British Foreign Secretary and Amal Clooney agree joint legal plan to defend media freedom

5 April 2019

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and his newly-appointed Special Envoy on Media Freedom Amal Clooney (pictured) will establish a panel of legal experts to counter draconian laws that hinder journalists from going about their work.

After a meeting with the Canadian Foreign Minister and Amal Clooney at a G7 event in France, Mr Hunt set out the next stages of the UK’s campaign to defend free media around the world.

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts will examine legal and policy initiatives that states can adopt to improve media freedom including by:

Offering advice to governments who want to strengthen legal mechanisms to improve media freedom;
Supporting the repeal of outdated and draconian laws;
Encouraging and supporting governments to help ensure existing laws and international obligations are enforced;
Promoting best practice and model legislation to protect a vibrant free press.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Violence against journalists has reached alarming levels globally and we cannot turn a blind eye. The media has a crucial role to play in holding the powerful to account. There is no escaping the fact that draconian and outdated laws around the world are being used to restrict the ability of the media to report the truth. Amal Clooney’s leading work on human rights means she is ideally placed to ensure this campaign has real impact for journalists and the free societies who depend on their work. She will use her expertise to chair a panel comprising the world’s best legal minds to develop and promote legal mechanisms to prevent and reverse media abuses.”

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the Foreign Secretary’s Special Envoy on Media Freedom and to have been invited to chair the High Level Panel of Legal Experts. Through my legal work defending journalists I have seen first-hand the ways in which reporters are being targeted and imprisoned in an effort to silence them and prevent a free media. I welcome the UK Government’s focus on this issue at a time when journalists are being killed and imprisoned at record levels all over the world and I look forward to working on new legal initiatives that can help to ensure a more effective international response.”

The global campaign on media freedom aims to shine a spotlight on media abuses and reverse the trend of violence against journalists.

The announcement on 5 April comes ahead of the International Conference on Media Freedom to be held in the UK on 10-11 July, co-hosted with the Canadian Government. The Association for International Broadcasting is collaborating with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the planning of this important event.

The conference will bring together leaders from around the world to share good practice on media freedom, and seek consensus behind the measures that can be taken to improve the protection of journalists.

15th annual international factual production awards launch

3 April 2019

The AIBs celebrate factual programming across TV, radio and online platforms

The 15^th annual AIBs have opened for entry, helping programme makers across the world share and showcase their best work of the year. Launched in 2005, the AIBs have become established as the major international competition for factual productions. The AIBs are highly valued and respected by producers, editors and journalists across every continent, demonstrated by the ever-increasing number of entries from broadcasters and independent producers in almost 50 countries.

The AIBs 2019 have 21 categories ranging from daily journalism through to human interest, sport to children’s. The complete list is:

TV/video

Children’s
Science, technology, nature – sponsored by Radio Taiwan International
Sport event coverage
Arts and culture
Human interest
Short documentary
Daily journalism: single report
Daily journalism: ongoing reporting
Politics and business
Investigative
Domestic affairs
International affairs

Radio/audio

Arts and culture
Human interest
Daily journalism: single report
Daily journalism: ongoing reporting
Investigative
Factual podcast

Specialist

International channel of the year
Breakthrough talent
Impact

Demonstrating the truly international dimension of the AIBs, all categories are open to work in every language. Winners in the past have submitted work in Arabic, Cantonese, Czech, French, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish and Swedish, among other languages.

“The AIBs are one of the highlights of the Association for International Broadcasting’s work each year,” says Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Each year we are truly privileged to see so much of the world’s best factual programmes entered into the competition. Many programmes deal with really tough, challenging subjects but they provide an extraordinary snapshot of the contemporary world. We work to ensure that that the entries are shared as widely as possible, helping to share best practice among programme makers around the world.”

Judging of the AIBs is undertaken by an international panel of experts, who bring global perspective and extensive industry experience to the competition. The judging takes place in September using the AIB digital voting system which provides online access to all shortlisted entries.

“We have more than 50 judges who give their time voluntarily to make the AIBs a success,” says Clare Dance, co-ordinator of the AIBs. “Every year our judges tell us that they are astounded by the range of content they see and hear, much of it material that they would not normally be able to view or listen to. Judges have gone on to commission programmes from producers who have been shortlisted, so the AIBs help develop international collaboration.”

The AIBs are open for entry until 28 June 2019. See the entry book online at http://theaibs.tv/Assets/AIBs-2019-books/AIBs-2019.html and more information at http://theaibs.tv.

UN Special Rapporteur on Iran “deplores” the persecution of BBC Persian staff and their families

13 March 2019

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Professor Javaid Rehman, has presented his first report to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

In his address, Professor Rehman raised with concern the ongoing persecution and harassment of BBC News Persian staff and their families by Iran.

Professor Rehman (pictured addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 11 March 2019) said he “deplores” the harassment of BBC Persian staff. His remarks raised concern about the ongoing, collective criminal investigation of BBC Persian staff and the asset-freeze which affects them and their families in Iran. He reiterated the seriousness of the persecution, which was also raised by his predecessor Asma Jahangir, including arbitrary detention and interrogation of family members in Iran. Professor Rehman also raised concern about the attacks on BBC Persian journalists in Iranian state media, in particular with fake and defamatory news being published to undermine their reputations.

The BBC made its unprecedented urgent appeal to the UN in late 2017. It is the first time in BBC history that the BBC has engaged with the UN over the protection of its journalists. Both the UN Special Rapporteur and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised concern about the persecution of BBC Persian in their reports to the 40th session of the Human Rights Council.

The UK government mission to the United Nations raised concern with the “deteriorating” situation for freedom of expression in Iran. The UK highlighted that the “judicial harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families continues” and called upon Iran to cease the criminal investigation into BBC journalists and the harassment of their families.

Rana Rahimpour, a BBC Persian presenter (pictured in Geneva with AIB CEO Simon Spanswick), addressed the Council about her personal experience of the persecution, explaining how her father was subjected to a travel ban to prevent him from visiting her after her first child was born. She thanked the UN Secretary General for raising the case and raised concern about the reprisals against BBC Persian staff, explaining that “my colleagues have been warned against participating in our UN advocacy work by the Iranian authorities.”

International counsel for the BBC World Service, Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Jennifer Robinson, have filed a further UN complaint over the reprisals BBC Persian journalists have faced for engaging with the UN. They said, “Reprisals against BBC Persian journalists and their families for engaging with the UN is not just an attack on freedom of expression, but an attack on the integrity of the UN system. Such reprisals must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”

Michelle Stanistreet of the National Union of Journalists said: “The Iranian authorities have been systematically targeting BBC Persian journalists in the UK, and their families in Iran, since the service launched satellite television in 2009. Our campaign to stop the harassment will persist until the authorities stop targeting NUJ members for simply for doing their jobs. Both the asset freeze and criminal investigations into the activities of journalists and other staff working for BBC Persian should be dropped.”

An event was held today at the Human Rights Council co-hosted by the BBC, the International Federation of Journalists and Doughty Street International to discuss the broader implications of the persecution of BBC Persian.

Simon Spanswick from the Association for International Broadcasting – a network of broadcasters that reach one billion viewers and listeners each week – explained how the persecution of BBC Persian is “among the worst cases globally” and is indicative of a worrying trend of harassment of journalists and broadcasters in their network.

At the event, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Julian Braithwaite, said “UK calls on Iran to cease the harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families – and the persecution of all independent journalists whether affiliated with the BBC or not”. He condemned the reprisals faced by BBC Persian staff.

Referring to the recent media freedom initiative announced by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Ambassador Braithwaite said: “This case is one of the reasons we are making press freedom a particular focus for the UK. Iran’s treatment of BBC journalists will be a key part of our upcoming media freedom summit.”

The UN Special Rapporteur Professor Rehman reiterated at the event in Geneva on 12 March: “I will continue to urge Iran to cease its harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families.”

Media freedom to Brexit to tenders – all covered in latest AIB Member briefing

27 February 2019

As part of its regular work for Member companies, the AIB has released its latest market intelligence briefing. This new edition covers a range of subjects from media freedom – including an examination of the challenges facing broadcasters covering stories in Europe, until recently a bastion of media freedom – to the most up-to-date information on TV channel licensing post-Brexit. There’s also a summary of tenders related to the broadcasting industry internationally, allowing AIB Members to see what competitors are renewing and to allow commercial companies to assess where there are business opportunities.

AIB market intelligence is one of a range of services that the Association’s Members receive throughout the year. For information on how to take advantage of the AIB membership package, talk to us at the AIB Secretariat on +44 20 7993 2557.

AIB moves ahead with media freedom initiative

22 January 2019

In November 2018, the AIB convened a meeting of senior representatives of major national and international broadcasters to discuss ways to work together on issues around media freedom. The meeting in London was chaired by Peter Greste, who was imprisoned while reporting for Al Jazeera in Egypt, and Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO.

Broadcasters are constantly being tested and harassed by authorities that seek to restrict citizens’ access to free, fair and impartial information. Journalists are constantly being intimidated in countries across the world. At the same time, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, signed by many of these countries, include media freedom as one of the key objectives.

There’s a clear disconnect, and broadcasters made a commitment at the November meeting to work together, share intelligence and devote resources to tackling this issue, with the Association for International Broadcasting leading the collaborative efforts between broadcasters.

It is important that this initiative does not duplicate existing work being carried out by NGOs and others, and that’s why the AIB invited a range of key organisations to the November meeting and will be sharing the work programme and other intelligence with those organisations that are carrying out important work in media freedom internationally.

At its meeting in January, the AIB Executive Committee agreed that the Association can now start work on developing a collaborative work programme. The Secretariat is in discussion with broadcasters to establish a steering group and to decide on the mechanisms to develop this crucial initiative.

The AIB is grateful to Al Jazeera Media Network for providing support for the initiative which now moves into a wider, global arena.

AIB publishes new update on Brexit for Members

21 December 2018

AIB publishes new update on Brexit for Members

As part of its continuing work on issues facing TV broadcasters as the deadline for the UK leaving the European Union approaches, we’ve just released our latest briefing for Members. It brings them up-to-date with developments of the last couple of weeks, from no-deal scenarios to immigration.

“This is something that is critical for many of our Members,” says Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO. “That’s why we’re keeping fully abreast of all developments so that we can assist our Members develop the right strategy to remain available to viewers in all the European markets they serve.”

Members have access to this briefing and all the other in-depth documentation that the AIB publishes on Brexit and other subjects.

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