Journalist worried about freedom of expression
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Jim Boumelha, president of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), delivers an opening speech during the World Journalist Conference at the Korea Press Center, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of the Journalists Association of Korea
By Kim Hyo-jin
The leader of an international journalist group voiced concerns that freedom of expression is under attack, as evidenced in part by an increase in violence against reporters.
“We have been publishing a list of the journalists killed every year. Last year, 118 journalists died,” Jim Boumelha, the president of International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said during an interview with The Korea Times.
“Our calculation of the deaths of journalists over 10 years reaches about 1,000, so if you calculate the average, two journalists die every week.”
Boumelha brought up the issue of journalist safety at the World Journalist Conference, which will run through Saturday in Korea. The annual event aims to build a sense of solidarity among worldwide journalists on issues facing them.
In January, a fatal shooting attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo left 12 people dead, including journalists. The IFJ President said the incident became a watershed highlighting the dangers sometimes faced by journalists.
“The Charlie Hebdo attack captured the imagination of everybody. It caused a huge response that everybody noticed.”
However, he pointed out it was just one of many cases showing that freedom of expression is under attack.
“Charlie Hebdo was not as gruesome as what has happened elsewhere,” he said, referring to the deadliest single-day attack on the media which occurred in Mindanao, the Philippines which left 32 journalists killed.
Though it was a well-publicized massacre, Boumelha said the crime was left unsolved as the Philippine government has been reluctant to investigate the case.
“That’s why we insist on impunity for journalists; governments are not doing enough to resolve the question of journalists being killed,” he said.
The IFJ was established in 1926 to promote international action in defending press freedom and social justice through various trade unions of journalists. The 90-year-old organization now represents about 600,000 journalists from 170 countries.
It has worked on the mission to document, expose, advocate, lobby and campaign to stop the killings of journalists, with special status in the United Nations and UNESCO.
The organization leader admits it is difficult to deal with such cases in cooperation with local governments.
“The problem is that when it comes to big bodies like the U.N., they have enough international influence to compel domestic governments to implement, but have no will to punish governments,” he said.
As an example, he referenced Israel’s bombing of the press house in the Gaza Strip last year.
“After the attack, the Israeli government justified itself, arguing journalists there were propagandists for Hamas terrorists.”
In response to such excuses, the IFJ’s position is clear, he said.
“Journalists are still civilians. They should be protected in all circumstances.”