The Media Safety and Solidarity Fund
The fund continues it work to support the children of slain journalists, advocate for press freedom across the Asia-Pacific region and campaign for journalist safety and human rights.
A MEAA initiative established in 2005, the Media Safety & Solidarity Fund, is supported by donations from Australian journalists and media personnel to assist colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region through times of emergency, war and hardship.
The fund trustees direct the International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific to implement projects to be funded by the MSSF. The fund’s trustees are Marcus Strom, national MEAA Media section president; the two national MEAA Media vice-presidents, Karen Percy and Michael Janda; two MEAA Media federal councillors, Ben Butler and Alana Schetzer; and Brent Edwards representing New Zealand’s journalists’ union, the E tū, which also supports the fund.
Aside from contributions made by MEAA members as a result of enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations, the other main fundraising activities of the fund are auctions and raffles.
Journalist safety and human rights
In 2017 MSSF supported the work of the IFJ Asia-Pacific’s human rights and safety program. Under the program, IFJ AP remained a prominent advocate in the region for press freedom, journalists’ rights and safety.
In March 2017, the IFJ AP launched the Byte Back Campaign: Fighting Online Harassment of Journalists calling for strong action to stop cyber bullying and online harassment of women journalists. In May it launched the #JournosAgainstShutdowns campaign raising awareness for internet shutdowns as a press freedom issue.
Press freedom
In January 2018, the IFJ launched the 10th China Press Freedom Report,[i] reviewing this bleak period for freedom of expression. From the optimism and hope for China leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where a more free and open media was promised by China’s leaders to the world, the IFJ reports that reality on the ground is harshly different, with a continuing and disturbing decline in media freedoms in both Mainland China and Hong Kong.
The IFJ recorded more than 900 media violations between the years 2008 to 2017, more than 30 per cent recorded in the Beijing Municipality alone. There were 250 incidents of censorship; more than 190 arrests, detentions and/or imprisonments; 90 restrictive orders and 80 incidents of harassment and/or threats. IFJ figures indicate there are 38 media workers currently known to be detained in China, including renowned democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo who died in custody.
The IFJ AP continued its campaign for Oki Raimundos and Lourenco Vincente, who were charged with criminal defamation in Timor Leste. On June 2, in a win for press freedom, the charges against the pair were dismissed.
Supporting the children of slain journalists
The MSSF helps fund the education of the children of slain journalists.
In Fiji, MSSF supports Jone Ketebaca, the son of Sitiveni Moce who died in 2015 after he succumbed to injuries sustained when he was attacked by soldiers in 2007.
In Nepal, MSSF supports 23 children with two due to graduate from university at the end of the year. The education program was established in 2010 to help the children of journalists who have been killed since the transition to democracy began in 2005. To date, this financial support has been $181,472 (including administration fees paid to the International Federation of Journalists).
In the Philippines, MSSF supports 68 students — 25 are the children of journalists killed in the 2009 Ampatuan Massacre. At the end of the 2016–17 school year, five children will graduate from university with a range of qualifications including computer science, financial management, engineering and teaching.
The Media Safety and Solidarity Fund remains one of the few examples of inter-regional support and cooperation among journalists across the globe. Please support the work of the fund by making a donation.
References
[i] http://www.ifj.org/regions/asia-pacific/press-freedom-in-china/ten-year-edition-a-decade-of-decline/
