EU Journalist or Propagandist?

Yesterday I received a copy of an open letter from Aidan White, the General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). And very odd it was. It talked about the idea of a new journalist registration system, with Mr White pointing out that such a thing already exists in the shape of the IFJ card.

I write on behalf of the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists concerning a current discussion within European Union circles over the issuing of a specific European Press Card.

You might like to know that there is already an accreditation in circulation which is recognised by the major organisations of journalists throughout the European Union – the International Press Card of the IFJ.

The IFJ International Press Card (IPC) is the world’s oldest and most reputable press accreditation and provides instant confirmation that the bearer is a working journalist. It is only issued to genuine journalists who are committed to ethical standards and solidarity between media professionals.

Despite his job Mr White is no radical, and often seems pretty tardy on issues relating to press freedom, however here he is bang on. I immediately picked up the phone to the IFJ and spoke to them.

Indeed this letter seems to be a shot across the bows of the Commission. There are discussions going on in the Commission, (but at this point I and nor do the IFJ know how high up they go) about the creation of an European Press Card.

The ramifications of this could be massive. It could mean that it would be the Commission which could decide which journalist were 'proper' journalists and which were not. I know personally of journalists who have been threatened and arrested on the say so of European officials. They are accused of publishing inaccuracies, they are told that 'what they write does not represent the interests of their newspapers'. I know of newspapers that have had their advertisers phoned by the Commission's legal team with suggestions about how the Commission is represented in the paper, and how it would be helpful if they were to have a quiet word with editorial team. I remember when Alessandro Buttice the lawyer who represents OLAF as its press spokesman sent out a 16 page document to the Brussels' press corps advising them of how they should report EU news.

Access to Commissioners and officials could be restricted to those on the Commission list. Today there is European Institutional press accreditation, but any journalist who is vouched for by an editor is accepted. This new idea has a strong suggestion that the Commission itself will do the vetting not the news organisation and must be opposed as vigorously as possible.

I cannot emphasise how serious this could be.

Top of my list

Top of my list for demotion for the banal rubbish he gets published would be Littlejohn in the UK.

Rogue journalism.

One can only agree to the comments made by Raymond. I think that there are no more ethics but tendencious manipulation all over with only one goal; selling paper and boosting the audimat.

In this week's Sceptic Magazine, Steve Salerno's "Journalist-Bites-Reality" illustrates this at best.

The IFJ International Press

The IFJ International Press Card (IPC) is the world’s oldest and
most reputable press accreditation and provides instant confirmation
that the bearer is a working journalist. It is only issued to genuine
journalists who are committed to

ethical standards

Really, one may only hope. But, maybe, commitment to facts, reality and truth should  be the criterium.

and solidarity between media professionals.

What for? Why should liars support liars? Maybe we need solidarity with readers, information consumers? 

 

Instead of registration, I suggest a  rating system, where journalists get a rating for

  1. capability to report according to facts (observations are described as observations, journalist's opinions are presented as opinions, etc.)
  2. capability to cover controversial subjects (poits of view ignored by other journalists; taking into account the risks to his person, threats from govenrnments, commercial organisations, employer, collegues, criminal organisations)
  3. protection of sources

 Can we develop this into something useful? Better ideas?

 

-- Raymond

Frightening

This is happening because no one can believe it is happening. I wonder if it is even possible to oppose them. *Shrugs* Worse comes to worse, you could have someone from America operate your site and just e-mail him what you want to say. Until America is like this to. Since the Conservatives had their big chance and squandered it miserably, this country is likely going to make a big swerve to the left. Prepare to see this sort of thing happen in the USA as well.