The Walkley Foundation and MEAA call for media freedom in Asia-Pacific region

Jailed Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste will be the focus of a joint campaign “30 Days of Press Freedom” by the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), The Walkley Foundation for Journalism and the International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific.
 
Greste is currently on trial in Cairo for alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a crime that saw 529 people sentenced to death on 24th March. 8th April marks his 100th day of imprisonment and the 30 Days of Press Freedom campaign have chosen this period to share intimate stories and photos from his life and work to help raise awareness of the issue.
 
Launched on 4th April, the 30 Days of Press Freedom campaign is a countdown to UNESCO World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May, whose themes of 2014 are; to enable free media to contribute to good governance, empowerment and eradication of poverty, to establish a rule of law that ensures the safety of journalists whilst combating political impunity and developing the sustainability and professionalism of journalism worldwide.
 
The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1993 and in recent years, has developed traction over social media as a means to protest the censorship laws of many politically unstable countries.  
 
Between 2012 and 2013, 28 radio journalists were jailed worldwide, with 18 killed due to the imposition of censorship laws in countries like Cambodia and Argentina.
 
For Australia, 30 Days of Press Freedom countdown coincides with the Federal Government’s recent draft exposure bill aimed at repealing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act which makes it unlawful for someone to act in a manner likely to ”offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” someone because of their race or ethnicity and amending section 18D which provides protections for freedom of speech.
 
The 30 Days of Freedom of Speech campaign culminates at the 2014 Press Freedom Australia Media Dinner in Sydney on 2nd May at Doltone House.
 

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