Iran holds international journalist

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.

Georgia's first English-language station

14 April 2007

The first English-language radio station in Georgia launched its programmes on 12 April. Radio GIPA is on the air in the FM radio band at 94.3MHz.

According to reports, Radio GIPA’s main target audience is English-speaking listeners. The radio station will air news once an hour as well as public-political and music programmes. It will also re-broadcast National Public Radio’s programmes from the USA. The radio station also plans to start re-broadcasting European radio stations in the near future, including material from Radio Netherlands.

GIPA was founded by the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. According to the founders, the radio station will pursue professional standards of journalism. The particular attention will be paid to open discussion of issues that are significant for Georgia and South Caucasus as a whole. The long-term goal of the radio station is to become a regional public broadcaster of the South Caucasus.

The Polish Embassy in Georgia procured the equipment for the radio station and US Embassy invited American consultants.

Unprecedented co-operation among news networks

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 BBC’s 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 don’t think this has ever happened before – but all the broadcasters involved share a common aim to highlight Alan’s case and to remind viewers of the dangers faced by their news teams more frequently than ever.”

BBC World sailing high

10 April 2007

BBC World, the BBC’s international 24-hour news and information channel, has struck a deal with French fashion house Louis Vuitton and AC Management, organiser of the 32nd America’s Cup.

As part of the agreement, Louis Vuitton will sponsor a range of BBC World vignettes and long form programmes including profiles on the America’s Cup syndicates. AC Management is to supply BBC World with footage from the America’s 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 channel’s 65 million weekly viewers around the globe. During the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s 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 World’s 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 World’s international and influential audience. For years, the America’s 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 America’s 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.

Another dreadful week for the world's newsgatherers

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. Khamail’s 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. It’s 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 – he’d been arrested in the March 28 raid on MDC headquarters and severely beaten in police custody.