PAKISTAN: World Press Freedom Day --

Sat, May 3, 2014 at 2:49 PM

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

57 journalists killed during the last 15 years

Courtesy photo

The United States, the United Kingdom and a delegation of the European Union on Friday called upon the Government of Pakistan to resolutely defend media freedom in the country, adding that gags on the media and attacks on journalists were not acceptable.

While marking the World Press Freedom Day today, May 3, the European Union Delegation, in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Pakistan, expressed in a statement its deep concern over the steadily deteriorating environment for media freedom in Pakistan. The EU delegation said that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

May 3, was proclaimed World Press Freedom Day by the UN General Assembly in 1993. This year’s theme for this day, as declared by the UN, is “Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015 Development Agenda”.

Amnesty International in its statement of April 30 said that journalists in Pakistan live under the constant threat of death, harassment and other violence from all sides, including the intelligence services, political parties and armed groups like the Taliban. Pakistan’s media community is effectively under siege. Journalists, in particular those covering national security issues or human rights, are targeted from all sides in a disturbing pattern of abuses carried out to silence their reporting. The spy agency has been implicated in numerous abductions, torture and killings of journalists, but no serving ISI officials has ever been held to account which effectively allows it to continue to operate beyond the reach of the law. Human rights violations against journalists by the ISI often follow a familiar pattern that starts with threatening phone calls and escalates into abductions, torture and other ill-treatment, and in some cases extrajudicial killings.

The World Press Freedom Index 2014, issued by the international non-governmental organisation “Reporters without Borders” earlier this year, termed Pakistan “..... the world’s deadliest country for media personnel”, adding that for the second year running, the Indian sub-continent is the Asian region with the biggest rise in violence for journalists. The index calls the targeted nature of the violence “the most disturbing development”. The report ranked Pakistan at the 158th position out of 180 countries.

It is evidently true, as far as the government is concerned that Pakistan is not the deadliest country in the world for journalists. They claim that dozens of media houses are operating freely and that the media has never enjoyed such freedom in its history. However, every year on average a dozen journalists are killed and many are injured by the attacks from Muslim banned organisations, extremists and secret spy agencies run by the military establishment. Many journalists have told various quarters that they would be attacked or killed by state intelligence agencies particularly by the notorious ISI. The Taliban and other Muslim fundamentalist’s organisations are operating freely and they monitor the broadcasting of every television channel and try to dictate their policies. In most cases the owners of the media houses follow their instructions. But the lives of individual journalist remain at the mercy of the militant organisations without protection even from their employers. The governments always want to remain as silent spectators as if the protection of journalists or media houses is not their responsibility.

The year 2014 started with the killing and attack on journalists. On January 1, Mr. Shan Dahar, the reporter of Abb Takk television was shot dead while filming near a pharmacy in Larkana. He had already produced one story on prescription drugs being illegally resold in the town, and was taking video of a package bearing a "not for resale" label on it shortly before he was shot dead.

On January 17, Gunmen riding on motorcycles shot dead three Express News workers on Friay after ambushing a stationary DSNG van in a busy neighbourhood of Karachi. This was the third and most lethal strike on Express Media Group and its staff in the space of five months. In two previous attacks, the main offices of Express Media Group, were targeted. The January 17’s ambush took the lives of a technician, security guard and a driver, all of whom were seated in the front of the van. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the latest attack in a live telephone call from Afghanistan to Express News.

From January 2013 to date, 17 journalists were attacked and injured either by the intelligence agencies, beaten and tortured by police or by injured by violent people while covering processions and rallies. Other journalists mentioned in the report are living under the dangling swords of life threats. The authorities were least bothered about conducting investigation in the matter except in the case of Hamid Mir, who was attacked by unknown persons while he was coming from Karachi airport during the tight security arrangements for former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.

On March 28, Raza Rumi, a prominent journalist and anchorperson from Express News channel has survived an assassination attempt but his driver was killed. He left the country as he found no security or protection from the government. The Taliban has accepted the responsibility for the attack which has given a good excuse to the government that they can not provide protection as the Taliban is beyond the reach of the law enforcement agencies including the military intelligence agencies.

On April 6, Jamshed Baghwan, Peshawar bureau chief of Express News was been targeted for the second time this year. A bag with 2.5kg of explosives was found outside his house, and on April 6, grenades were thrown at his residence. Baghwan says every day his mother and colleagues tell him to leave the country as they do not find any protection from the law enforcement agencies.

On April 19, a prominent journalist and anchorperson of Geo TV was attacked by unknown persons and he was critically injured by six bullets. He and his family members accused the ISI and its chief general Zaheerul Islam for the attempt to kill him. The military establishment, instead of, conducting inquiries against the allegations rather file a petition before the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to cancel the license of Geo TV for hurling the blame on ISI. The ISI and military establishment are using banned Muslim terrorists organisations and its paid politicians to agitate on the streets in favour of military and the ISI.

On May 2, a Geo TV News cameraman was subjected to thrashing and a bid was made to snatch his camera. Geo News cameraman Asif Kabir was going to the channel’s office located in Model Town A, Bahawalpur, Punjab, when three bike riders wearing helmets intercepted him. The three men called him a traitor and an Indian agent and assaulted him. They injured badly but no case has been filed by the local police.

During the year 2013, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) documented that 13 journalists were killed while performing their duties. 55 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Pakistan in the last ten years, and 36 of them were deliberately targeted and murdered because of their work, says the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in its latest report. The PPF say, for every journalist who has been deliberately targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence. Sadly, the perpetrators of violence against journalists and media workers enjoy almost absolute impunity in Pakistan. This is seriously hampering press freedom in the country.

In the country the media freedom is fragile. Journalists are being harassed or killed for doing their work, publications are being censored or shut down, and laws are being passed which criminalise free speech. This reality does not change on the Internet. Along with the jobs offered by the network, new obstacles emerge: content filtering, monitoring and suspension of Internet access, often without due regard to individuals’ fundamental rights.

The judiciary, which is always looking for the political cases to shut up the democratically elected governments by using Suou Moto actions while the government fail to control the spy agencies and its cronies for the attacks on journalists and escape from their responsibilities for the protection and suitability of the freedom of expression which is the basis of a democratic society.

The AHRC calls upon the military establishment to halt the use of coercive actions on the freedom of expression and press as if it is continued it would lead to the defeat of the military in the hands of unarmed media persons. The Government of Pakistan must ensure that all abuses committed against journalists are duly investigated and that appropriate action is taken against perpetrators while the public is provided with information on the outcome of enquiries.

The government must defend media freedom, this being an important component of the freedom of expression as defined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and in the Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

Hundreds of Congress workers join AAP in Ludhiana west

Media waited more than two hours to cover the event
All workers led by Balraj Singh Sekhon

Ludhiana: 16 March 2014: (Rector Kathuria//The Media Screen): 
Causing a big loss for the Congress party, hundreds of Congress leaders and workers led by Balraj Singh Sekhon, an old Congress leader and its former state secretary, today, joined Aam Admi Party (AAP) and vowed to support AAP candidate from Ludhiana Advocate Harvinder Singh Phoolka. Media persons waited more than two hours to cover this event.
Balraj Sekhon said, “Corruption is a major concern of our country and countrymen severely suffer of this and want to get rid of it. Since Congress and other main stream parties are directly responsible for it, we should reject them and support AAP whose president Arvind Kejriwal triggered an unprecedented movement against mass level graft.”

“AAP is a new ray of hope for marginalized sections of the society. That is why, we have joined this party and we appeal to all to do so, if we want to save our country”, he said, adding that due to its anti-graft stand, Congress and BJP backed by Ambani and other corporates did not let Kejriwal remain in power.
Along with him, other senior Congress leaders namely Tejpal Prashar, former block president of the party, Jarnail Singh Cheema, Kimi Pradhan, Numberdar Gurmail Singh, Rooplal, Gujjar Singh also joined AAP besides hundreds of Congress workers.
While interacting with the new members of AAP, Phoolka said, “Where on one hand the Akali-BJP government are implementing “Gunda Raaj” in Punjab thereby frightening the people, the Congress on the other hand in the Center has adopted a pro-corporate and anti-people policies which pave the way for more corruption and reduced development for the people”.

Authors, writers’ groups denounce withdrawal of Doniger book

From the wall of Narinder Kumar Jeet who shared a link on Facebook on 15th Feb late night 

PTI
Journalist and author Siddharth Varadarajan, along with academic and author Jyotirmaya Sharma, ask Penguin to pulp their books and revert copyright.
Denouncing Penguin’s decision to withdraw US scholar Wendy Doniger’s book, authors and activists on Saturday said it is a campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a chauvinistic and communal presentation of history and culture.

American author Wendy Doniger (Courtesy:The Hindu)

In a statement on Saturday, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) said the “surrender” of the publisher in an out-of-court settlement, which involves the withdrawal of Prof. Doniger’s book ‘The Hindus: An Alternative History’ and the pulping of its copies, has rightly “aroused much disquiet.” 

The statement has been signed by Irfan Habib, C P Chandrasekhar, Mridula Mukherjee, M K Raina, Ram Rahman, Jayati Ghosh, Zoya Hasan among others.
“The event has, however, a still more sinister aspect. It is, clearly an early salvo in the renewed campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a full-fledged chauvinistic and communal presentation of our history and culture with no quarter allowed to dissenting voices,” the SAHMAT statement said.
“The next step, as some newspaper reports already suggest, is to extend the net of censorship and use government machinery, wherever available, to extend to school and college textbooks the same kind of misinformation, chauvinistic claims and denigration of other religions and cultures that we had seen during the past BJP-led regime at the centre,” it said.
“It is, therefore, necessary not only to condemn what has happened in regard to the ‘Hindus, an Alternative History’, especially the pusillanimity of the publisher, but also to redouble our vigilance in regard to what is still to come,” Sahmat said.
Meanwhile, author and journalist Siddharth Varadarajan tweeted that he along with Jyotirmaya Sharma “have asked Penguin to pulp our books and revert copyright so we can deal with any would-be bullies on our own terms.”
In his letter to Penguin, Mr. Varadarajan said he found “most unconvincing”, the statement released by the publisher that said it was taking the decision to withdraw the book as it has a moral responsibility to protect its “employees against threats and harassment“.
“As an author I no longer have the confidence that Penguin will stand by my book ‘Gujarat: The Making of a Tragedy’ published by you in 2002 — in the event that some group or individual should decide to demand that it be withdrawn because they feel it violates (Section) 295,” Mr. Varadarajan said.
He asked the publisher to cancel the contract and pulp all remaining copies of his book and revert copyright for the book “so that I may freely distribute it electronically without the fear of any future arbitrary withdrawal by Penguin in the face of pressure from the sort of intellectual bullies who have managed to have their way with Prof Doniger’s book.”
Previously this week, Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy had written an open letter to Penguin asking it to explain “what is it that scared you so? Have you forgotten who you are? You are part of one of the oldest, grandest publishing houses in the world.”
Members of the Indian chapter of PEN international, a writers group, have also released a statement.
“Choosing to settle the matter out of court, instead of challenging an adverse judgement, narrows India’s intellectual discourse and significantly undermines freedom of expression,” said members of the PEN All-India Centre in Mumbai and the PEN Delhi Centre.
“We do not know why Penguin took the decision and expect the publisher to be transparent about the circumstances in which it made the decision, which comes at a time when Indian publishers have faced waves of threats from litigants, vigilante groups, and politicians,” it said.
It pointed out that previously author Siddharth Deb’s book “The Beautiful and The Damned” was published without its first chapter because of a lawsuit and Bloomsbury India had withdrawn from circulation Jitender Bhargava’s book, “The Descent of Air India“.
“Sahara Group is suing Tamal Bandyopadhyay, author of ’Sahara: The Untold Story.’ Foreign publishers have not distributed an English translation of ‘The Red Saree,’ a book loosely based on Sonia Gandhi’s life,” the statement said.
Stressing that they are committed to free speech and expression it said, “The removal of books from our bookshops, bookshelves, and libraries, whether through state-sanctioned censorship, private vigilante action, or publisher capitulation are all egregious violations of free speech that we shall oppose in all forms at all times.”
The Hindu News » National New Delhi, February 15, 2014

Authors, writers’ groups denounce withdrawal of Doniger book

www.thehindu.com

Journalist and author Siddharth Varadarajan, along with academic and author Jyotirmaya Sharma, ask Penguin to pulp their books and...

National Press Day 2013 observed today

15-11-2013 पर प्रकाशित

Celebrating responsible and free press: National Press Day 2013 observed today

Courtesy:INBMINISTRY

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President’s address at the Press Council of India on the celebrations of National Press Day, New Delhi                                        16-November-2006 15:43 IST
Following is the text of President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s address at the Press Council of India on the celebrations of National Press Day, New Delhi:
Press a partner in National Missions
"Media is the medium”
I am delighted to participate in the National Press Day. I would like to greet all of you on this great occasion. Forty year is indeed a big period and definitely Indian Press would have grown in many spheres of reporting. From now, to the year 2020, is a very important period for the nation. National Press definitely has to get transformed into media of billion people and above all they have to play a vital role as a partner of India’s economic development. The combination of economic development and preservation of values system drawn from our civilizational heritage will transform India into a happy, prosperous and safe nation.

Friends, when I see you all, you are very important component of the society, I recall my experiences of visiting all the States and Union Territories, and witnessing the unique ambience of the seven hundred million people living in 600,000 villages equivalent to 200,000 Panchayat’s. What is that ambience? I call that ambience as, “A scene of sweat”. It is the farmers in the agricultural field, it is the fishermen in the rough seas, it is the worker in the industries, teachers in the schools, knowledge workers in the laboratories, knowledge and Pharma industries, health workers removing the pain at all times in healthcare institutions and many other people, who have to be always remembered by this great media community. In politics, there are two components: political politics and the other important element development politics. Most of you give importance to political politics. The nation’s important need is development politics. Your reporting in this area is essential. That is how I have selected the topic for discussion today as “Press a partner in National Missions”.

Media as a partner in national development.

Friends, I would like to share with you a few experiences that are relevant to the media today.

(a) Fellows of NVA:
M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) is engaged in the capacity building activity for rural development through rural youth. The Foundation had organized a meet of the national fellows some time back. The title of “Fellow” is normally attached with the academicians, intellectuals, scientists, historians and economists. Here, the fellows I am talking about are the farmers, fishermen or craftsmen drawn from various walks of life, who can make a difference to people living in the rural ambience. Their only potential is experience and enthusiasm to serve society. 

I had met and interacted with over 140 fellows coming from different rural parts of the country. It is indeed a celebration of our rural core competence. The Foundation has really thought of an innovative scheme to recognize and train the people who are wedded to rural development and empowering them to promote rural transformation in certain areas. Particularly, I was impressed by the choice of fellows such as Mr. Anwarji of Balipara, Assam who has core competence in education, suitable for local people in areas such as literacy, sanitation and the use of ICT. Ms. Pushpa Ben of Village Sokhada, Gujarat who has the core competence in water conservation and vegetable vending; Ms. Vijyantha Raut of Nimgoan Bhogi, Maharastra who has the core competence of social work particularly in micro credit movement, Mr. Narsingh Singh from Charanwala Bajju village of Rajasthan who has the core competence in Computer education in rural areas; Mr. V. Deenadhayalan from Umbalchery village, Tamil Nadu with core competence in indigenous live stock keeping and also practicing animal healing using herbal plants. This clearly indicates the spectrum of experience of the fellows selected. I would recommend that journalists should interact with such grassroot social reformers and bring out their core competence, dedication and experience in serving rural communities, which can become a model for our youth to follow.

Friends, after I took over as President, apart from visiting States for participating in various functions, I also have interacted with students and people from rural areas wherever possible. I have also addressed the State Legislatures wherever possible. So far I have addressed 12 State Legislatures. In my addresses, the central message has been how the State can be economically developed with high Human Development Index, and how to increase the per capita income of the State? I normally give 8 to 10 missions. These missions have been developed based on the inputs from the Planning Commission, consultation with State ministries, the core competence of the State and the rural development profile of the State which are mapped to Vision 2020 targets. I would suggest that the media personnel should study, research and analyze these missions and put forth the actions and suggestions to the executives, leaders contribute to the development of the corresponding States.

b. Pro-active Media:
I would like to share with you an out-of-the box solution. After my address to the Kerala Legislative Assembly on the “Missions for Kerala’s prosperity”, there was a detailed discussion in the Kerala Assembly amongst all political parties. As you know, the media in Kerala is very alert and dynamic. They took up the mission and extended the discussion to the people and all the political leaders, inviting suggestions from all of them. I would like to share with you how Malayala Manoroma contributed to the document which I presented to the Kerala Assembly. Malayala Manoroma translated this document “Missions for Kerala’s prosperity” and ensured that it reached all the readers and various active development groups. Also the media organized six workshops, in different places in the State for discussing all the ten missions and seeking the operational problems and their solutions. In this workshop, ministers, political leaders, government functionaries and media personal participated. I also interacted with them during the concluding session through video conferencing. The media finally submitted their recommendations to the Government for implementation. This proactive step undertaken by the media shows how the media can be an effective partner in the national development. 

Friends, I am sharing this experience with you, which is very important for the media to be a partner in national missions, such as Developed India 2020, PURA and the recently sanctioned “Bharat Nirman” programme with an investment of Rs. 1,74,000 Crore to be executed in 4 years by the Government. There is another important programme, called the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme covering 200 districts. In addition, the Government has also passed an act called the “Right to Education Act’ for providing compulsory and free education to all children between 5 to 13 years. All these programmes are very important national programmes and particularly the media should take interest, highlight the positive aspects and provide solutions to difficult aspects through nationwide consultations. This will certainly make a difference in the implementation of the programme and bring smiles to the faces of our billion people. 

The economic development has got a tremendous link with the standards of ethics in the country and dynamics of globalization. Hence I will be discussing certain development goals in our country.

Now, I would like to discuss some of the innovative development programmes that need media attention, which I have come across in different parts of the country.

c.PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas):
The integrated method which will bring prosperity to rural India is called PURA, which envisages four connectivities: the physical connectivity of village clusters through quality roads and transport; electronic connectivity through tele-communication with high bandwidth fiber optic cables reaching the rural areas from urban cities and through internet kiosks; knowledge connectivity through education, skill training for farmers, artisans and crafts persons and entrepreneurship programmes. These three connectives will lead to economic connectivity through the establishment of enterprises with the help of banks, micro credit and marketing of products. We need to establish approximately 7000 PURA Complexes in the country encompassing over 2 lakh Village Panchayats.

d. Operational PURA:
There are already four operational PURAs in the country pioneered by private institutions independent of Government efforts. They are the Periyar PURA in Vallam, Tamil Nadu, Loni Pura in Loni, Maharastra, Chitrakoot PURA in Madhya Pradesh and Byrraju PURA in Andhra Pradesh. Now I would like to share the experiences of my recent visit to Byyraju PURA in Bhimavaram, Andra Pradesh. Byrraju Foundation of Satyam Computer Services has undertaken the mission of establishing 32 Ashwini centers benefiting 116 villages with a population of around 500,000 people. It has provided electronic connectivity through wireless (512 kbps to 2 mbps), knowledge connectivity in cooperation with the National Academy of Construction, Hyderabad and other domain experts, thereby creating economic connectivity in these villages.

e. Economic Connectivity:
During the last 4 years of its operations, it has skill enabled and knowledge enabled people in areas such as construction, tailoring, garment production, IT and spoken English. This programme has resulted in the creation of 3000 jobs with the minimum earning of Rs. 3000 per month, which is 3 times that of the earlier earning potential. A rural BPO Gram IT, established in Jallikakinada center has trained unemployed graduates in IT skills and spoken English and employed one hundred people to do BPO operations such as transaction processing of Human Resource data of Satyam Computers as back office processing; data processing of one million self-help-group members of Andhra Pradesh such as financial data, accounting data, spending patterns and cultural aspects under the programme “Mapping the bottom of the Pyramid”. This Gram IT BPO has led to the 10% reverse migration from Hyderabad to Bhimavaram. I am sure this Model can be replicated by many of our IT companies in the rural sector to create PURA clusters and bring rural transformation. Journalists assembled here today can definitely study this PURA and analyze the impact it has made in improving the quality of life for the people living in this cluster. Based on this study, they can spread the message of the benefits of PURA to different regions in the country. Now I would like to talk about the important facility established by the Ministry of Agriculture which should be brought to the notice of all rural people in the country for deriving maximum benefits.

f. Chhattisgarh Bhaktara PURA:
Recently, I was in Chhattisgarh, where I inaugurated a PURA complex at Baktara village in Arang Tehsil of Raipur District. This PURA complex covering 22 villages with a population of 36,000 people is coming up and very soon it will be a vibrant PURA with high quality 4 lane roads with Battery operated and Bio-diesel buses, 1000 modern dwelling units, quality health care facility with 250 bed hospital and a state-of-the-art school by DAV Institution and paramedical and nursing training institutions. The Corporate have committed to establish these facilities linked to the schedule of commission of the PURA within next 5 years. I thought of sharing this experience with you to give an idea how the areas are fast developing in different parts of our country. Central Government is planning to create 2 PURA clusters in each district across the country as a part of the 11th plan programme. Media’s interest in PURA is indeed will be the interest of village development of the country and there by economic development of the nation.

Media Research
I have a suggestion particularly to the members of the media consisting of editors, journalists, correspondents and reporters. In our country, it is essential to have research wings in academic institutions developing media personnel in reporting news, event analysis and highlights. This will enable our journalists to carry out original research on topics of national interest and provide solutions to medium and long term problems. The owners of newspapers should encourage research being carried out by experienced and young reporters for acquiring post-graduate qualifications which will improve the quality of content of the print media. Participating media members must realize that continuous updating of knowledge in research environment is essential for all media personnel. For example, before any issue is discussed in foreign newspapers, they send it to an internal research group where data is studied; verified and factual news is generated and sent for publication. When there was a critical comment about outsourcing to India, a US journalist stayed in India and studied the issue and found out that the companies engaged in Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) were carrying out business using imported equipment from USA and Europe. Thus, they found that the BPO industries provided an indirect market for the hardware industries of the USA and Europe. Immediately this was reported in the Indian media in a big way. Similarly a Discovery Channel media person wanted to study India’s growth in Information Technology; Thomas Friedman came to India and stayed for a month and visited Bangalore and other places. Based on his news analysis he wrote a book titled “The World is Flat”. Such is the power of research. I would suggest our Indian newspaper agencies should encourage research being carried out by our correspondents and journalists within India in academic research institutions, which will definitely improve the quality of our reporting and enhance the participation of journalists in national development missions.

Missions for media
In the present development context of the nation, I would like the media to take up the following missions for immediate implementation. 1. A media movement: Developed India before 2020.

2. Media becoming a development partner in the programme of PURA (Providing Urban amenities in Rural Area) – connectivity is the focus.

3. Celebrating every aspect of the success of the people of the State and the Nation particularly in rural areas.

4. Evolution of corruption free India before 2015.

5. Promoting an enlightened society, which means education with value system, transforming religion into a spiritual force and building economic prosperity of the nations based on their core competence. For this mission, a unique world body is essential. 

6. Print media and electronic media should bring honor to the womanhood.

7. Scanning and digitizing all old issues of the print media since its establishment and store in a digital library to preserve our national heritage and make it available for research.

8. Media should evolve a code of conduct among themselves for ensuring that all reporting is analyzed, evaluated, and researched prior to publication. This is essential for peace, prosperity and safety of the nation.

Conclusion
Friends while I am discussing the necessity of having the code of conduct for the media, I would like to share with you a healthy practice being evolved and followed by a newspaper which is published all over the country. They have appointed a consultant exclusively for maintaining the standard of the newspaper reporting and nurture the name of the paper, thereby ensuring that all the guidelines are adhered to by the reporters. There is a constant review of the quality of reporting and improvement in the guidelines. This may be followed by the media organizations all over the country to continuously improve the quality and maintain the consistency of news reporting. 

The Members of Press council of India may undertake the task of motivating every citizens of the nation to work towards transforming India into a developed nation well before 2020. This is the mission which has to be done unitedly by all the media organizations. Once again let me greet you all on the occasion of the 40th National Press Day and wish you success in your mission of igniting the minds of our youth for making positive contribution towards the development of our nation.

May God Bless you.
****
DS/SK

PHILIPPINES: Editor-in-chief of Sun.Star Davao convicted by the court

September 5, 2013                                                                                Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 1:28 PM   

A Statement from the Asian Human Rights Commission

Why journalists should be convicted for libel for publishing a police report?

After nine years of trial, on September 3 Stella Estremera, editor-in-chief of Sun.Star Davao; and Antonio Ajero, the newspaper's former publisher, were convicted by a local court in Digos City for a criminal case of libel. They were convicted based on the complaint of Baguio Saripada, a former city government employee, after his name was included in the list of 32 suspected drug users and pushers who surrendered to the police. The article was published in the newspaper on July 28, 2003.

At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Carmelita Sarno-Davin, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) 18, held Estremera and Ajero guilty "for failing to get the side of complainant", and imposed a "P 6,000 fine "with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency" and P 200,000 for moral damages to the complainant". This conviction is the latest case on libel involving journalists in the Philippines. However, unlike previous convictions on libel cases, Estremera and Ajero were convicted not because their article was critical, but because they quoted a police report in it. In that report, the source of information by the Reporter is a police blotter or report.

In Estremera and Ajero's case, the judgement is a regression to the standard of test and the threshold of what constitutes a crime of libel.

In the Philippines, libel is still a criminal offence in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and imposes a penalty of imprisonment and fine. The Government defended the keeping of libel as a criminal offence by law to protect 'reputation' and 'constitutional rights' of the aggrieved person. It argued that the "enjoyment of a private reputation is a constitutional right" and that individuals are protected by law from "slanderous attack". They made it clear in the case of Alexander Adonis, a radio broadcaster who was convicted and imprisoned for libel, when he filed a complaint at the UN Human Rights Committee (UN Doc CCPR/C/103/D/1815/2008, para 4.2).

But Estremera and Ajero could not have damaged the reputation or slandered Saripada, the complainant, when they published his name in the article. They were reporting stories about alleged involvement of government employees in using and selling illegal drugs by citing official police reports. These types of stories are of public interest. If any person is to be held accountable it should be the policemen who produced the report, not the editor or the publisher who merely publish by quoting the police report. The police investigation reports are official documents considered as reliable, not only by journalists, but even by the judiciary as accurate and authentic. They are presumed to be correct.

The conviction of Estremera and Ajero made it clear that any journalist or editor, whether or not their writings are critical of a government employee or public officials, they could be prosecuted and had to endure trial for many years and the threat of imprisoned for libel. Clearly, what the Court's decision means is this: the failure of Estremera and Ajero to get the side of the complainant has become the crime, not whether the publication of the name of the complainant as one of the drug users and sellers is slanderous or not. The publication of the article can in no way constitute a crime as neither of them have made criticisms or slandered the complainant but, as mentioned above, merely published the police report in which the complainant was named.

The AHRC understands that the right to freedom of expression can be subjected to restrictions, and is not an absolute right. In this case, the issue is not whether the journalists caused damage to the 'reputation' or violated the 'constitutional rights' of the complainant because they merely published the police report for the public to read. The utmost responsibility in protecting the 'reputation' of the complainants falls on the police as the originator of the report. As such, the responsibility for the supposed damage to the complainant's reputation falls on the police as well, not to the journalists who merely reports stories about crimes the police investigated into.

The impact of the court's decision, if it is not corrected, would be that any journalist, who reports and quotes official reports can be prosecuted tried and imprisoned. We are deeply concerned by the negative impact of the court's decision. This decision exposes any journalist to unnecessary risks or threats of criminal prosecution. This could further lead to self-censorship, a decline in critical thinking, and of demanding accountability from government employee and officials.

The AHRC, therefore, urges the local court to reconsider its judgement. If this judgement is neither corrected nor challenged, it will give rise to serious repercussions to the already fragile and narrowing space of the exercise of freedom of expression in the country. This judgement has put into question how the court interprets in protecting the right of journalists in ensuring that they can exercise freely editorial independence, and without fear of being prosecuted for criminal offenses.

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

PM's Speech at the inauguration of the National Media Centre

24-August-2013 11:7 IST
Credibility is the media’s currency 
Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's address at the inauguration of National Media Centre in New Delhi today: 

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the National Media Centre, in New Delhi on August 24, 2013. The Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari, the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Bimal Julka and the Principal Director General (M&C), Press Information Bureau, Smt. Neelam Kapur are also seen. (PIB)

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing at the inauguration of the National Media Centre, in New Delhi on August 24, 2013. The Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari and the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Bimal Julka are also seen.     (Photo:PIB)

"It gives me immense pleasure to be here today on an occasion that represents a milestone in public engagement. The inauguration of the National Media Centre is not only about unveiling New Delhi’s latest landmark. This Centre also showcases our ability to keep pace with similar state-of-the-art facilities across the world. It symbolizes the vibrant mood of the existing media landscape in our country. As a ‘Communication Hub’ and a ‘Single Window’ facility, I am sure it will fulfill the needs and requirements of our media fraternity, many of whom are present here today. 

The exponential growth in India’s media sector began during the decade of the nineties. The media, not coincidentally, were among the principal beneficiaries of the wave of economic reforms that were introduced in the country during that period. Growing economic activity created the need for better and more intensive communication, which itself had a commercial aspect to it. A virtuous cycle came about in which the increased reach of media, both print and electronic, opened up ever newer markets, which benefited producers and consumers alike. In fact, I would like to think that the phenomenon of India as a world power in cricket has something to do with the fact that our electronic media are able to create and unite a huge block of consumers, reaching which is the dream of many marketing professionals. 

The story of reform and liberalization in the media sector, which is a continuing one, is obviously a success story. The size of the media industry alone demonstrates that very amply. But the media are not merely a mirror of business activity; they are a reflection of the entire society at large. Economic reform and liberalization over the last two decades and more have wrought great societal change in our country. Our media have reflected this process and also been affected by the associated changes. I would even say that the pace of these changes has been so rapid that the documentation of its impact on the media has been somewhat inadequate. Technological advancements like the internet, telecom revolution, low cost broadcasting, social media and cheaper publishing facilities that exist today were inconceivable two decades ago. 

Change inevitably brings challenge in its wake. Those of you who are the practitioners of the media industry have a very special responsibility to assess, tackle and overcome the challenges that two decades of socio-economic change have brought about. In a vibrant democracy such as ours, which revels in free enquiry and quest for answers, this is a significant calling. But there is need for caution while executing this responsibility. A spirit of inquiry must not morph into a campaign of calumny. A witch-hunt is no substitute for investigative journalism. And personal prejudices must not replace the public good. 

At the end of the day, credibility is the media’s currency and is integral to its contract with the reader or viewer. There is also the question of a certain responsibility for social harmony and public order. I emphasize this particularly in the light of the social media revolution, which is rendering irrelevant the lines between a connected citizen and professional journalist. A mature and wise handling of this phenomenon is essential if we are to avoid the tragedy last year that befell many innocent souls who became victims of an online propaganda campaign and were then driven across the country to save their lives in their home states. 

It is a reality that journalism cannot be divorced from the business of which it is a part. The responsibilities of a media organization are not limited to the viewers and readers alone. The companies also have an obligation to their investors and shareholders. The tussle between bottom-lines and headlines is a fact of life for them. But this should not result in a situation where media organizations lose sight of their primary directive, which is to hold up a mirror to society and help provide a corrective. 

The media and civil society are an essential part of democracy and nation building. Now that we are at a decisive stage in taking our rightful place in the comity of nations, I am confident that they will not be found wanting in this collective effort to consolidate India as a plural, inclusive and progressive society. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the UPA Government in fostering a free, pluralistic and independent media. Our initiatives aim to bridge the ‘Information Divide’ and to provide our citizens knowledge and information so as to equip them to respond to social, economic and technological challenges. Our communication architecture is aimed at empowering our people with quality information. Through the innovative use of social media, I am confident that our Government will address and strengthen the communication needs of an aspirational India and connect with our younger generations. 

The National Media Centre is just the latest step in addressing the diverse communication needs of our country in the future. I congratulate the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on this achievement and urge it to remain at the cutting edge of media innovation. (PIB)
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SC/NK/SH/SKS

Book Release by Nandita Das

Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 8:43 PM
Terrorism Explained: A Graphic account by Ram Puniyani, Shard Sharma

Mumbai:19th August 2013:The book release was done by Nandita Das and Sharad Sharma outlined the content of the book. It is comic presentation of the theme of terrorism in current times. The Al Qaeda was formed by USA to control the oil wells in West Asia. They propped up Al Qaeda by using Salafi Version of Islam, in the specially set up Madrassa in Pakistan, with the help of US money funneled by CAI through ISI. The young Muslim boys were indoctrinated by distorting the meaning of words Jihad and Kafir. After the Al Qaeda helped defeat Russian army these elements of Al Qaeda become very destructive in Pakistan and India.  Similarly Hindutva groups, led by Swami Aseemanand organized many acts of terror, In Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, Malegaon, Ajmer. Both the words Islamic terrorism and Hindu Terrorism are wrong. 

Irfan Engineer pointed out that The word Islamic terrorism has been misused to arrest innocent Muslim youth. We need to look at social phenomenon. social values to dispel the myths. Actor Nandita Das, appreciated the effort with hope that comics will act a good method of propagation of the truth, it will go a long way to help dispel the wrong notions about the social common sense.


Dr. Rama Shyam moderated the program and hoped that this effort will go a long way to bring in peace in the society. Mahesh Mishra of Arth Prakashan proposed the vote of thanks.