The Writers Rights/FOI Blog

International Federation of Journalists

17/12/2004

The International Federation of Journalists today confirmed that 2004 has turned into the worst year on record for the killing of journalists and media staff as two new violent deaths were recorded in Africa and Asia, bringing the death toll to 120 in the year so far.

In Colombo, Sri Lanka, Lal Jayasundara, a 20-year-old photojournalist for the Wijeya newspaper group, was one of two people killed six days ago by a bomb in an attack on an entertainment spectacular. The show had been opposed by Sinhala Buddhist extremist groups who launched a protest over the show taking place on the first anniversary of the death of popular Buddhist preacher Soma Thero.

And today came the news that Deida Hydara, the AFP correspondent in the Gambian capital Banjul was shot and killed shortly after dropping off colleagues from the newspaper The Point, of which he was co-editor. He was shot in the head. Demba Ali Diao, the head of the IFJ-affiliated Gambia Press Union said Hydara was very critical of the government and opposed repressive laws. The IFJ is calling for a full investigation into his death.

“These killings are the latest senseless deaths in a year of unprecedented horror for journalism,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “Our figures show that this is the worst single year on record.”

He said that of particular concern were the spate of deaths in the Philippines where 12 journalists have been killed and in the Middle East, including Iraq where 53 deaths were recorded.

“Many of these deaths could not have been avoided, but targeted killings as we have witnessed in the Philippines, Iraq and now in the Gambia must be properly and publicly investigated and the killers brought to justice,” said White.

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by Claire Cozens, The Guardian

In a new global survey of press freedom, the US authorities in Iraq have been ranked as one of the biggest dangers to journalists in the world, worse than the regime in Georgia and Afghanistan.

They have been ranked 108th by Reporters Without Borders, putting them just above Cambodia and only 11 places ahead of the Palestinian Authority in terms of safety.

The press freedom organisation said it had given the US its own separate ranking in the war-torn country because of the number of journalists killed by US army gunfire.

“Six journalists and media assistants have been killed by US army gunfire without the US military ever conducting proper enquiries. Furthermore, the new Iraqi authorities have not yet established a framework guaranteeing press freedom and have reacted in an authoritarian manner towards the pan-Arab satellite TV news stations whose coverage they view as pro-terrorist,” it said.

RWB, which compiled the rankings, said journalists working in Iraq were “in danger of being targeted in the course of combat or by armed groups” and that the new Iraqi authorities had not yet established a framework to guarantee press freedom…

Read entire article at: The Guardian (UK)

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press over the weekend released the 5th Edition of its “White Paper"chronicling the effects the War on Terrorism has had on the public’s right to know.

The 95-page report, called “Homefront Confidential: How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public’s Right to Know,” outlines actions taken over the last three years by state and federal government agencies that limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs.

A proposed state-constitutional amendment to strengthen California’s open-meetings and public-records laws will appear on this November’s ballot as Proposition 59.

It’s not as strong or far-reaching as sunshine advocates would like, but it still represents an improvement over current, statutory law. NWU Local 3 supports the measure.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association has this to say about Proposition 59: "We have seen too often California’s laws requiring public access — to meetings of government bodies and to the public’s records — abused, fiddled with, subordinated to political interests, or flatly ignored, leaving the public in the dark, unable to hold accountable those it has given the right to govern. Proposition 59 will breathe new life into California’s many laws guaranteeing the public’s right to know. It will send a clear message to those who would close a public meeting, deny a citizen’s request for public records, or determine the rights of the public in a court of law, to favor the public’s right to know over government secrecy."

Details are at www.prop59.org

Sponsored by state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), the Media Access to Prisoners bill (SB 1164) would overturn or loosen various restrictions that the California Department of Corrections imposed on journalists’ and authors’ face-to-face contacts with state-prison inmates in 1996.

The bill has significant First and Eighth Amendment implications. NWU Local Chapter 3 supports it.

Peter Y. Sussman, a former editor at the SF Chronicle who has for many years led the fight to overturn the CDC-imposed restrictions, says the current state of access to prisoners is inadequate. "I heard the other day from a book writer who said it took her six months to get in to see an inmate she’s writing about," says Sussman. "Even then, she had to go in as a ‘visitor.’ Although she was told she could find paper and pencil inside (as is her right, the CDC says), the only such materials were the scoring pads in children’s games that were already distributed by the time she was allowed in. Hence, not even any notes."

You can read the bills provisions and track its procedural status at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

The Sunshine Ordinance Task Force plans to renew its review of the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance, possibly toward placing a series of amendments on the March 2006 ballot.

A crackdown by US authorities on issuing visas to foreign journalists threatens to cause chaos for overseas broadcasters and newspapers just five months before the presidential election.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has agreed to conduct an investigation into the undercover surveillance of Peace Fresno, a community organization featured in Michael Moore’s new film Fahrenheit 9/11.

The Supreme Court Term that ended today will long be remembered for its emphatic repudiation of the Bush administration’s claim that it can conduct the war on terrorism as it sees fit with virtually no opportunity for meaningful judicial review,

CNN filed a lawsuit against Florida’s elections division last Friday for access to a list of almost 48,000 possible felons who may be deleted from voter rolls.

The State of the News Media 2004 is an inaugural effort to provide a comprehensive look each year at the state of American journalism.

Federal Election Commission Proposes New Rules to Shut Down Unions and Other Groups Critical of Bush
A CWA Action Alert

On March 4 the Federal Election Commission ("FEC") issued proposed new regulations that would effectively shut down …

On Tuesday, March 16th the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists hosted its annual James Madison Freedom of Information Awards dinner…

The Federal Government has warned publishers they may face grave legal consequences for editing manuscripts from disfavored nations, on the ground that such tinkering amounts to trading with the enemy.

The US Supreme Court has given a green light for the government to conduct certain federal court cases in total secrecy.

A troubling pattern has emerged of U.S. troops harassing journalists covering the post-war violence…

The Bush administration is pushing to ratify an international Internet agreement that civil libertarians say would pose serious threats to privacy rights at home and abroad.

This bill challenges the traditional notions of “fair use” and seeks copyright-like protection for the facts within databases, and could create perpetual ownership rights in a wide variety of data.

A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a portion of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated international terrorist organizations.

George W. Bush quietly signed into law a new bill that gives the FBI increased surveillance powers and dramatically expands the reach of the USA Patriot Act.

Legislative piece by legislative piece, the Bush administration is continuing to press forward with a seemingly insatiable appetite for new and unnecessary powers without appropriate checks and balances.