14 April 2007
Jeffrey Gedmin, President of international broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has expressed concern about the fate of Parnaz Azima, an RFE/RL journalist who is currently in Iran and being prevented by authorities from leaving the country.
Azima, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, entered Iran on January 25 to visit a sick relative. On arrival, officials at the airport in Tehran seized her Iranian passport. Since then, Azima has tried unsuccessfully to reclaim the passport on several occasions. During one meeting with authorities Azima was asked to collaborate with Iranian intelligence services. She refused.
Gedmin said, “I call on the Iranian authorities to return Ms. Azima’s passport and to allow her to leave Iran without futher delay. There is no reason to prevent this talented journalist from returning to her professional duties immediately.”
Azima is a broadcaster with Radio Farda, the joint RFE/RL-Voice of America 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Persian-language broadcast service to Iran. She joined RFE/RL in 1998 and is based at RFE/RL’s broadcast headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic. Azima endured a similar situation in Iran during the spring of 2006, when her Iranian passport was seized and held for several weeks before being returned to her.
12 April 2007
In an unprecedented collaboration, Al Jazeera English, BBC World, BBC News 24 and Sky News have come together to broadcast a special half-hour programme to raise awareness of the kidnapping of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston in Gaza in March.
The simulcast will go on air from 1330-1400 GMT on 12 April, anchored by Jeremy Bowen, the BBCs Middle East Editor, from Ramallah. It will incorporate packages from the BBC, Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Sky. It will also have live reports from BBC, Al-Jazeera and Sky anchors and correspondents in Ramallah, Gaza and London.
Richard Porter, Head of News, BBC World, said: We wanted to produce a programme which had impact in the Middle East and around the globe and we are extremely grateful for all the cooperation shown by our fellow broadcasters. We dont think this has ever happened before – but all the broadcasters involved share a common aim to highlight Alans case and to remind viewers of the dangers faced by their news teams more frequently than ever.
10 April 2007
BBC World, the BBCs international 24-hour news and information channel, has struck a deal with French fashion house Louis Vuitton and AC Management, organiser of the 32nd Americas Cup.
As part of the agreement, Louis Vuitton will sponsor a range of BBC World vignettes and long form programmes including profiles on the Americas Cup syndicates. AC Management is to supply BBC World with footage from the Americas Cup competition to be held in Valencia, Spain.
The first set of vignettes will air on BBC World this month and will be seen by the channels 65 million weekly viewers around the globe. During the Louis Vuitton Cup and the Americas Cup match, Louis Vuitton will also sponsor Sailing Update – a segment within the BBC World programme Sports Today; and a special edition of fast:track, BBC Worlds weekly, award-winning travel programme.
Announcing the agreement, Director of advertising sales, BBC Global Channels, Jonathan Howlett, says, This three-way agreement is an ideal partnership. BBC World reaches similar target markets and this deal offers Louis Vuitton and AC Management access to BBC Worlds international and influential audience. For years, the Americas Cup remained an Anglo-Saxon event. Thanks to new Challengers from Europe, Africa and Asia, and thanks, too, to our partnership, the Cup has now taken on an international scope. We are delighted to stand alongside the organisers of the 32nd Americas Cup at this incredibly important moment in its history. This deal with BBC World is part of the new era: sharing the passion of the Cup with a large international audience says Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton.
10 April 2007
It’s been a bad few days for the world’s journalists and news teams. Two news staff have been killed, one in Zimbabwe, the other in Iraq.
Iraqi journalist Khamail Khalaf, a reporter for Radio Free Iraq, the Arabic language service of RFE/RL in Iraq, was found dead in western Baghdad on April 5, 2007. According to Iraqi official sources, Mrs. Khamail was shot in the head and there were wounds on the body. She was last seen on April 3, and her family was contacted from Mrs. Khamails mobile phone by an unidentified caller who claimed that Mrs. Khamail was with him. There was no further communication. Mrs. Khamail had received threats before. Iraqi police continue to investigate the death.
Mrs. Khamail had been reporting for RFE/RL since 2004 on social and cultural life in Iraq. She was a highly regarded former Iraqi television journalist and newscaster. She is survived by three daughters.
Broadcasting Board of Governors Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson said, “The tragic death of Khamail Khalaf reminds us that each day Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondents risk their lives in their pursuit of truth. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends knowing that she paid the ultimate price for fulfilling her responsibility to the people of Iraq.”
RFE/RL President Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin said, “Mrs. Khamail was a courageous journalist who wanted the best for her country and believed that the people of Iraq deserve a peaceful and prosperous future. She died for that cause.”
In Zimbabwe, Edward Chikomba, a freelance cameraman who frequently worked for state-controlled ZBC (the sole terrestrial television network in Zimbabwe) was found beaten to death on a roadside 50km from Harare. Chikomba is believed to be one of the cameramen who shot footage of Morgan Tsvangarai emerging from the courthouse showing evidence of his injuries while in police custody for Mighty Movies Zimbabwe, a production company that sells footage to international broadcasters.
Chikomba was seized by five armed men driving a 4×4 while drinking in a pub near his home in Glen View. The question being asked by observers in Zimbabwe is whether he was beaten to death for being an MDC activist (possibly a branch chairman in the MDC structure) or for smuggling footage out of the country. Its a good bet that his journalistic activities were a major factor in his death as Zimbabwe is in the middle of a sometimes violent crackdown on independent journalism.
In other cases of Zimbabwe cracking down on journalists in the country, Gift Phiri of The Zimbabwean has been in custody since April 1st, charged with practising journalism illegally. Luke Tamborinyoka, former editor of the defunct Daily News, has been hospitalised under court orders since March 30th, after losing consciousness during his trial – hed been arrested in the March 28 raid on MDC headquarters and severely beaten in police custody.
5 April 2007
The AIB’s chief executive, Simon Spanswick, has been invited to speak about international media on the Voice of America’s Talk to America programme on 5 April 2007.
The hour-long programme will examine current trends in international broadcasting and draw on the AIB’s unique depth of knowledge on the subject.
The programme airs at 1500 GMT on 5 April and can be heard online at voanews.com.
2 April 2007
The second Arab Broadcast Forum will take place in Abu Dhabi on 29 and 30 April 2007. With delegates expected from across the Middle East region, plus executives and journalists from media organisations with an interest in the Arabic-speaking region, this is an important event in the media calendar.
The delegate registration fee is US$1,000, but AIB Members benefit from a 25% discount on the delegate fee – a saving of US$250 per delegate.
Full details of this discount have been circulated to AIB Members. If you haven’t received this information, or if you would like to discuss your company becoming an AIB Member and receiving this and many other benefits (including market intelligence and tenders briefings, lobbying, networking, marketing support and more), e-mail us today – contactaib (@) aib.org.uk.
