Organisations

The Belarusian Supreme Court has upheld a government order that will obstruct the work of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the country’s most prominent press freedom and media support organisation, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The court backed a directive issued in January by the Ministry of Justice that orders the association, known as BAJ, to halt...

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) is setting up a centre of operations for Haitian journalists in Port-au-Prince in order to enable them to cover the earthquake situation and thereby assist the process of providing assistance to the population. Due to be operational by the start of next week, the centre will be equipped with laptops, mobile phones and generators provided by the leading Canadian...

The 2009 Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) - Fnac Press Freedom Prize was awarded Tuesday to Israeli newspaper reporter Amira Hass and Chechen quarterly Dosh at a ceremony hosted by journalist Bernard de La Villardière at the Espace Fondation EDF in Paris. “In a world dominated by lies that are organised and manipulated, the RSF - Fnac Prize winners deserve our recognition and solidarity not only...

Gavin O’Reilly, the Chief Executive Officer of Ireland-based Independent News & Media PLC, has been elected the first President of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the organisation created by the July merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry. O’Reilly, 42, who had been President...

The International Association of Sports Newspapers (IASN) has launched a new website, www.press-iasn.org, to highlight its work in the promotion of the interests and freedom of the sports press. The website, conceived for media executives, sponsors, and the sports press audience at large, highlights the role of the Association in the international sport community and illustrates, through IASN’s...

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Wednesday announced an ambitious strategic partnership to advance media development and press freedom worldwide. The agreement, which represents Sida’s first major partnership with a private sector organisation, will take advantage of WAN-IFRA’s unique position...

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) was honored Monday with the fourth biennial Thomas J Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights. The $75,000 prize is given "to an individual or group who has made a significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights." CPJ was selected for the prize by a committee representing the University...

Negotiations are under way in Paris to select a new Director-General for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to replace Koichiro Matsuura of Japan, who has held the position for 10 years. UNESCO’s executive council will choose his successor by secret vote in a session that began Monday and ends on September 23. Egyptian culture minister Farouk Hosni is one...

A Tunisian court has decided to recognise a pro-government board of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (NSTJ). Police Tuesday physically evicted members of the previous independent board from the syndicate’s offices, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported quoting local journalists. A court in Tunis Tuesday ordered the transfer of the syndicate’s offices to the new...

Pro-government journalists have ousted the board of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (NSTJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported. The syndicate was the only independent organisation of its kind in Tunisia for critical journalists, providing them with syndication services among other benefits. In the latest in a long string of actions meant to eliminate critical...