15th April 2014
By Stefanie Chernow

Ethical Journalism Newsletter: Media Dialogue On Hate Speech In Africa

EJN Special Event: Media Dialogue On Hate Speech In Africa

Never Again: The EJN Remembers The Genocide in Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda

A two-day “Media dialogue on hate speech in Africa” will be held on the 17th and 18th of April 2014, bringing together local and regional media leaders and journalists, researchers, and others from the world of media to help prepare professional strategies that can turn the page of hate speech on the African continent. This meeting in Kigali, Rwanda is organized by the Africa Media Initiative (AMI) through its partnership with Media High Council and Rwanda media community and is held in co-operation with and supported by Ethical Journalism Network.

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Ethical Journalism News

Witness To Genocide: Rwanda’s Horror

What purpose did all those articles serve? Nothing, I fear, except, perhaps, to assuage the guilt that I still feel now for not walking up to the murderous troops at the hospital and shouting at them to stop; for not allowing young people running from the militia to climb in our car; for having been given a hearty welcome because I’m French by killers whose machetes were still dripping with blood; for failing to write from the start that we were witnessing a genocide, not just ‘inter-ethnic strife’, which is something that happens all the time in this troubled region of Africa. (via AFP)

A Reporter Revisits His ‘Shameful’ Coverage of Rwanda

Twenty years ago on April 6, the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda began. At the time, many Western reporters played it down as “ethnic warfare,” including Bartholomäus Grill, now a correspondent for SPIEGEL. He looks back with shame. (via Spiegal International).

[VIDEO] What Are The Main Ethical Challenges When Reporting An Election?

Between social media, holding those in power accountable, and pressures in the newsroom, election reporting is clearly one of the most difficult situations in journalism to navigate. The Thomson Foundation asked various media professionals what they think are the main challenges facing journalists who take on covering an election, and their responses are quite illuminating.

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Election Coverage: Going Beyond Passions

It is not easy to be an ombudsman for a national newspaper during election time. Millions of readers have myriad opinions about who should win and what a newspaper should do to ensure that their favourite party or candidate occupy positions of power. I get letters that reflect a multitude of opinions. I recognise the desires of the readers and this actually proves my pet theory that newspaper ownership is never confined to the shareholders of the publishing company. Every reader who buys a copy of the newspaper has an organic sense of ownership. (via The Hindu)

Last Press Council In U.S. Will Close Next Month

We had a great 15-year run, and we helped a lot of people who were damaged by media malpractice. But the news media have changed tectonically since we began. The eruption of online digital news and information made our mission of promoting high standards in journalism much more difficult, if not impossible. How can anyone oversee a cyber-tsunami? (via Poynter)

Erdoğan vs Twitter

You can ban the Internet, but at your own peril. In Turkey, it also has the risk of turning you into laughing stock. (via Today’s Zaman)

Too Vulgar To Print?

We believe most AP subscribers — web and mobile news sites, broadcasters and newspapers — still want certain obscenities obscured. It’s also our own opinion that loading up our services with gratuitous obscenities cheapens our work and is of service to no one.

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Reports & Resources

The Ethical Journalism Network: Who We Are

How do we find balance between image and reality in the world of open information? A short presentation on the values and mission of the Ethical Journalism Network.

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Events

Media and Human Rights Workshop

Doha, Qatar

The Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights are pleased to work together to offer young journalists in the Arab region a workshop from 27 April – 01 May, which covers the major issues connected to change, development, democracy, freedom of press and human rights. The EJN Director Aidan White will be giving a presentation on ethical journalism and human rights during this workshop.

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UNESCO World Press Freedom Day International Conference 2014

Paris, France

During this year’s conference from 5 – 6 May, the interrelated issues of the role of free media in strengthening good governance and effective institutions, the safety of journalists as a prerequisite element of the rule of law, and the issue of reporting and monitoring the progress of the sustainable development goals including access to information will be part of the discussion.

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The African Fact-Checking Awards

Are you a reporter or presenter working for an Africa-based media house? Has a report you published or broadcast exposed a misleading claim from a public figure or institution? These awards, sponsored jointly by Africa Check and the AFP Foundation, the non-profit media training arm of the AFP news agency, are the first to be set up specifically to honour the works of African journalists who expose misleading claims made by leading public figures and powerful institutions around the continent.

A winner, who will receive a prize of two thousand euros, and two runners up who will each receive one thousand euros, will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Africa in November 2014. (via Africa Check)