Study: Chinese Influence on Worldwide Media Surged During Pandemic
13 May 2021
An International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) study released Wednesday found China’s influence over worldwide media increased dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) worked aggressively to rewrite the narrative of the coronavirus to erase Beijing’s culpability and spin China in a more positive light, especially in the Third World.
“The coronavirus story over the past 12 months has been successfully used by China to create a more positive image of China, in a number of countries,” IFJ deputy general secretary Jeremy Dear told Voice of America News (VOA) on Wednesday.
How China Used Foreign Media to Reset Image During Pandemic
13 May 2021
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In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, China sought to block news of the rapidly spreading virus, detaining those who tried to speak out. But in the months that followed, as the pandemic ravaged families and economies worldwide, Beijing sought to reset its public image through foreign media, research published Wednesday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) shows.
A survey of 54 journalist unions in 50 countries found a rise in the number of countries reporting a visible Chinese presence in their media, from 64% to 76% in a year. In countries where China has offered support and training to local media, a higher percentage said coverage of Beijing was more favorable, the IFJ report found.
In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, China sought to block news of the rapidly spreading virus, detaining those who tried to speak out. But in the months that followed, as the pandemic ravaged families and economies worldwide, Beijing sought to reset its public image through foreign media, research published Wednesday by the International…
IFJ 30 April 2021
IFJ at World Press Freedom Day in Namibia
Information as a public good is the subject of World Press Freedom Day, held in Windhoek, Namibia, 30 years after the Windhoek Declaration (3 May 1991). It remains a seminal event for the development of a free, independent and pluralistic press. World Press Freedom Day has its origins in the UNESCO conference in Windhoek. Below you will find the programme with the participation of the IFJ and its regions.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Regional Forums
The global conference is connecting with the regional World Press Freedom Day celebrations, building upon the historic series of regional seminars triggered by the 1991 Seminar in Windhoek, which inspired regional declarations to promote a free, independent, and pluralistic press, in meetings held in Alma-Ata (1992), Santiago (1994), Sana’a (1996), and Sofia (1997).
IFJ 03 March 2021
African journalists underline the importance of a strong journalists’ union role in managing the response to the COVID-19 crisis to protect quality journalism and improve working conditions
The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the pan-African organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in collaboration with the Norwegian Union of Journalists (NJ) held a Webinar on “The COVID 19 Crisis: The Role of Journalists’ Trade Unions in Protecting Journalists and Journalism” on Monday, 1 March 2021. Screenshot of the webinar
The Webinar brought together leaders and representatives of journalists’ unions and associations across the continent as well as representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC- Africa).