IPI delegates travel to South Asia to meet with journalists and assess media situation

Visit to focus on rapidly growing media scene, attempts to impose stricter regulation

Barbara Trionfi

Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb 27, 2012

An IPI delegation has begun a visit to India, Nepal and Bangladesh to meet with representatives from a broad range of media, as well as top government officials and members of civil society. The trip will continue until March 6.

“An extremely vibrant media scene, combined with a great awareness about the role of the media and the rights it should enjoy in a democratic society are all elements that make South Asia extremely interesting for IPI;” said IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie, who is leading the IPI delegation. “But most importantly, we wish to show support to our members in the region: journalists and editors, who have been fighting for the right of the media to retain its independence from political forces and vigorously condemned episodes of violence against journalists.”

The visit coincided with a ceremony in honour of the two winners of the IPI India Award for Excellency in Journalism. A distinguished jury of editors and publishers headed by former Chief Justice of India, A. S. Anand, honoured two newspapers – Tehelka and The Week – for their outstanding journalistic work in 2010. The award, announced in October 2011, was presented at a ceremony on Feb. 24 in Delhi.

In India, IPI delegates will also meet with members of the IPI India National Committee to discuss concerns related to perceived attempts to impose stricter statutory regulation of media content, which IPI believes would go against international press freedom standards, as well as other developments affecting the media.

The purpose of IPI’s visit to Bangladesh is to follow up on activities carried out by the IPI Bangladesh National Committee and the IPI Bangladesh Free Media Centre, a project aimed at monitoring laws and practices affecting press freedom and improving the standards of journalism in Bangladesh.

After meeting journalists and high level government officials, IPI’s Bethel McKenzie will also address senior journalists at a seminar in Dhaka to discuss major threats to quality journalism in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

IPI Senior Press Freedom Adviser Barbara Trionfi also met with IPI members in Nepal to discuss concerns related to draft policies that affect the media and attacks against journalists in the country.

For interviews and other questions related to IPI’s visit to South Asia, please contact IPI Senior Press Freedom Adviser, Barbara Trionfi at [email protected]