Chronicle
CMFR and Article 19 book on Philippine press out
The London-based Article 19, an international human rights organization campaigning for free expression and information around the world, has just released a series of baseline studies on the state of press freedom in seven Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines.
The study on Philippine media, which was completed in December of last year, was written with the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR). Article 19 also came out with baseline studies on the media situation in Thailand, Singapore, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
The Philippine report, entitled Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines, discussed “the characteristics, role and history of the mass media in the Philippines, the laws that have a bearing on media performance, media ownership, and how political developments, such as the focus on anti-terrorism and scandals involving successive presidents, tend to define the exercise of press freedom and free expression.”
For more details about the baseline studies, check out Article 19’s website at http://www.article19.org. You can also contact CMFR at (63 2) 894-1326/894-1314/840-0889 (telefax) or visit http://www.cmfr-phil.org.
How to report violations of free expression
The Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) has just released a manual on how to report attacks against and threats to freedom of expression in Southeast Asia.
The manual, Reporting free expression violations in Southeast Asia, provides advocates in the region with “a ready and convenient resource for reporting press conditions in the region, and for advocating and campaigning for free expression in general.”
Aside from guidelines on how to report violations of free expression, the publication also compiles the laws and regulations affecting freedom of expression in the region as well as a brief discussion of issues involving freedom of expression.
For more details, visit SEAPA’s website at http://www.seapabkk.org.
Pinoy reporter wins int’l award
ABS-CBN reporter Abner Mercado won the Special Jury Prize at the 9th Moscow International Festival of Mountaineering and Adventure Films for his documentary, “Mt. Cook Chronicles: The Road to Everest.” The event was held in Russia’s capital last March 17 to 19.
The award “recognizes and salutes the toughness and determination of a group of climbers coming from a country without snow and high alpine mountains in order to conquer the insurmountable Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world.”
Launched in 1998, the Moscow International Festival of Mountaineering and Adventure Films is held annually in March. The festival gathers the best Russian and foreign documentaries devoted to all kinds of adventure, extreme sports and mountain nature.
The award winning piece of Mercado, with Jimmy Dasal as his cameraman, was a two-week exclusive documentary aired on April 25 and May 2, 2005 on ABS-CBN’s The Correspondents.
The documentary featured the journey of a team of 17 Filipino men who will climb Mt. Everest in 2007, in the hopes of becoming the first Filipino team to conquer the tallest peak in the world.
Kurt Schork memorial awards now open
The 2006 Kurt Schork Memorial Awards is now open for contributions of Filipino reporters and freelance journalists covering foreign news.
The Awards gives out two $5,000 prizes each year, one to a local reporter covering local stories in a developing country (such as the Philippines) or a nation in transition, and the other to a freelance journalist covering international news.
The stories can focus on conflict, human-rights concerns, cross-border issues, or any other issue of controversy in a particular country or region. Nominees will be judged on the quality of writing and investigative effort, and on the level of courage and resourcefulness demonstrated in producing the stories.
The Awards is named after Kurt Schork, an American freelance journalist who was killed in Sierra Leone in May 2000 while on assignment for Reuters.
The application deadline for the 2006 awards is June 1, 2006. For full details, visit http://www.iwpr.net.
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