The Global Network for Women in the News Media
  Search
IWMF
CONNECT
facebook twitter
linkedin
youtube
flickr
Home
The IWMF Network
Cultivating Leadership
Honoring Courage
Pioneering Change

Courage in Journalism Awards

Every year the International Women’s Media Foundation honors brave women journalists who risk political persecution,injury and sometimes death in their efforts to expose corruption and champion human rights.

Global Research on Women

The IWMF is working on ground-breaking research on the status of women in the media worldwide. The new study, the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media, will measure the career progress of women in the news media and use the results to help advocate for change.

The IWMF also tracks past studies on women in the news media, and will draw from this prior work in compiling the Global Report, which will be published in 2011.

4-Year Africa Project

With generous support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the IWMF launched "Reporting on Agriculture and Women: Africa." The project is energizing the way African media cover one of the most important topics on the continent.
The IWMF is helping African journalists to boost coverage of agriculture and rural development and increase women’s voices – both as journalists and as sources – in stories about agriculture

Funding HIV/AIDS Investigative Reporting

The IWMF is establishing 10 fellowships to train journalists in South Africa to write investigative reports on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With support from the M*A*C  AIDS Fund, these experienced journalists will conduct interviews and write in-depth research for their publications in 2011.

31

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2006

For more information:

Letter on Behalf of Journalist Paul Salopek

His Excellency Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of Sudan
c/o His Excellency Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed
Embassy of the Republic of Sudan
2210 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006

By Facsimile (202) 667-2406

Your Excellency:

We are writing on behalf of the International Women’s Media Foundation to express our concern about the detention and criminal prosecution of Paul Salopek, an award-winning reporter for The Chicago Tribune, who was jailed in Sudan while on assignment for National Geographic.

With the increase in deaths of and threats to journalists worldwide because of their work, we are alarmed at restrictions on free expression and press freedom in Sudan. All viewpoints should be allowed to be expressed in the media without force and coercion from the government. We are particularly alarmed about the how the Sudanese government has handled Mr. Salopek’s case. He was on assignment to write about the culture, history and geography of Africa’s Sahel region, and was arrested with his interpreter, Suleiman Abakar Moussa, and driver, Idriss Abdelrahman Anu. All three were charged with espionage, illegally disseminating information and writing “false news.” Mr. Salopek is an internationally known, award-winning reporter, with an impeccable professional reputation. We find these charges, at best, questionable, and at worst, irresponsible. Their trial is scheduled for September 10.

The International Women’s Media Foundation is a network of more than 1,500 women and men in the media worldwide who support an international free and independent press. Your excellency, we urge you to see that these journalists, who were simply engaged in carrying out their professional work, are released immediately.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
Larry Olmstead, co-chair
Eleanor Clift, co-chair

cc: Cameron Hume
Chargé d’Affaires
Embassy of the United States of America
Sharia Ali Abdul Latif
Khartoum, Sudan

The Chicago Tribune
National Geographic

###

]

Comments

There are currently no comments, be the first to post one.

Your comment

Only registered users may post comments.
© 2010 International Women's Media Foundation   Register   Login