Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ek ekdecla decla pressures such as restrictions on newsprint, licensing systems which restrict <strong>the</strong> opportunity to publish, visa restrictions which prevent <strong>the</strong> free movement of journalists, restrictions on <strong>the</strong> exchange of news and information, and limitations on <strong>the</strong> circulation of newspapers within countries and across national borders. In some countries, oneparty States control <strong>the</strong> totality of information. 7. Today, at least 17 journalists, editors or publishers are in African prisons, and 48 African journalists were killed in <strong>the</strong> exercise of <strong>the</strong>ir profession between 1969 and 1990. 8. The General Assembly of <strong>the</strong> United Nations should include in <strong>the</strong> agenda of its next session an item on <strong>the</strong> declaration of censorship as a grave violation of human rights falling within <strong>the</strong> purview of <strong>the</strong> Commission on Human Rights. 9. African States should be encouraged to provide constitutional guarantees of freedom of <strong>the</strong> press and freedom of association. 10. To encourage and consolidate <strong>the</strong> positive changes taking place in Africa, and to counter <strong>the</strong> negative ones, <strong>the</strong> international communityspecifically, international organizations (governmental as well as nongovernmental), development agencies and professional associations-should as a matter of priority direct funding support towards <strong>the</strong> development and establishment of nongovernmental newspapers, magazines and periodicals that reflect <strong>the</strong> society as a whole and <strong>the</strong> different points of view within <strong>the</strong> communities <strong>the</strong>y serve. 11. All funding should aim to encourage pluralism as well as independence. As a consequence, <strong>the</strong> public media should be funded only where authorities guarantee a constitutional and effective freedom of information and expression and <strong>the</strong> independence of <strong>the</strong> press. 12. To assist in <strong>the</strong> preservation of <strong>the</strong> freedoms enumerated above, <strong>the</strong> establishment of truly independent, representative associations, syndicates or trade unions of journalists, and associations of editors and publishers, is a matter of priority in all <strong>the</strong> countries of Africa where such bodies do not now exist. 13. The national media and labour relations laws of African countries should be drafted in such a way as to ensure that such representative associations can exist and fulfil <strong>the</strong>ir important tasks in defence of press freedom. 14. As a sign of good faith, African Governments that have jailed journalists for <strong>the</strong>ir professional activities should free <strong>the</strong>m immediately. Journalists who have had to leave <strong>the</strong>ir countries should be free to return to resume <strong>the</strong>ir professional activities. 15. Cooperation between publishers within Africa, and between publishers of <strong>the</strong> North and South (for example through <strong>the</strong> principle of twinning), should be encouraged and supported. 16. As a matter of urgency, <strong>the</strong> United Nations and UNESCO, and particularly <strong>the</strong> International Programme for <strong>the</strong> Development of Communication (IPDC), should initiate detailed research, in cooperation with governmental (especially UNDP) and nongovernmental donor agencies, relevant nongovernmental organizations and professional associations, into <strong>the</strong> following specific areas: a. identification of economic barriers to <strong>the</strong> Media in Africa - 2011 | 189
establishment of news media outlets, including restrictive import duties, tariffs and quotas for such things as newsprint, printing equipment, and typesetting and word processing machinery, and taxes on <strong>the</strong> sale of newspapers, as a prelude to <strong>the</strong>ir removal; b. training of journalists and managers and <strong>the</strong> availability of professional training institutions and courses; c. legal barriers to <strong>the</strong> recognition and effective operation of trade unions or associations of journalists, editors and publishers; d. a register of available funding from development and o<strong>the</strong>r agencies, <strong>the</strong> conditions attaching to <strong>the</strong> release of such funds, and <strong>the</strong> methods of applying for <strong>the</strong>m; e. <strong>the</strong> state of press freedom, country by country, in Africa. 17. In view of <strong>the</strong> importance of radio and television in <strong>the</strong> field of news and information, <strong>the</strong> United Nations and UNESCO are invited to recommend to <strong>the</strong> General Assembly and <strong>the</strong> General Conference <strong>the</strong> convening of a similar seminar of journalists and managers of radio and television services in Africa, to explore <strong>the</strong> possibility of applying similar concepts of independence and pluralism to those media. 18. The international community should contribute to <strong>the</strong> achievement and implementation of <strong>the</strong> initiatives and projects set out in <strong>the</strong> annex to this <strong>Declaration</strong>. 19. This <strong>Declaration</strong> should be presented by <strong>the</strong> SecretaryGeneral of <strong>the</strong> United Nations to <strong>the</strong> United Nations General Assembly, and by <strong>the</strong> DirectorGeneral of UNESCO to <strong>the</strong> General Conference of UNESCO. 190 | Media in Africa - 2011
Page 1 and 2:
MEDIA IN AFRICA Twenty</str
Page 3 and 4:
This work is licensed under <strong
Page 5 and 6:
A small publisher gets technology t
Page 7 and 8:
Foreword By Janis Karklins Janis Ka
Page 9 and 10:
This is MISA By Kaitira Kandjii Kai
Page 12 and 13:
overview overvie Overview
Page 14 and 15:
What then have bee
Page 16 and 17:
and the results we
Page 18 and 19:
critical to journalism as well as t
Page 20 and 21:
matters. Some people could, for ins
Page 22 and 23:
two publications for six months on
Page 24 and 25:
4.2.2 Criminal defamation A major o
Page 26 and 27:
as they made point
Page 28 and 29:
Journalists at work, interviewing S
Page 30 and 31:
5.4 Tabloid success One area where
Page 32 and 33:
Journalists is that its strength re
Page 34 and 35:
proposed codes not only for African
Page 36 and 37:
Studies; African Communication Rese
Page 38 and 39:
Overview Correlating this picture i
Page 40 and 41:
that nourish journalism are not end
Page 42 and 43:
watchdogs. A profile of Ugandan jou
Page 44 and 45:
FREEDOM Freedom
Page 46 and 47:
independent Namibia, set th
Page 48 and 49:
Sierra Leone 39. Mr. Paul Kamara, E
Page 50 and 51:
media that was independent of gover
Page 52 and 53:
The February working session includ
Page 54 and 55:
Media making for socio-political de
Page 56 and 57:
timate the importa
Page 58 and 59:
in corruption. The international co
Page 60 and 61:
African journalists need protection
Page 62 and 63:
Tribute to a committed photojournal
Page 64 and 65:
Section 1: Freedom Anton Hammerl, a
Page 66 and 67:
African media should inspire unders
Page 68 and 69:
information and the</strong
Page 70 and 71:
majority of the ca
Page 72 and 73:
party of President Robert Mugabe to
Page 74 and 75:
The real reasons for the</s
Page 76 and 77:
Thus, the self-reg
Page 78 and 79:
But the legacy of
Page 80 and 81:
A visitor to Harare on a cold 19 Ju
Page 82 and 83:
PLURALIS
Page 84 and 85:
At the time, <stro
Page 86 and 87:
Circulation of newspapers in South
Page 88 and 89:
Misreading the mar
Page 90 and 91:
African media have generally perfor
Page 92 and 93:
Around Africa, the
Page 94 and 95:
Community radio stations across Afr
Page 96 and 97:
Fresh air-waves in Zambia By Mike D
Page 98 and 99:
and consequently undermines media c
Page 100 and 101:
How we started The Observer By Jame
Page 102 and 103:
“Is media in the
Page 104 and 105:
Audience research is essential By G
Page 106 and 107:
to adopt applications beyond basic
Page 108 and 109:
most popular stories, readers could
Page 110 and 111:
While CJs are encouraged to monitor
Page 112 and 113:
nected machines and a long waiting
Page 114 and 115:
ties, as well as the</stron
Page 116 and 117:
The CKWs already in the</st
Page 118 and 119:
terms of the numbe
Page 120 and 121:
to become commercially viable. O<st
Page 122 and 123:
visuals and easy-to-read text). The
Page 124 and 125:
INDEPENDEN INDEPENDENCE
Page 126 and 127:
elow US$ 5-million. This was <stron
Page 128 and 129:
Challenges of organising journalist
Page 130 and 131:
The importance of editorial indepen
Page 132 and 133:
What it’s like in the</st
Page 134 and 135:
The Zambian National Broadcasting C
Page 136 and 137:
Post Windhoek, Mal
Page 138 and 139:
What is one of the
Page 140 and 141: Journalist, African or both? And wh
Page 142 and 143: When the Media Fou
Page 144 and 145: of other forms of
Page 146 and 147: siege, the MFWA wo
Page 148 and 149: The path leading the</stron
Page 150 and 151: position, authorities keep on tryin
Page 152 and 153: state explicitly that freedom of ex
Page 154 and 155: ing gender. This might help explain
Page 156 and 157: itself was considering the<
Page 158 and 159: New questions for African public se
Page 161 and 162: The globe gets it: Access to Inform
Page 163 and 164: sion and access to information in A
Page 165 and 166: e supplied during the</stro
Page 167 and 168: witness sessions and attend public
Page 169 and 170: them to send regul
Page 171 and 172: assumption that the</strong
Page 173 and 174: does not cost extra to broadcast in
Page 175 and 176: the flow of inform
Page 177 and 178: 200 radio stations, 23 TV channels,
Page 179 and 180: This was how stories such as <stron
Page 181 and 182: individual countries and former col
Page 183 and 184: the obstacles our
Page 185 and 186: Journalism to give Africans health
Page 187 and 188: How African media, and journalism s
Page 189: windho Windhoek <s
show all

Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?