Journalists Under Fire
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Session Description
Around the world, freedom of the press continues to be threatened, and journalists are at risk of being silenced, jailed, and even killed. At a time when seeking and sharing truth seems more dangerous than ever, what can be done to protect members of the press and avoid a chilling effect on both journalists and their sources? Hear from those who are speaking out and advocates who are working to defend their rights.
Time & Location
Time:
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM, Wednesday, April 10, 2019
BST
Location:
Pyramid Room (TBEC)
Speakers
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Speaker
Executive Director, Committee to Protect Journalists
Joel Simon is the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that defends press freedom and the rights of journalists worldwide. He has written widely on media issues, contributing to The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post and many others. He has led numerous international missions to advance press freedom. He is the author of three books: We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages, and Ransom (Columbia Global Reports, 2019); The New Censorship: Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom (Columbia University Press, 2014), and Endangered Mexico: An Environment on the Edge (Sierra Club Books, 1997).
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Speaker
Yvette is a human rights activist and leads WITNESS.org, a global human rights organization that helps activists and communities use participatory media and technology for human rights. WITNESS
WITNESS pairs grassroots community support, and broad learning and sharing with advocacy at a systems level, aiming to support the millions of people turning to video to document abuses and use authentic narratives to create change. Yvette worked globally in start-ups and established companies in media and new technologies. She serves as advisor/board member for AccessNow, Majal, and DocSociety.
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Moderator
Founder and President, Pat Mitchell Media
Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders Forums and Co-Founder, Host, and Curator for TEDWomen
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Speaker
Investigative Journalist, Tiger Eye Foundation
Anas Aremeyaw Anas is an undercover journalist, attorney and private detective working in Ghana and across the African continent. In disguise, he finds his way into asylums, brothels, prisons, orphanages and villages, where he methodically gathers evidence for hard-hitting stories -- then presents the evidence to authorities to see criminals prosecuted.
On the 6th May 2018 Anas released Number 12, so named because corruption was the "12th player on the football team". This exposé implicated almost the entire football administration in Ghana and resulted in the President of Ghana dissolving the Ghana Football Association (GFA). The then GFA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was also an executive member of FIFA, was filmed by Anas accepting a bribe. He was later banned for life by FIFA.
International referees were also involved, such as Kenyan FIFA referee Marwa Range. He was filmed receiving US$600 before a previous game from Anas's investigative team posing as top Ghanaian football executives, leading to Marwa's withdrawal from the World Cup. A week before the 2018 FIFA World Cup was due to start, the BBC released the documentary. In the weeks following, other figures such as Super Eagles Coach Salisu Yusuf were found to be involved in the scandal.
Two years prior, Anas went undercover for two years to expose a total of 34 judges engaged in corruption-related activities. These judges and over 105 judicial staff were caught on camera receiving bribes to influence judgment in Ghana’s courts.
Anas currently works as a lead reporter on Africa Investigates, a documentary series on Al Jazeera, which empowers African journalists to investigate and tell their own stories. Under the Africa Investigates project, Anas has so far produced over ten (10) award-winning investigative documentaries across the continent. He is best known for his works in anti-corruption and human rights, for which he has won countless national and international awards.
