No act of abuse against journalists will be ignored

In response to every act of abuse reported to them, the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) will act with determination and use their multi-nation resources to ensure maximum publicity when journalists are arrested, tortured or even killed in their pursuit of truth.

“The welfare of our members is central to the work of the Commonwealth Journalists Association. We have documented evidence of journalists in some countries being abused by despots masquerading as politicians,” stated the communiqué from the conference held in Kuching, Malaysia, between 14 and 18 October 2008.

“We will expose and embarrass. We will lobby our own governments to pressure these despots into treating journalists with basic human respect.”

This conference marked the 30th year since the CJA was founded. It focused on sending journalists back to their media houses with greater knowledge about current issues and more tools to help improve their reporting skills. Ninety-minute skills training sessions were also offered to working journalists on three successive mornings during the conference.

The CJA also urged increased and improved coverage of climate change in news media throughout the Commonwealth.

“We feel that climate change, and its potentially devastating impact on all aspects of human life across the planet, needs intense and ongoing journalistic attention using the checks and balances that the best practices of our profession demand.

“As an invigorated, more robust Commonwealth Journalists Association enters a new era of unprecedented connectedness among members, we will use our capacity to share information on the impact and science of climate change in our home countries and foster diligent reporting on climate change at the media houses we represent.”

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Related Websites:

• Commonwealth Journalists Association