News

WAN-IFRA and UNESCO join forces to support journalism in the face of existential economic menace

2020-11-24. The announcement of the co-operation was made at the 40th-anniversary celebration of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), an inter-governmental forum for media development.

French security bill undermines press freedom

2020-11-23. A new French bill raises considerable risks of infringement of several fundamental rights, in particular the right to privacy and freedom of information. Disarmed in the face of the new digital disorder, the government seems incapable of effectively regulating the violence of social networks, preferring instead to reinforce a repressive legislative arsenal.

Politicization of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act impacts journalists and press freedom

2020-11-13. In an open letter to the US House Committee on Oversight and Reforms, WAN-IFRA, with other organizations, call for investigating reports that political influence shaped the Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act determination with respect to AJ+.

Media Laws in India. A ‘must-read’ handbook for journalists in the region.

2020-11-04. WAN-IFRA has released “Media Laws in India”, a comprehensive report that looks at laws affecting the editorial functioning of media in India. An initiative of WAN-IFRA’s World Editors Forum South Asia Chapter, the report provides news media professionals with a better understanding of freedom of expression in India.

World’s Press raises concerns over new immigration rules limiting the stay of foreign journalists in the USA.

2020-10-20. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a proposed rule to fix the stay of non immigrants to improve national security. Specifically, the proposed rule seeks to remove the current framework that allows representatives of foreign Information media to remain in the United States for as long as they maintain compliance with the terms and conditions of their period required to complete their assignment, or employment.

How social media platforms and financial instability are threatening press freedom

While authoritarian control, persecution, and physical violence continue to pose a massive danger to journalists and their work, social media giants and news organisations’ struggle to achieve financial sustainability also play a significant role in threatening press freedom and the news media ecosystem as a whole.

La periodista colombiana Jineth Bedoya Lima recibe la Pluma de Oro de la Libertad

2020-09-16. La periodista colombiana Jineth Bedoya Lima recibe la Pluma de Oro de la Libertad. La Pluma de Oro de la Libertad, el premio anual a la libertad de prensa de la Asociación Mundial de Editores de Noticias (WAN-IFRA), ha sido otorgada a la periodista colombiana Jineth Bedoya Lima. El premio reconoce “la dedicación de la Sra. Bedoya Lima a la profesión periodística, su incansable trabajo por la promoción y protección de los derechos de las mujeres y su valentía para enfrentar y superar su propia tragedia personal con un nivel de dignidad y determinación que sirve de inspiración a sus análogos de todo el mundo”.

Golden Pen of Freedom Awarded to Colombian Journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima

2020-09-16. The Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom award of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), has been awarded to Colombian journalist, Jineth Bedoya Lima. The award recognises “Ms Bedoya Lima’s dedication to the profession of journalism, her tireless work in promoting and protecting the rights of women, and her courage in confronting and overcoming her own personal tragedy with a level of dignity and determination that serves as an inspiration to peers the world over.”

WAN-IFRA Women in News names Mary Mbewe the 2020 Editorial Leadership Award Laureate for Africa

2020-09-08. Today, WAN-IFRA Women in News names Mary Mbewe, Executive Editor of the Daily Nation in Zambia as the 2020 WIN Editorial Leadership Award Laureate for Africa. The announcement will be made at WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Africa conference.

Global rights groups call for the release of Bangladeshi journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol

2020-08-13. In a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, civil society defenders of free expression from all over the world call for the immediate release of Shafiqul Islam Kajol and accountability for his mistreatment.