News From You

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 September 30, 2006

INSA - Spiralling News Death Toll Breaks 100 for 2006 - September 29, 2006

from Rodney Pinder/INSA

The news media death toll for 2006 has reached 102, yet another blood-stained milestone for those covering the news around the world. The deaths of two journalists in a helicopter crash on assignment in Nepal, correspondent Hem Bhandari and cameraman Sunil Singh of NTV, were the latest in a spiralling death toll between January and the end of September.

And the outlook is grim. This time last year the total casualty count stood at 77.

The International News Safety Institute recorded 147 news media dead covering the news in 2005, making it the worst year ever. The numbers included 48 killed when a military aircraft packed with journalists crashed in Iran.

The majority of the dead between January and September this year were apparently murdered because of their work. Seventy-nine were shot, stabbed, bombed or beaten to death, 13 died in accidents and 10 in crossfire.

The journalists and support staff in their news gathering teams, such as drivers and translators, died covering stories in 33 countries through 29 September.

As has become customary, most -- a total of 34 -- were killed in Iraq, the vast majority by insurgents. Almost all were Iraqis, reporters and cameraman in the main, who bear the burden of keeping the world informed about their country's agony. A total of 137 news media personnel have fallen in Iraq since 2003.

After Iraq, the deadliest countries were Sri Lanka, Guyana -- where five newspaper print technicians were murdered by gunmen in one incident on 8 August -- Philippines, India, Brazil and Argentina.

"The rising death toll suffered by people covering the news is a stain on free societies everywhere," commented INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "Free societies cannot exist without a free flow of information and whenever a member of the news media is slain a window to the truth is slammed shut.

"We need fast and effective action by democratic governments and international institutions to halt this deadly spiral. If we do not act, our freedom will slowly wither and then it will be too late."

INSI has joined with the International Federation of Journalists and the European Broadcasting Union in proposing a UN resolution on the protection of journalists around the world. Thus far it has met with little success but the effort will continue.

"We owe it to hundreds of brave colleagues around the world, who bring us the news at great risk to their lives, to press on with this initiative -- to keep hammering on the doors of our governments and international bodies until someone wakes up," Pinder said.

INSI monitors all places where members of the news media are in danger at work, whether from conflict, disaster, disease, hostile regimes or other violent elements. We track and record all staff and freelance casualties during coverage-related activities -- print, photo and video journalists as well as essential support staff such as drivers, fixers and translators. As we are a safety organisation, our casualty list includes all causes of death, whether deliberate, accidental or health-related.

Meinungsaustausch der BLM mit dem Tschechischen Rundfunkrat

from Bettina Pregel/BLM

Fragen von grundsätzlicher Bedeutung für die Rundfunkaufsicht in Tschechien und Deutschland erörterten am 21. und 22. Sep tember die Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM) und der Tschechische Rund funkrat. Schon 2005 hatte eine aus Mitgliedern des Rund funkrats und Vertretern der Verwaltung zusammen gesetzte Delegation der BLM mit Vertretern des Medienrates und der Geschäfts leitung in Prag einen Meinungsaustausch begonnen, der dieses Jahr in München mit aktuellen Themen fortgesetzt wurde.
 
Thematische Schwerpunkte bildeten die Diskussion über die Wahrung von Werten in Zeiten von „Big Brother“ und die Weiter­ver brei tungspflicht für Erotikkanäle in Tschechien. Diese Weiterverbreitung ist nach EU-Recht zwingend, geht aber nach übereinstimmender Meinung über die allgemein als Konsens akzeptier ten Belange des Jugendschutzes weit hinaus. Intensiv wurden auch die Auswirkungen der vorgesehenen Revision der EG-Fernseh richtlinie auf die Regulierungsmöglichkeiten für den Rundfunkbereich und das Internet debattiert.
 
Außerdem befassten sich die Gesprächsteilnehmer mit den Auswirkungen der Konvergenz für den lokalen, regio nalen und nationalen Markt und prüften ab schließend die Möglichkeiten der Aus- und Fortbildung für Medienschaffende in den beiden Ländern.
 
Der Dialog zeigte, dass die Aufsichtssysteme in Bayern und Tschechien viele Gemeinsamkeiten sowohl bei der Regulierung des jeweiligen Marktes wie auch bei der Einschätzung der Vorgaben der EU-Kommission aufweisen. Beide Seiten bekundeten deshalb ihr nachhaltiges Interesse an einer Fort setzung des Dialogs.
 

ITU prepares for 17th Plenipotentiary Conference - September 28, 2006

from Sanjay Acharya/ITU 

ITU’s 17th Plenipotentiary Conference opens in Antalya, Turkey, 6–24 November 2006. The event is expected to attract 2’000 participants from over 150 countries representing both government and private sector as well as regional and international organizations.

The Conference seeks to provide new vision and direction to ITU to facilitate the worldwide growth and development of telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICT) everywhere and for the benefit of all. The conference is being held at a time when the telecommunications sector and the ICT industry are coming to grips with new trends in convergence.

ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference, which is held every four years, adopts the Union’s Strategic and Financial Plans, and develops new policies as necessary in the light of recent and forthcoming developments in industry.

The conference will also elect the leadership at the helm of an organization which has been at the cutting edge of helping the world communicate over the past 141 years, earning it the distinction of one of the world’s 10 most enduring institutions1.

Looking to the future

The future strategy of ITU is meant to address the rapidly changing ICT environment and its implications for the Union. These include:

• the convergence of technological platforms and the deployment of common network infrastructures for multiple communication services and applications

• the continued but uneven growth of the internet and other IP-based platforms and related services, and the deployment of national and regional IP-based backbone networks

• the continuing rapid development of wireless and mobile communications, and their convergence with both fixed lines and broadcasting services

• the need for market-driven, high-quality, international standards, which are developed rapidly, in line with the principles of global connectivity, openness, affordability, reliability, interoperability, and security

• the emergence of key technologies including radio-frequency identification (RFID) and sensor network technologies expected to create new services and applications and to enhance efficiency in a revolutionary way

• the importance accorded to Next Generation Networks (NGN) by service providers and equipment manufacturers illustrated by their substantial investment of resources in standard-making activities

• the delivery of audio-visual services and applications over a wide variety of new platforms, including both fixed and mobile networks, resulting in increased competition for media distribution

• the continued trend towards separation of operational and regulatory functions, and the creation of many new independent telecommunication regulatory bodies

• the growing role of regional organizations to ensure the consistency and predictability of regulatory frameworks and encourage capital investment

• continuing market liberalization, including the opening of markets to competition, greater private sector participation, and licensing of new market entrants

• the growing trend to regulate telecommunications with less reliance on sectoral regulation in competitive markets, generating different challenges for policy-makers and regulators

• the ongoing challenges relating to capacity-building, in particular for developing countries, in the light of rapid technological innovation and increased convergence

• the persistent differences in the level of access to the benefits of ICT within and among countries

• the promotion of ICT as tools for the overall development of society based on a robust telecommunication infrastructure, and the encouragement of the private sector to uphold its corporate social responsibility.

Plenipotentiary delegates meeting in Antalya will be expected to take decisions on a number of critical issues, including:

• Organizational reform with consideration of a possible review of ITU's federal structure

• ITU’s role in implementing the action lines laid out in the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), many of which call for a broader vision on ways that can effectively bridge the digital divide, in a bid to establish a more inclusive, equitable, people-centred Information Society

• Enlarging the participation of new stakeholders in its work, including civil society, given the expectations raised in the WSIS process

• Broadening the mandate of ITU to encompass Information Society issues so as to maintain ITU’s pre-eminent role in global ICT affairs

• Balancing the Union’s budget within a general framework of zero-growth despite the need to respond to the challenges of a changing ICT environment which call for additional resources to carry out an ever increasing number of activities

Media accreditation

Media accreditation for this event provides a number of privileges, including access to conference documents and the photolibrary, the delegates' list as well as press material released during the event. Accreditation also provides access to plenary meetings of the conference and its working group and to plenary sessions of the substantive committees.

For media accreditation, click  here.

EASA – International ethics code for marketing communications – September 28, 2006

from Katie Carroll EASA

A code of ethics that will guide advertising and marketing communications practice in the new communications age is being launched today by the leading world business organization, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The code was written by the ICC on behalf of the advertising community with the support of EASA and its members.

The new consolidated code vastly extends the scope of the original ICC Code of Advertising Practice from advertising to the broader spectrum of  marketing communications, bringing together for the first time guidelines for a range of practices from advertising using new technologies, such as the internet and SMS, as well as clear dos and don’ts of communicating with children.

Increasing consumer demand and use of new technologies has dramatically changed the way marketers interact with consumer. The new Code is a concise and comprehensive and very accessible one-stop-shop tool for industry for the application of ethical rules for traditional media to new media in this age of rapidly developing marketing techniques and integrated media campaigns. 

“The ICC consolidated Code offers a strong and clear agreed message and a modern and directly applicable instrument to help companies adapt quickly to new challenges in the market. This code is a prime example of ‘Better Regulation’ in a time when legislation has grave problems keeping pace in fast moving markets”, says Jean-Pierre Teyssier, President of the European Advertising Standards Alliance.

The new streamlined code sets a high ethical standard that is well beyond any legal requirements and includes new chapters on electronic media, telemarketing, green advertising claims, as well as a significantly expanded and strengthened section on advertising to children addressing issues such as price minimization, obtaining parental permission on cost issues and not undermining positive social behavior, lifestyles and attitudes.

All national codes, in an extensive system of advertising self-regulation across the globe, are based on the ICC Code and following the launch of this new Code, national self-regulatory organizations (SROs) will be reviewing how they extend their scope from advertising to marketing communications.  

“The new ICC Code is an important new tool that will further enhance the effectiveness of industry self-regulation as an indispensable complement to government regulation, thereby freeing up regulators to deal with the tiny number of rogue operators”, said Dr Oliver Gray, Director General of the European Advertising Standards Alliance and co-chair of the ICC Code Revision Taskforce.

The code is being introduced with a worldwide education effort involving seminars, workshops and a range of electronic and print materials available on the ICC website www.iccwbo.org. The code will be available on this website from 28 September.

NRW-Integrationsminister Laschet nennt Diskussion um WDR-Film WUT "unverständlich" – September 28, 2006

from Uwe-Jens Lindner NRW

NRW-Integrationsminister Armin Laschet (CDU) hat die Aufregung um den WDR-Fernsehfilm WUT als "unverständlich" bezeichnet. "Der Film ist nicht ausländerfeindlich. Er beschreibt etwas, was es gibt in diesem Land, nämlich Gewalt an den Schulen. Es gibt auch viele andere Filme, in denen Ausländer als Kriminelle vorkommen", sagte Laschet in einer vom WDR aufgezeichneten Diskussion mit Schülerinnen und Schülern. Der Minister nannte die Gewalt an Schulen und unter Jugendlichen "ein ernstes Problem". Die Debatte um das durch den Film angeregte Thema sei "hilfreich". Wichtig sei es, insbesondere ausländischen Jugendlichen von früher Kindheit an Halt zu geben und eine Perspektive zu bieten, etwa durch frühzeitigen Deutsch-Unterricht.

Die ARD hatte WUT von Züli Aladag im ERSTEN von Mittwoch, 20.15 Uhr auf kommenden Freitag, 22.00 Uhr verschoben. Der Film schildert, wie Felix Laub (Robert Höller), ein Junge aus gut bürgerlichen Verhältnissen, von Can (Oktay Özdemir), Anführer einer türkischen Jugendgang, regelmäßig "abgezogen" wird. Die Familie von Felix gerät immer tiefer in eine Eskalation aus Gewalt und Gegengewalt. Aladag inszenierte einen äußerst beklemmenden Thriller um Freiheit und Verantwortung, Mut und Feigheit, Ausländerfeindlichkeit und Autorität.

Im Anschluss an WUT zeigt DAS ERSTE die am Mittwochabend aufgezeichnete Diskussion mit NRW-Integrationsminister Laschet und dem niedersächsichen Innenminister Uwe Schünemann. Weitere Teilnehmer der Diskussion sind der renommierte Kriminologe Professor Christian Pfeiffer und Hüseyin Cansay, Leiter eines Kölner Jugendtreffs. Moderiert wurde die Diskussion von Sandra Maischberger und Aslim Sevindim.

Regisseur Aladag nannte die "Verschiebung schade und bedauerlich". Seiner Meinung nach hätten Jugendliche die Darstellung der Gewalt ausgehalten. Einige Medien hätten die Gewaltszenen in seinem Film dramatisiert. Der Hauptdarsteller Oktay Özdemir sagte, "wir wollten niemanden provozieren. Wir wollten zeigen, was mal gezeigt werden musste".

WDR-Redakteur Arnd Henze fühlte sich durch die Reaktionen der Schülerinnen und Schüler darin bestätigt, dass eine Ausstrahlung am frühen Abend vertretbar gewesen wäre. Die Diskussion habe gezeigt, dass Gewalt im Alltag der Jugendlichen ein großes Gewicht habe. Viele seien froh gewesen, dass durch den Film zur Sprache kam, was sonst verschwiegen werde.

EFJ Backs Italian Journalists in Strike Call Over Future of Collective Agreement – September 26, 2006

from Marc Gruber/EFJ

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today gave its full backing to the trade union of Italian journalists, the Federazione Nationale della Stampa Italiana (FNSI ), which has announced a series of strikes in the coming weeks in the face of a blunt refusal by newspaper publishers to talk about renewal of the national collective agreement.

“The position of the employers is incomprehensible and shocking,” said the General Secretary of FNSI, Paolo Serventi-Longhi. “It does not take into account the willingness of trade unions to enter into a dialogue without any conditions.”

Unions have tried to get talks started for a year, since the last agreement expired in March 2005. In an attempt to kick-started negotiations, the Minister of Employment in Italy called on both sides to hold negotiations, but employers refused to meet if the talks were used to deal with issues covering freelance workers, flexibility and unemployment measures.

According to FIEG, the organization of newspaper publishers, the press has to deal with major challenges such as technological convergence, falling commercial income and circulation. They say that “flexibility and salaries are essential elements of a new strategy for the sector.” They say they are ready to respect the previous agreement but that “conditions for a new collective agreement are not justified”. However, the FNSI responded that the “platform of proposals” put forward by the employers for the talks would have reduced salaries by 30% and led to a serious weakening of the previous collective agreement.

“The behavior of the employers has little to do with the evolution of the sector”, said EFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “Just looking for cuts and more cuts in editorial costs will damage the fabric of journalism, lead to a decline in quality and weaken the capacity of newspapers to survive the current crisis. Trade unions are not insensitive to the challenging times in which we live, but they understand better than anyone that there cannot be any good journalism without good working conditions. Press employers in Europe who try to bypass collective agreements by offering short-term and precarious contracts to journalists are doing serious damage to the settled industrial landscape. In Italy, where there is a long tradition of social dialogue, it is vital that social partnership in the press continues. We fully support Italian journalists in their industrial action”.

Strikes are planned on 29 and 30 September in written press and online media, 5 and 6 October in daily newspapers, 6 and 7 October in all media and 24 and 25 October in broadcast media.

BT Global Services Awards Media Brief Exclusively to CNBC – September 26, 2006

from Hugo Foulds/CNBC Europe

BT Global Services has awarded its media brief to CNBC, the recognized global leader in business news, for a solus cross platform campaign that covers Europe, the US and Asia.

The campaign, planned and bought through Starcom, will not have traditional spot advertising, but works in partnership with CNBC globally to create an event driven campaign, supported by on-air vignettes and sponsored programme trailers, across all three CNBC regional networks in the US, Europe and Asia.

The campaign taps into CNBC involvement at a number of influential events around the world, including the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, its China Business Summit and it’s India Economic Summit.

BT associates itself with CNBC Europe's coverage of these key business events through sponsorship of a 60 minute programme special from the Forum's Annual meeting, programme trailers and sponsored vignettes that will feature CEO interviews and analysis of the issues discussed at the event.  CNBC Europe will also produce BT sponsored vignettes with interviews and highlights from two Gartner Symposium/ITxpo events.

Events will also be supported on-the-ground with CNBC and BT branded receptions for key industry executives.  The campaign will be carried through on-line activity with vignettes running on BT.com and print advertisements in CNBC European Business magazine.

BT also becomes a global award sponsor at CNBC's prestigious leadership Awards programmes in Europe, the US and in Asia.  The Awards programmes recognize the CEOs in each region who are making a difference through leadership and culminate in a gala Awards ceremony attended by the region's top CEOs.

Eveline Knipping, head of B2B Campaign Strategy & Execution at BT Global Services said, "This campaign is different as it not only gives us an on-air presence reaching CNBC's influential C-suite audience, but also enables us to engage with them face-to-face at key events around the world.  The campaign also gives us a global footprint with a presence across all three CNBC networks, while communicating locally relevant messages."

Liz Jones, VP and European Sales Director at CNBC Europe said, "This is a further demonstration of our successful creative services strategy and one that our in-house team has tailor made for BT. It's a great example of a campaign that optimizes our unique position in the market.  It will reach our senior business leader audience both on-air and on the ground at key events where CNBC has a presence."

Previous News From You

Week eending September 23, 2006

Week ending September 9, 2006

Week ending August 27, 2006

Week ending July 29, 2006

Week ending July 22, 2006

Week ending July 7, 2006

Week ending July 1, 2006

Week ending June 24, 2006

Week ending June 17, 2006

Week ending June 3, 2006

Week ending May 26, 2006

Week ending May 19, 2006

Week ending April 28, 2006

Week ending April 14, 2006

Week ending April 7, 2006

Week ending March 31, 2006