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We receive dozens of news tips and press releases each week from ftm contributors. We want MORE. And we want to share the raw information as quickly as possible. NEWS FROM YOU is the forum for adding what you know to what we know. Share what you know...or what your hear. We will apply the light-touch of the editors axe for clarity. We will also accept NEWS FROM YOU in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese...without translation. (We do insist on being able to understand what you contribute.) You also must clearly indicate that your contribution is for publication in NEWS FROM YOU. Please note: we cannot use PDF files, only text and .doc files. Send us NEWS FROM YOU Week ending April 14, 2007RFE/RL Calls on Iranian Authorities To Allow Radio Farda Broadcaster to Leave Iran - April 13, 2007from Don Jensen/RFE/RL Related in ftm - Radio SAWA Report: Big Audience, Low Impact RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin 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 further 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. WAN - Freedom of Expression Under Siege in Tunisia – April 13, 2007from Larry Kilman/WAN Related in ftm - WSIS in Tunis – They Came, They Talked, They Wimped Out Increasing repression by the Tunisian government has caused a "serious deterioration" in press freedom in the country, according to an international coalition of freedom of expression and human rights groups, including the World Association of Newspapers. "We have disappointingly witnessed serious deterioration in the conditions related to freedom of expression in Tunisia, particularly with respect to independent organizations, harassment of journalists and dissidents, independence of the judiciary, blocking of books and websites, and the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Mohamed Abbou for voicing his opinion in articles on the internet," said the coalition in a report released Thursday following a mission to the country to assess freedom of expression. "We are merely asking Tunisian authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations," the report said. "Basic human rights, such as freedom of expression, movement and association, and the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and to create organizations without government interference, do not exist in Tunisia." The report called on the Tunisian government to take specific measures to conform to international laws and standards of free expression, and it called on the international community to "take responsibility in holding Tunisia to account for its international obligations." Tunisia played host to the United Nation's World Summit on the Information Society in November 2005, despite international condemnation of its human rights practices. Those practices have deteriorated since the WSIS, and dramatically over the past year, according to the report issued by the Tunisian Monitoring Group, a coalition 16 freedom of expression and human rights groups. The report is based on the group's most recent mission to Tunisia from 27 February to 4 March in which it met with members of the government, opposition, public officials, independent civil society organizations, human rights defenders, journalists, publishers and librarians. The report calls on the Tunisian government to release all prisoners of opinion, allow freedom of movement and expression, end censorship and the blocking of web sites and publications, allow freedom of association, end harassment of organizations and individuals, and lift restrictions on journalists and publications. "No significant, positive development has occurred for freedom of expression in Tunisia since the WSIS in November 2005," the report said. "On the contrary, reports indicate a stalemate in most domains and deterioration in others. Interviewees reported an increase resort to intimidation and violence, and the impossibility of challenging such abusive practices." The full report can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1 The Tunisia Monitoring Group was set up in 2004 to monitor freedom of expression in Tunisia in the run-up to and following the World Summit on the Information Society. The 16 organizations are all members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of 71 national, regional and international organizations committed to defending the right to freedom of expression. The most recent mission to Tunisia included Carl Morten Iversen of Norwegian PEN, Yousef Ahmed of Index on Censorship, Virginie Jouan of the World Association of Newspapers, and Alexis Krikorian of the International Publishers Association. Other members of the Tunisian Monitoring Group are the Arabic Human Rights Information Network, Article 19, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, International Federation of Journalists, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, International Press Institute, Journaliste en Danger, Media Institute of South Africa, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, and the World Press Freedom Committee.
RCS MediaGroup - Unedisa completes the acquisition of 100% of the Recoletos group – April 12, 2007from Barbara Ruggeri/RCS MediaGroup RCS MediaGroup, announces, following the offer presented on February 7, 2007, already communicated to the market, through its subsidiary Unedisa SA, the completion today of the acquisition, while awaiting the final authorisation from the Ministry for Industry in relation to the radio-television activities, of the entire share capital of Recoletos Grupo de Comunicaciòn, holding (non-listed company) of the Spanish publishing group of the same name present, in the printed press, radio, television and Internet.As already announced on the presentation of the offer, the publishing company of the free press Qué! is excluded from the acquisition. The amount paid on the transaction is Euro 817.4 million, resulting from the total valuation of the Recoletos group of Euro 1.1 billion, less the net financial debt of Euro 272.2 million at December 31, 2006(*) and transaction costs of Euro 10.4 million.RCS MediaGroup financed the operation using its own financial sources and existing credit lines. Antonio Fernández-Galiano, CEO of Unedisa, will also be the CEO of Recoletos. The Recoletos group, present in Spain with important titles, including the daily sports newspaper Marca and the financial newspaper Expansiòn (leader in their respective segments) and the magazines Telva and Actualidad Economica, recorded turnover and EBITDA of approximately Euro 304 million and Euro 79.5 million(*) respectively. The activities of Unedisa, publishing company of El Mundo, second daily newspaper in Spain, and Recoletos combine a pro-forma turnover and EBITDA for the year 2006(*) of approximately Euro 646 million and Euro 141 million respectively, while the entire RCS group records a pro-forma turnover of approximately Euro 2,688 million (of which 40% overseas) and EBITDA of Euro 347 million (calculated aggregating the pro-forma data of Recoletos and the consolidated data of RCS MediaGroup). Through this acquisition, RCS MediaGroup creates a leading publishing group in Spain in the national daily newspaper sector, both in terms of circulation and readership numbers and becomes the leading shareholder in the Spanish TV operator Veo Television, in which both Recoletos and Unedisa hold 27.7% of the share capital. (*) The consolidated data at December 31, 2006 relating to the Recoletos group are determined in accordance with Spanish accounting principles, while those of the RCS MediaGroup, which also consolidates the subsidiary Unedisa, are in accordance with IFRS. BBC enters North African FM market with two relays in Mauritania – April 12, 2007from Lala Najafova/BBC WS The BBC has become a player on the North African FM scene with the launch of two 24-hour FM relays in Mauritania. BBC 106.9 FM in the capital, Nouakchott, and BBC 102.4 FM in the second largest city, Nouadhibou, now bring 24 hours a day ofBBC Arabic programming to Mauritanian audiences. As part of the agreement, the BBC has also provided Radio Mauritania staff with a training programme in broadcast journalism. Reports by the journalists who took part in the training programme will feature in a special edition of BBC Arabic service’s daily magazine programme, BBC Xtra, which will be broadcast from Nouakchott tomorrow. Simon Kendall, Head of BBC World Service Business Development, Africa and Middle East Region, said: “Mauritania is an important market for the BBC and it is the home of some of the BBC Arabic service’s most loyal listeners. We are delighted to be able to provide our listeners in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou with the opportunity to receive their favorite BBC Arabic programmes in crystal-clear FM quality.” Mohamed Yehia Wild Hayee, Head of Mauritania Radio, added: “We already have a well-established and strong relationship with the BBC. These new FMs reinforce our partnership and also ensure that the Radio Mauritania staff gets the opportunity to receive training in journalism and technology from a leader in international news such as the BBC. An agreement like this is another example of the further strengthening of the excellent relations between the UK and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.” EBU - World Broadcasters appeal for release of BBC journalist - April 11, 2007Related in ftm - Middle East Warlords Use Journalists as Poker Chips Broadcasters from all over the world recognise the fundamental value and importance of freedom of the media. Today's appeal for the immediate liberation of Alan Johnston, underlines their role in helping ensure press freedom everywhere.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) today launched an appeal for the immediate and unharmed release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston abducted on 12 March 2007 in Gaza. The veteran reporter is now in his fourth week of captivity, the longest a kidnapped foreigner has been held in Gaza. Mr. Jean Réveillon, Secretary General of the EBU, declared that, "there can be no freedom without freedom to inform the public from wherever there is a story to tell." He went on to say that, "the media can exercise this freedom by giving voice and visibility to people in conflict zones but journalists must never become the victims of their own profession." The EBU – operator of Eurovision, the world's largest provider of international transmission and production services for live news events –is committed to journalist safety. The organisation has successfully campaigned with the WBU, the International News Safety Institute (INSI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) for the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on journalist safety (Resolution 1738/2006).
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