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OPC, Coalition Sign Pact to Boost Freelancer Safety

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OPC, Coalition Sign Pact to Boost Freelancer Safety THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, NY • February 2015 OPC, Coalition Sign Pact to Boost Freelancer Safety By Emma Daly and the freelancers who Diane Foley, mother of the late are assuming an ever- freelance reporter James Foley, was greater burden in cover- guest of honor at a panel discussion ing dangerous stories, to launch “A Call for Global Safety the panelists see these Principles and Practices,” the first principles as a first step industry code of conduct to include toward greater responsi- media companies and freelancers bility and accountability in an attempt to reduce the risks to by both reporters on the those covering hazardous stories. ground and their editors. The guidelines were presented to an “I am deeply proud Rhon G. Flatts audience of journalists and students of the OPC and the OPC David Rohde of Reuters, left, and Marcus Mabry during two panel discussions held at Foundation’s part in this speak to students and media about a the Columbia University School of long overdue effort,” new industry code of conduct. Journalism’s Stabile Student Center Mabry said. Shehda Abu Afash in Gaza. on Feb. 12 and introduced by Dean Sennott flagged the horrific mur- By the launch on Thursday al- Steve Coll. der of Jim Foley as a crucial moment most 30 news and journalism orga- The first panel – David Rohde in focusing all our minds on the need nizations had signed on to the prin- of Reuters, OPC President Marcus to improve safety standards, despite ciples, including the OPC and OPC Mabry, Vaughan Smith of the Front- efforts over the past couple of de- Foundation, AFP, the AP, the BBC, line Freelance Register, John Dan- cades to introduce hostile environ- Global Post Guardian News and Me- iszewiski from the AP and Charlie ment and medical training, as well dia, PBS FRONTLINE and Thom- Sennott of the Ground Truth Project as protective equipment and more af- son Reuters. New signers since then – introduced the guidelines and the fordable insurance cover. 2014 was include the National Union of Jour- thinking behind why they’re need- particularly grim for the Associated nalists of the Philippines, notorious ed. In a world of increasing risk for Press, which had the deadliest year in for its entrenched culture of impu- journalists, including local reporters its 169-year history, with the deaths nity for the murder of journalists. of photographer Anja Niedringhaus While the document is long on Inside. in Afghanistan, and videojournal- “should” rather than “will” or “must” Mabry: Praise for New Standards...2 ist Simone Camili and translator Ali (Continued on Page 2) Remembering Bob Simon...............3 Serrill: Two Media Giants................3 Panel to Share Work From Women Activists EVENT PREVIEW: March 16 Rana Allam; Pakistani activist Mos- Rosenblum: ‘The Williams Age’.......3 sarat Qadeem; acclaimed filmmaker Recap: Satire Panel.........................4 When reporting on an interna- Gini Reticker; and ICAN co-founder Recap: ‘Covering Ebola’ Panel........4 tional crisis, it’s important for jour- Sanam Anderlini. Prior to the panel, nalists to seek out the voices of clips will be shown from the upcom- Recap: ‘The Rise of ISIS’.................5 women. In partnership with Peace is ing multimedia project The Trials of Video Memoir Project Update..........5 Loud, the Norwegian Foreign Min- Spring, featuring women activists in People Column................................6 istry and International Civil Action the Middle East and North Africa, Network (ICAN), the OPC will host Press Freedom Update...................9 as well as clips of interviews con- a forum March 16 highlighting the ducted with women activists in the Recap: Book Night, Roger Cohen..10 work of women activists in North region on how to combat extremism Q&A: Kristina Shevory...................11 Africa and the Middle East. and militarism. The program will New Books....................................12 Panelists are: Egyptian journalist run about 75 minutes. (Continued From Page 1) – “Editors and news organizations should show the same MARCUS MABRY PRAISES concern for the welfare of local journalists and freelanc- NEW SAFETY STANDARDS ers that they do for staffers,” for example, the panelists The OPC’s participation in the process of for- agreed that doesn’t diminish its value. By signing on to mulating and now promulgating the first-ever news these principles, the media companies and freelancers are industry standards for safety goes to the core of making a moral commitment to ensure that freelancers on our mission: promoting and building excellence in foreign correspondence. assignment are properly trained, equipped and compen- The protocols also align with the OPC in an- sated. other aspect: our reorganization to tackle the chal- Payment for freelancers was raised several times as a lenges of today’s foreign correspondents, who are critical issue – Smith urged editors to pay freelancers at increasingly freelancers and local journalists. an acceptable level and on time, rather than two or three I could not be happier that the OPC is a part of months late. And on the second panel, freelance photog- such a broad and storied group of news organiza- tions, journalist groups and press-freedom watch- rapher Nicole Tung pointed out that better pay translates dogs. We are all stronger in one another’s compa- into safer assignments – the ability to hire a dedicated ny. And most importantly, as momentous as these driver, for example, rather than rely on a local taxi. guidelines are, they are only the beginning. This The second panel, chaired by host Bruce Shapiro of is just the first step in a process that will include the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, brought to- conferences and possibly a formal consortium to gether Tung, Steven Adler of Thomson Reuters, Rob Ma- deal with these issues and others as foreign news coverage expands. honey of the Committee to Protect Journalists and Judith It is about time. Indeed, it is past time. And I am Matloff of Columbia. deeply proud of the OPC and the OPC Founda- Clearly journalist safety is in the air: Rohde said the tion’s part in this long overdue effort. Like I said, it guidelines came out of several meetings of news execu- is just the beginning. tives and press freedom advocates in the United States, - Marcus Mabry, OPC President noting that there are similar ongoing initiatives. governance mechanism to give teeth to the principles and Questions from the audience flagged some skepticism ensure that media outlets and journalist organizations live that the guidelines would make a real difference to those up to the spirit and letter of the guidelines. most at risk in the field. Ron Haviv of VII Photo Agency, “This is just the beginning, but we think it is a good which declined to sign, argued that the wording was tan- start to a process of making sure freelancers are provided tamount to saying “we should wear seat belts in the car, the respect, the dignity, the protections and ultimately not that we must wear seat belts.” the fair pay they deserve,” said Smith, founder of the The organizers are working now on a compliance and 500-member Frontline Freelance Register. OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA • BOARD OF GOVERNORS PRESIDENT ACTIVE BOARD Azmat Khan Martin Smith Emma Daly PAST PRESIDENTS Marcus Mabry Jacqueline Albert- Investigative Reporter President Communications EX-OFFICIO Editor-at-Large Simon BuzzFeed News Rain Media Director Michael Serrill The New York Times U.S. Bureau Chief Human Rights Watch David A. Andelman Politique Internationale Dan Klaidman Liam Stack John Corporon FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Deputy Editor Reporter Daniel Sieberg Allan Dodds Frank Calvin Sims Rukmini Callimachi Yahoo News The New York Times Senior Marketing Alexis Gelber President and CEO Foreign Head of Media Outreach William J. Holstein International House Correspondent Evelyn Leopold Seymour Topping Google Marshall Loeb The New York Times Independent Journalist Emeritus Larry Martz SECOND VICE PRESIDENT United Nations Professor of Abi Wright Roy Rowan Abigail Pesta Jane Ciabattari International Journalism Executive Director, Leonard Saffir Freelance Journalist Columnist Paul Moakley Columbia University Prizes Larry Smith BBC.com Deputy Director Graduate School Richard B. Stolley THIRD VICE PRESIDENT Photography and Charles Wallace of Journalism Pancho Bernasconi Chris Dickey Visual Enterprise Financial Writer Columbia University EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Vice President/News Foreign Editor Time magazine Awards Patricia Kranz Getty Images The Daily Beast, ASSOCIATE BOARD Paris Robert Nickelsberg MEMBERS OFFICE MANAGER TREASURER Freelance Brian I. Byrd Boots R. Duque Tim Ferguson Peter S. Goodman Photojournalist Program Officer Editor Editor-in-Chief NYS Health EDITOR Forbes Asia International Lara Setrakian Foundation Chad Bouchard Business Times Co-Founder & CEO SECRETARY News Deeply Bill Collins OPC Deidre Depke Charles Graeber Director, Public & ISSN-0738-7202 Journalist and Freelance Journalist Business Affairs Copyright © 2015 Author and Author Ford Motor Comapny Over seas Press Club of America 40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 USA • Phone: (212) 626-9220 • Fax: (212) 626-9210 • Website: opcofamerica.org OPC Bulletin • February 2015 • Page 2 Simon: War Changes You Measuring Two Media Giants By Susan Kille Commentary by Michael Serrill Bob Simon, senior foreign correspondent for “60 Min- I have seven or eight episodes of “60 Minutes” utes,” died Feb. 11 in a car accident in New York City. backed up in my DVR – too often I am doing something Simon, who was 73, received OPC’s President’s Award else at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night. I will now watch them last April. solely to savor my last taste of the reporting and writing “It’s a terrible loss for all of us at CBS News,” “60 Min- of CBS’s Bob Simon, killed in the tragic crash of a livery utes” Executive Producer Jeff Fager said in a statement.
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