Delva To Talk about Plight of Haiti's Journalists, at Closing Ceremony in Bratislava
Vienna (OTS) - The International Press Institute (IPI) today
announced the inclusion of Joseph Guyler C. Delva, one of Haiti's
most respected and renowned journalists, in its line-up of World
Congress speakers.
In a presentation titled, "After the Quake: Press Freedom and the
State of the Media in Haiti," Delva will talk about the current
situation facing Haitian journalists after the devastating 12 January
2010 earthquake that killed up to 300,000 people and caused
unprecedented devastation in the poorest country in the Western
hemisphere.
At least 26 journalists were killed in the January earthquake and
most of the island nation's radio and TV stations were heavily
damaged and forced off the air. Computers that were not destroyed in
the quake were stolen by looters. IPI's North American Committee
recently joined with the Haiti News Project, an international effort
to help Haitian journalists recover from the earthquake, providing
tents, equipment and training programmes.
"I am thrilled that Guy Delva will be taking part in this year's
IPI World Congress," said IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel
McKenzie. "Haitian journalists and the Haitian media have suffered
terribly and it is important that Guy share the experiences of his
fellow journalists with our participants - representatives of some of
the world's leading media organisations.
Joseph Guyler Delva began his career in journalism in 1985 and
currently reports from Haiti for Reuters and the BBC, as well as for
several Haitian media outlets. He is the secretary-general of SOS
Journalistes, a press freedom watchdog he founded in 2005 which also
provides professional training to journalists. In addition, he also
heads an independent committee set up in 2007 to monitor
investigations into the cases of journalists murdered in Haiti since
2000, and to put pressure on the political and judicial authorities
to end the impunity surrounding these crimes.
Always a target because of his press freedom work, Delva's own
safety has become even more precarious since the earthquake.
According to Port-au-Prince's chief prosecutor and police
authorities, several dangerous criminals, who escaped from prison
after the earthquake and who were involved in the 2005 murder of
Haitian journalist Jacques Roche, have vowed to kill Delva because of
his part in their arrest. Delva has received death threats over the
past months, and is forced to carry out his work as a journalist
accompanied by security guards.
Delva is slated to talk at the Closing Ceremony, to be held at the
Kempinski Hotel River Park Bratislava on Tuesday, 14 September 2010,
during this year's IPI World Congress in Vienna and Bratislava.
The 2010 World Congress will commemorate the 60th anniversary of
the founding of IPI and will focus attention on the state of the news
media. Under the overall theme, "Thinking the Unthinkable: Are We
Losing the News? (Media Freedom in the New Media Landscape)," the
four day event will examine the many challenges facing the media,
while providing examples of how both traditional and new media
organisations around the world are managing to not only survive, but
actually thrive in the new media landscape.
To mark 60 years of defending press freedom, IPI will also honour
60 "World Press Freedom Heroes" during a special Award Ceremony and
Dinner at Vienna's City Hall on Monday, 13 September. IPI's Press
Freedom Heroes are brave men and women who have made a significant
contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom in their
country or region - often paying with their lives for what they wrote
or said.
To read the biographies of all the Congress speakers, as well as
more about the programme topics and the IPI World Congress in
general, visit the Congress website: www.ipiworldcongress.com.
Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/IPI_WoCo2010 and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/InternationalPressInstituteIPI
IPI's partners for the Congress include: Google; Samsung
Electronics Co. Ltd; OMV; Bank Austria - Member of UniCredit Group;
Telekom Austria Group; City of Vienna; Federation of Austrian
Industries (IV); SITA - Slovak News Agency; Slovak Tourist Board
(SACR); Slovak Electricity Transmission System, Plc. (SEPS); Slovak
Telekom; Bratislava Culture and Information Centre (BKIS);
Kooperativa poistovna a.s. Vienna Insurance Group; Slovak Health Spa
Piestany; Minerálna voda Mitická; Carat Distillery; Cisco Systems,
Inc., Prva stavebna sporitelna (PSS); Austrian Airlines; Twin City
Liner; Blaguss; Vienna Chamber of Commerce - WKO; Allianz - Slovenská
poistovna; DATALAN; Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency
(SARIO); GUEST Magazine; and Carat Distillery.
Media partners include: APA - Austria Press Agency; ORF - Austrian
Broadcasting Corporation; Der Standard; Die Presse; The Vienna
Review; Austrian Journalists Club (ÖJC); and Webnoviny.sk.
Rückfragehinweis:
Michael Kudlak, Conference and Events Manager,
International Press Institute (IPI)
Tel: + 431-512 90 11, Mob: + 43-676-425 78 14
E-mail: mkudlak@freemedia.at
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