The following joint declaration by the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio France International, Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the Voice of America has been issued to mark World Press Freedom Day 2010:
In countries where press freedom is restricted or even nonexistent, international broadcasters have a particularly difficult job in trying to reach audiences. As May 3 has been officially designated by the United Nations General Assembly as World Press Freedom Day, the five most influential international broadcasters, including Radio Netherlands Worldwide, have taken stock of the hampering of their activities. In the past 12 months all these international broadcasters experienced technical challenges like jamming and blocking of radio and television signals. In addition, they also had to face physical abuse to correspondents as the price they have to pay for reporting the truth.
“Every reported case of deliberate interference, blocking of websites and harassment or physical abuse of journalists only makes the international broadcasters more determined than ever to overcome the obstacles and reach their target audiences,” says Director General Jan Hoek of Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
Hoek noted the particular challenges international broadcasters face in reaching audiences in a number of countries. China, for example, continues to block some transmissions and websites from overseas, as it has done for many years. At the same time, it spends more and more money on expanding its own international broadcast operations. Reaching Iranian audiences has been an increasing challenge as well. Iran has jammed satellite uplinks as well as shortwave signals, and blocked access to some websites. Other examples are Zimbabwe, Korea, Cuba, Uzbekistan and, most recently, Ethiopia, where the Prime Minister of Ethiopia actually boasted of jamming foreign broadcasts at a press conference.
In addition, a number of journalists from international broadcasters have been threatened, harassed or detained over the past year in Afghanistan, Angola, Ethiopia, Guinea, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
“One thing that binds these countries,” says Hoek, “is extreme sensitivity – and even downright hostility – to news from the outside. And the reason for that attitude is simple: they can’t control the news, so they try to silence it.”
(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
