IFJ Protests as Journalists are Counted among Victims of Burma Violence

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Burmese authorities to end the violent attacks on demonstrators and journalists covering the events there following the killing of one Japanese photographer and reports of another media death and intimidation of local and foreign media.

The IFJ condemnation follows the confirmation that Kenji Nagai was one of 8 people killed during demonstrations in the capital Rangoon. The IFJ is concerned for the safety of another journalist, a German photographer who is reportedly also a victim of a shooting by security forces.

“Once again we see that it is journalists who are in the front line facing violence from unrestrained security forces dealing with peaceful protest,” said AW. It is essential that the Burmese authorities lower the temperature and allow journalists and peaceful demonstrators to exercise their right to work safely and protest peacefully.

Japanese agency APF News has confirmed the death of Kenji Nagai, who was working for the agency. The Bangkok Post reported that a German photographer covering the demonstration was also killed by security forces.

According to the BBC, a hotel in which foreign journalists have been staying in Rangoon has been surrounded and ransacked.

The IFJ is also concerned by reports that the Burmese military junta ordered Rangoon-based journals and newspapers to publish a declaration denouncing the protests. According to the Burma Media Association, the Burmese junta's director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, Major Tint Swe, instructed all Burmese print media at a meeting last Sunday to publish a declaration stating they were not interested in the ongoing protest.

Authorities have issued a night-time curfew and a ban on public gatherings of more than five people, measures which will be enforced for 60 days. The protest against the military junta is the biggest since the nation-wide pro-democracy uprising of 1988 led by students, which ended in bloodshed as the military killed many of the protesters.

Jharkhand washerman, mediaman

A washerman in Jharkhand has been bringing out a handwritten weekly newspaper for the past 20 years.

A washerman in Jharkhand has found an innovative way to keep himself busy and spread awareness. He has been bringing out a handwritten weekly newspaper for the past 20 years.

Gaurishankar Razak of Dumka town, around 400 km from Ranchi, is the proud owner of "Deen Dalit", which made its first appearance two decades ago. The newspaper, which is even registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), is in Hindi.

The 55-year-old, who has studied till Class 10, gathers news about local problems and of course about corruption and writes the reports on a sheet of paper, which is then photocopied and pasted at important places in the district.

"I raise public awareness through my newspaper. By working as a washerman I get to watch the day-to-day problems of the people. I write about them in the newspaper," said Razak.

"The purpose of bringing out the newspaper is to serve the country and the people of the state.

"When I decided to bring out the paper, I had no money. Even today I cannot print them. I bring out about 50 photocopies," he added.

His wife and four children help him in his work. "I feel proud when I see people reading my father's newspaper," said one of his sons.

Even the readers are all praise for him.

"In today's world, it is difficult to find a person who uses his own money to bring out handwritten newspapers to serve society," remarked Sandek Soren, a Dumka resident.

Indo-Asian News Service

BBC Editorial Crisis Highlights Case for Global Ethical Journalism

The International Federation of Journalists today called on media organisations across the industry to join a global campaign to reinforce ethical journalism following the news that the BBC, one of the world’s most trusted broadcasters, has committed serious breaches of its own editorial standards.

“There is a massive problem of falling standards across the media industry that needs to be addressed urgently,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “When an industry leader like the BBC stumbles, there can be little doubt that the crisis of quality is deep and wide spread.”

The BBC is facing a major internal review following a scandal over fake phone-ins and editorial breaches. The BBC has suspended all its TV and radio phone-related competitions after viewers were deliberately fooled over prizes and winners in a number of high-profile programmes. BBC Director General Mark Thompson plans to enforce mandatory training for the BBC’s 16,500 staff.

But the IFJ and its UK affiliate the National Union of Journalists say that training alone will not solve the quality crisis.

“Commercial pressure and insecure working conditions add to the pressure on people who have to make editorial judgements,” said Jeremy Dear, NUJ General Secretary. “It’s time to end casualisation, short-term contracts and other employment pressures that compromise quality.”

The IFJ at its recent Congress in Moscow launched a global Ethical Journalism Initiative to confront falling public confidence in media standards. “Quality content and public trust is the key to survival in and age when technology and the Internet have turned the world of information upside down,” said White. “As the BBC case shows, ethical journalism and editorial standards can be reinforced in every newsroom and media.”