Freedom of the press, in modern times

Working in the news business involves a host of challenges, especially in regard to reporting from conflict zones and from – or about – countries or societies which do not allow for a free press. In some cases, reporters have become targets themselves, to murderous effect.

The readers of this newspaper are likely familiar with some of the extreme cases – the murder of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002; the killing of several reporters by Islamic extremists in Syria over the last few years; and the deadly Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo this past January.

This issue, and many more relating to the difficulties reporters can face in the 21st century, are the topic of the three-day “International Conference on Freedom of the Press” to be held next week at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Conference Center in the capital. Sponsored by the Jerusalem Press Club, the conference, the first of its kind organized by the JPC, runs from May 25 to 27 and features dozens of media luminaries from around the world in a series of panels, discussions and meetings.

“The lives of reporters are in danger,” JPC director Uri Dromi says bluntly during an interview with In Jerusalem ahead of the event. The numbers are “shocking,” he adds, noting that according to watchdog NGO Committee to Protect Journalists, 21 reporters have already been killed on the job in 2015, with 61 killed in 2014.

But “more than this, aside from the physical danger for journalists, you have government actions that limit freedom of the press – only 14 percent [of the world’s population] lives in a society with a free press,” he asserts. In many of the areas without a free press, reporters can be physically threatened or worse “with impunity” by officials, stresses Dromi.

The idea for the conference came about because this year the Jerusalem Press Club holds the rotating presidency of the European Federation of Press Clubs, and when hosting a gathering of the various press club members in 2014, “the discussion flowed around the issue of freedom of the press… and I said to myself, instead of talking about it, let’s do something,” recounts Dromi.

The many panel discussions planned for the conference include “Reporting from the War Zones,” featuring among others Palestinian journalist Samer Shalabi, IDF spokesman Col. Peter Lerner and Georges Malbrunot, the Le Figaro reporter held for over four months in Iraq; “Freedom of the Press vs Fighting Terror Effectively,” with American Civil Liberties Union president Susan Herman and Jerusalem Post editor-inchief Steve Linde; and “Fighters for the Freedom of the Press,” featuring Turkish blogger and columnist Yavuz Baydar and Russian journalist Aleksey Simonov.

Also planned is a demonstration of a new mobile app designed to strengthen safety protocols for reporters working in dangerous areas, a special briefing on working in such troubled zones by a former French intelligence and counter-terrorism officer, and discussions on the Daniel Pearl murder and the Charlie Hebdo attack. In conjunction with the Jerusalem Cinematheque, there will also be two movies screened: The 50 Year Argument, a 2014 documentary celebrating The New York Times Book Review; and Citizenfour, the 2014 documentary about Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal.

The forum will also spotlight a panel of international editors discussing their trade, including Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn and Buenos Aires Herald editor-in-chief Sebastian Lacunza, moderated by New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren; and a discussion on changes to reporting brought about by digital media, featuring Paul Egglestone of the School of Journalism and Digital Communication at the University of Central Lancashire, and David Horovitz, Times of Israel founding editor and former Jerusalem Post and Jerusalem Report editor-in-chief.

The landscape of modern media has been deeply affected by the Internet and digital technology, and for Dromi this is clearly a double-edged sword. “The media are a vehicle for democratization, as we saw during the Arab Spring… so it is very important, but on the other side… in the old days, when you would read something in the paper, you would know it was of a certain quality, with an editor. Today, someone with an iPhone can upload something and that’s it,” he emphasizes, adding that the “unlimited” nature of online reporting can prevent media consumers from receiving enough quality information to enable them to become well-informed citizens.

But the conference organizers are certainly not against digital media, and Dromi notes that attendees will be able to use a specially designed app to pass on questions to panelists during certain parts of the conference.

Another noteworthy aspect of the conference is the inclusion of more than a dozen media personalities from countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, part of the reporting world not usually represented at such meetings. Once the JPC sent out the initial notice regarding the conference, it “started to receive offers from all over the world, from exactly the people who are living under repressive or partly free governments, and they said, ‘Listen, this sounds like an interesting conference, but we can’t come,’” recalls Dromi.

The JPC went on a fund-raising drive in response, and was able to grant scholarships for some 15 people to attend, including reporters from Tanzania, Liberia, Kenya, Malawi, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Croatia, Russia and Georgia – all of whom will be given a chance to make a presentation and engage in serious networking.

The conference, which is to be held entirely in English, is open to the general public, and according to Dromi, “There is a demand, people are signing up; people are coming and there is interest from the world media.”

The Jerusalem Press Club’s “International Conference on Freedom of the Press” runs from May 25 to 27 at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Conference Center in Jerusalem. Tickets for the event are $100, including two lunches. A one-day pass is available for $50, and a special opening dinner on the evening of the 25th may be attended separately. For more information: www.jerusalempressclub.org; info@jerusalempressclub.com

Freedom of the press, in modern times

The Jerusalem Press Club hosts an international freedom-of-the-press conference in Mishkenot Sha’ananim.