IPI LATEST NEWS

IPI Congress to Show Footage of New Film on Balibo Killings

Anthony LaPaglia as Roger East in Balibo. Copyright Balibo Film Pty Ltd.

Balibo, a powerful film that tells of the events surrounding the slaying of five journalists by Indonesian soldiers in East Timor in 1975, will be showcased at the upcoming IPI World Congress in Helsinki.

The political thriller is told through the eyes of Roger East (played by Emmy Award-winning actor Anthony LaPaglia), an Australian who went to East Timor to investigate the earlier killings of five fellow journalists and was himself murdered in East Timor.

Exclusive footage of the film will be shown on 8 June during the 58th IPI World Congress, followed by a special presentation featuring award-winning director Robert Connolly; actor Damon Gameau, who plays slain television reporter Gregory Shackleton; and Maureen Tolfree, sister of one of the journalists killed in East Timor and long-time campaigner for justice.

A conservative protester holds portraits of U.S. journalists Euna Lee (R) and Laura Ling, who have been detained by North Korea in Seoul April 2, 2009. Photo: REUTERS

North Korea’s leader should take the lead from Iran, which released an Iranian-American reporter this week, and immediately drop their case against two American journalists who are set to go to trial on 4 June for allegedly entering the country illegally, the International Press Institute said today.

North Korea’s state-run news agency reported that two American journalists who were seized in March would be tried on 4 June for illegal entry and "hostile acts". Euna Lee and Laura Ling of US-based Current TV could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Names in the News: IPI World Congress in Helsinki Continues Long History of Renowned Speakers

For almost 60 years, the annual IPI World Congress has provided a unique forum for renowned journalists, politicians, academics and civil society representatives to meet and discuss important topics of the day. Over the years, speakers have included Dag Hammarskjöld, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Charles de Gaulle, Indira Gandhi, Jomo Kenyatta, Lee Kuan Yew, Willy Brandt, Carlos Fuentes, Wole Soyinka, Elie Wiesel, and Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

This year, at the World Congress and 58th General Assembly in Helsinki, IPI continues this tradition with a line-up of more than 20 prominent speakers – including Joschka Fischer, former foreign minister of Germany; Peter Bergen, journalist, author and terrorism analyst; Jorma Ollila, Chairman of Nokia and Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell; and Indian TV journalist Barkha Dutt, among others – who will come together to discuss with IPI’s members and guests the great challenges facing our world. To see the programme, click here.

EU Must Insist on Justice for Murdered Journalists in Talks with Sri Lanka

Civil rights activist shouts slogans and carries placard during funeral procession in Colombo (Jan 2009). Photo: REUTERS

As Sri Lanka appears to be nearing the end of a vicious civil war with Tamil rebels, the International Press Institute is appealing to the international community to pressure the government for increased transparency in the embattled region, and justice for journalists killed during years of conflict.

Journalists have not been allowed free access to the north of Sri Lanka, where government soldiers and rebel fighters have entered a final stand-off. More than 50,000 civilians are reportedly trapped in the war zone.

IPI’s appeal comes as international representatives prepared to meet in Colombo to work out a business and investment package to help rebuild Sri Lanka after 25 years of insurgency led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers.

A Newspaper ‘to Serve Society, Not the State’: Russia’s Novaya Gazeta Wins IPI Pioneer Award

Novaya Gazeta, the crusading Moscow newspaper that has paid a deadly price for its reporting during a period when the Kremlin has sought to rein in independent media, has been named winner of the International Press Institute’s 2009 Free Media Pioneer Award.

The award, announced to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, recognises Novaya Gazeta’s focus on in-depth reporting at a time when many of Russia’s print and broadcast media have softened their news content or have come under control of Kremlin allies. The award will be presented at the IPI World Congress in Helsinki, Finland, on 7 June.

Read a Backgrounder on Press Freedom in Russia

More German Journalists Join the Battle to Protect Confidentiality of Sources

Judges of the second senate of the German Federal Constitutional Court explain a verdict in Karlsruhe. Photo: Reuters

A group of German journalists, lawyers and doctors today filed a complaint before the Federal Constitutional Court against a controversial law that greatly increases the power of the police to conduct secret surveillance of citizens.

The law – which has been in force since 1 January and is already the subject of one unresolved complaint – contains provisions that could potentially weaken journalists’ right to protect the confidentiality of their sources.

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