Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Frontline: Requiem

The PBS series, Frontline, on March 27, broadcast the fourth in a series that it has titled "News War". The series series "examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn." A portion of the broadcast, title "Requiem" is described as follows:
At a time when fair and accurate news coverage is more essential than ever, 2006 marked one of the deadliest years on record for journalists. Surprisingly, despite the fierce fighting in Iraq, most of the slain journalists did not die in combat. They were deliberately targeted, hunted down, and murdered for investigating corruption, crime, or human rights abuses in countries around the world. In Requiem, FRONTLINE/World essayist Sheila Coronel looks at the dangers journalists confront as they try to tell their stories and pays special tribute to reporters working in the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, China and Iraq who have been killed, jailed, or exiled for daring to speak truth to power.

UNESCO is the lead agency in the United Nations system supporting Freedom of Expression. Its Communications and Information program includes components promoting
  • Freedom of Expression,
  • Press Freedom,
  • Independence and Pluralism of the Media,
  • Democraty, and
  • Peace and Tolerance.
UNESCO promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right through sensitization and monitoring activities. It also fosters media independence and pluralism as prerequisites and major factors of democratization by providing advisory services on media legislation and sensitizing governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers.

Read more:
The Director General of UNESCO speaks out frequently in support of freedom of the press, and regularly protests individual offenses against reporters. Read some of the most recent protests:
World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated on May 3rd.