with one another," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "This is a basic human aspiration grounded in international law."

The organizations asked Ban, who at the beginning of his first term pledged to support journalists working in dangerous conditions, to use his new mandate to expand support for press freedom everywhere. Ban assured the delegation that addressing individual cases of press violations is a priority.

"The Internet, as a space for the free flow of information and ideas, is inextricably linked to free speech and the development of our societies," said Simon. "U.N. member states have a responsibility to their citizens to keep it free." In 2010, more than half of imprisoned journalists were working online, according to CPJ statistics. The delegation asked the secretary-general to build on his message issued on World Press Freedom Day in May by addressing cyber-attacks, censorship laws, and restriction of the Internet through regulation or the use of state power.

"We urged the secretary-general to strongly defend the journalists and bloggers currently detained or harassed in countries such as Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Libya," said Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Jean-Francois Julliard. "We asked him to do whatever he can to stop the repression and protect all those who want to use their right of free expression. We raised the crucial need to protect free speech online, reminding him that one Internet user out of three in the world does not have access to a free Web."

CPJ and RSF welcomed the appointment of a special rapporteur for human rights in Iran and asked for the secretary-general's assistance in the case of two French journalists who were kidnapped over a year ago in Afghanistan.


Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)

Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time

25 Jun 2011

14:00 Kofi Annan Warns the World's Hungry May Again Surpass the 1 Billion Mark Unless Global Community Takes Action

10:08 Remarks by the First Lady at Women's Leadership Luncheon, Gaborone, Botswana

10:06 U.N. secretary-general commits to defending press freedom

10:06 Women's football teams ‘Give AIDS the Red Card' to keep children free from HIV

24 Jun 2011

23:37 Moroccans Get Ready for Landmark Vote as Constitutional Reforms Win More Praise--from UN, Arab League, and Policy Experts

23:02 RT Launches RTDoc - Documentary Channel on Russia

21:23 Equatorial Guinea Opens African Union Summit

18:56 Equatorial Guinea Launches Official Government's Website in French

17:46 Senegal / End Attacks on Rights Activists / Government Should Investigate, Prosecute Assaults on Civil Society Leaders

Hearst Television Receives Sixth Consecutive Walter Cronkite Award

3 Mar 2011 18:01 Africa/Lagos


Hearst Television Receives Sixth Consecutive Walter Cronkite Award for Political Journalism

Station Group, Sole Recipient in its Category since Award's 2001 Inception, Once Again Earns Nation's Highest Honor for Election, Issues Reporting on Local TV
Honors Also Go to WISN-TV, Milwaukee, for Town Hall Coverage

PR Newswire

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, March 3, 2011

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hearst Television Inc. has earned its sixth consecutive USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism, in recognition of coverage of the 2010 election season.

The Cronkite Awards, named for the legendary CBS newsman, were established at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication following the 2000 election season to recognize excellence in television coverage of politics and political issues, quickly becoming the industry's most recognized honor in the field. They have been issued six times – following the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 election seasons.

The Hearst station group has received the Cronkite for the Station Group category each time; its six consecutive honors surpass the total of Cronkite Awards to any other single entity in any category during the life of the awards.

Judges commended Hearst Television for its "clear, well-edited and comprehensive" reporting. They cited coverage of topics including bipartisanship, campaign expenditures and the accuracy of campaign ads. Judges said issues were clearly discussed and audience-friendly, adding that "Hearst continues to be a consistent success in this arena."

Also honored, in the Local Broadcast Station category, was Hearst's WISN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, which earned a Special Commendation for its political "town hall" programming.

The panel of eight judges was chaired by Geneva Overholser, director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism. Entries were screened by 19 Annenberg faculty and alumni with experience in broadcast journalism.

The awards will be presented on the USC campus in Los Angeles on April 26.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism (www.annenberg.usc.edu) is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. With an enrollment of more than 1,900 graduate and undergraduate students, USC Annenberg offers degree programs in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations. The mission of The Norman Lear Center (www.learcenter.org) is to study and shape the impact of media and entertainment on society. For more information about the Cronkite Awards, visit www.cronkiteaward.org.

Hearst Television Inc. is a leading local media company comprising 29 television stations and two radio stations. The Company's television stations reach approximately 18% of U.S. TV households, making it one of America's largest television station groups. It also owns more than two dozen websites and multicasts more than two dozen digital channels providing news, weather and entertainment programming. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. The Company's Web address is www.hearsttelevision.com.

SOURCE Hearst Television Inc.

CONTACT: Tom Campo of Campo Communications, LLC, +1-212-590-2464, Tom@CampoComm.com

Web Site: http://www.hearsttelevision.com