9 December 2015
WikiLeaks co-founder, whose exclusive interview show on RT caused an international media firestorm, will take part in the panel dedicated to information privacy and security in the digital age, via a live-link from his asylum at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Assange will headline the session “Security or Surveillance: Can the right to privacy and effective anti-terror security coexist in the digital age?” Joining him in Moscow will be Philip Giraldi, former counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer of the CIA, Annie Machon, whistleblower and former MI5 intelligence officer, noted CIA whistleblower Raymond McGovern and historian, author and strategic analyst Gregory Copley. Thom Hartmann, a prominent American progressive intellectual and media personality, who hosts political discussion program “The Big Picture” on RT America, will moderate the discussion.
RT’s conference, titled “Information, messages, politics: the shape-shifting powers of today’s world,” brings together prominent politicians, foreign policy experts and media executives from around the world to discuss a wide range of international issues, including Middle East security, the state of geopolitical power balance, the battle of media narratives, the role of Russia on the world stage, tradeoffs between information privacy and security at the time of a global terrorist threat, the evolution that the international news landscape has undergone over the last decade and the role of media in addressing the challenges facing the world today.
The conference will take place in Moscow’s historic Metropol Hotel from 9:30 to 16:30 on Thursday, December 10, 2015 – 10th anniversary of RT’s first news broadcast. To find out more about the event, press accreditation and how to attend, please go to http://conference.rt.com/ or contact: Anton Konyaev, aakonyaev@rttv.ru , +7 (499) 750-00-75 ext. 2390.
About RT
RT is a global news network that broadcasts 24/7 in English, Arabic and Spanish from its studios in Moscow, Washington, DC, and London. It is available to 700 million viewers worldwide. RT is the most watched TV news network on YouTube with more than 3 billion views. RT is the winner of the Monte Carlo TV Festival Awards for best 24-hr broadcast, and the only Russian TV channel to receive three nominations for the prestigious International Emmy Award for News.
8 December 2015
The Broadcasting Board of Governors today announced that Maria “Malule” González will take over as Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, responsible for the strategic planning and direction of TV Martí, Radio Martí and Martinoticias.com, which are collectively known as the Martís.
“We are thrilled to have Malule join us at such a critical time for Cuba broadcasting,” said BBG Chairman Jeff Shell. “She is a seasoned, Emmy award-winning journalist, a proven leader and an innovator, and she has the skills and experience to lead the Martís through a new era of U.S. broadcasting to Cuba.”
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my country,” said González. “I strongly believe that the people of Cuba must have access to free and accurate information, and I am thrilled to work alongside the entire Marti team to ensure that they do.”
González began her journalism career as a writer, producer and manager in Puerto Rico before she moved to Univision in 1989, followed by Telemundo where she produced several shows and launched “CBS TeleNoticias,” the first Spanish 24-hour pan-regional news network.
Since then she has created popular programs for Venevision International, served as General Manager for an independent local station in Puerto Rico, and most recently has served as Vice-President and Station Manager for WLII and WSTE, two local stations owned and operated by Univision.
González will be taking over for Carlos A. Garcia-Pérez, who has served as OCB Director for five years.
“Since 2010, Carlos has passionately worked to provide Cubans with unbiased, accurate and reliable information,” said BBG CEO and Director John Lansing. “He has led the charge to improve programming, pursue new strategies to overcome Cuban jamming and enhance editorial effectiveness. He is a tireless defender of Article 19, and I know there are Cubans whose lives are better for it.”
Despite changes in its relationship with the United States, Cuba continues to have one of the world’s most restrictive media environments. The island nation consistently ranks in the bottom ten of Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press Index, and the Committee to Protect Journalists calls it one of the worst countries to be a blogger.
The Martís are a multimedia hub of news, information and analysis that provides a one-of-a-kind service that brings unbiased, objective information to Cuba. Despite consistent jamming by the Cuban government, OCB reaches audiences on the island through a variety of high- and low-tech solutions. In addition to satellite television, and shortwave, satellite, and AM radio, OCB launched a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The Martís also use SMS text messaging as a means to push unfiltered information out to audiences.
González’s appointment is effective December 12, 2015.
7 December 2015
Globecast has today announced that Philippe Bernard has been appointed as its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Olivier Barberot. He brings a wealth of international experience and has a track record for sales and customer relations expertise.
Philippe Bernard will drive Globecast’s strategy to position the company as a fully global and integrated media solutions provider that addresses the changing needs of markets and customers, as a complement to its position as the largest international independent teleport operator and satellite services provider.
“I’m honoured and grateful for the opportunity to lead this exceptional company with dedicated, talented and creative professionals,” said Philippe Bernard. “Globecast is a leading company in the broadcast and media industry, with multi-cultural employees passionate about their work and driven by the desire of offering the best quality and bespoke media solutions to its customers. Broadcasters and media companies are having to respond to evolving consumer viewing habits, and Globecast is perfectly positioned to help them take advantage of new market opportunities. We will keep providing customers with greater access to our expertise.”
Globecast’s position in the market is underpinned by its global reach, supported by Media Centres in key locations around the world. This unique combination enables it to deliver an end-to-end solution offering for everything from media preparation to VoD logistic, playout and international distribution – in a truly unified manner across all its territories.
Philippe Bernard joins Globecast from the Orange Group, where has served as EVP of Quality, Customer Experience & Sales since July 2013. Prior to that he was CEO of Transpac, before joining Orange Group as VP of Orange Business Solutions, based in the UK, and went on to take over the European Sales and Customer Relations Division. He is a graduate of the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique.
4 December 2015
A group of the world’s leading international broadcasters say that freedom of information and access to fact-based, verifiable journalism is critical to peace.
The statement, issued on behalf of the representatives of Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) [Australia], British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) [United Kingdom], the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) [US], Deutsche Welle (DW) [Germany], France Médias Monde [FMM], Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) [Japan] and Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), said:
“We, the members of the DG7, at our annual meeting this year in Tokyo November 30-December 1, have reaffirmed our support for global freedom of information and expression, articulated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The DG7 comprises publicly funded international media organizations from seven democratic nations: Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, represented by their respective directors general or chief executive officers.
Following the recent attacks in Paris and ongoing extremist violence in many parts of the world, including the Middle East and North Africa, the African Sahel, and South Asia, we condemn the contributing role of information as a weapon of terror and tool for recruitment of extremists.
We further note the continued decline of media freedom around the world as documented by international organizations such as Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders.
It is in this environment that we renew our call for unfettered access by citizens everywhere to free flows of fact-based, verifiable journalism. This we do in recognition of the critical role freedom of information and freedom of expression play in supporting peaceful and prosperous societies.” (Source: BBG press release)
3 December 2015
On December 5, 2014, investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova was arrested by Azeri officials on charges that are widely recognized as retribution for her reporting on corruption among Azerbaijan’s leadership. In September, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
RFE/RL marks Ismayilova’s first year behind bars with an RFE/RLive Hangout that will provide an update on her case, and discuss developments relating to investigative journalism in the former Soviet states, including tools reporters are using and the efforts of those in policy positions to support them. A new initiative sponsored by RFE/RL and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project that aims to continue Ismayilova’s work will be announced.
RFE/RLive: Khadija Ismayilova’s First Year in Prison
and the Investigative Journalism Landscape in Eurasia
Friday, December 4, 2015
Washington, D.C.–11:00 a.m. / Prague–5:00 p.m.
Join the event live on YouTube,
and on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #RFERLive
Johann Bihr is the Head of Eastern Europe & Central Asia at Reporters Without Borders. He graduated from Paris’s Sorbonne University in 2007 with a degree in International Relations, and has worked for humanitarian NGOs in Central Asia.
John M. Donnelly joined Congressional Quarterly in 2004 and is now a senior writer, covering defense and foreign policy issues. He worked previously at Defense Week, where he won many awards for investigative journalism. He has written for numerous other publications, from the Los Angeles Times to the Economist magazine, and has been featured on broadcast news programs, including ABC World News Tonight and NBC’s Meet the Press. Donnelly has been active in the leadership of the National Press Club since 2001 and chairs its Press Freedom Committee. In June 2015, the National Press Club awarded Khadija Ismayilova its John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. He also served on the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the U.S. Congress, which accredits reporters. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Ilkin Mammadov, the Director of the Azerbaijani Service, joined RFE/RL in 2004, where he has covered major news events for the Service while playing a lead role in launching several of its signature programs on FM, TV, and the web. Prior to joining RFE/RL, he worked for Internews-Network and for several local TV stations in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mammadov holds an MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baku State University.
Kyle Parker is a member of the senior professional staff of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he oversees the Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Prior to his service in Congress, Kyle spent eight years on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe focusing on democracy, rule of law, and human rights in the post-Soviet space. From 1998 to 2006, Kyle worked in the non-profit sector promoting relations with the countries of the former Soviet Union through high-level political exchanges and Track II diplomacy.
Drew Sullivan is the director and editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an organization he founded together with investigative reporting centers, media outlets, and reporters from a dozen countries. In 2004, he founded the Center for Investigative Reporting in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and served as its editor and first director before the center became an independent, locally run organization. He also founded the Journalism Development Network, an innovative media development organization with programs in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Sullivan was a reporter or editor on work that won the Online Journalism Award for investigative reporting, the first- ever Global Shining Light Award, and other prizes.
Daisy Sindelar (Moderator) is RFE/RL’s European Regional Director. She specializes in the examination of ordinary people and the challenges they encounter living in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and is particularly interested in the problems facing women, children and minorities. Based in Prague, she has also reported from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Source: RFE/RL press release)
