UIORLD PREOOI III IIKMIIOO1IIII111111 A Coordination Group of National and International News Media Organizations
October 6, 1998
His Excellency Kofi A. Annan Secretary-General E 6 E 0 W United Nations Room 3800, United Nations Headquarters New York, NY 10017 EXECUTIVE OFFICE Dear Mr. Secretary-General, OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
to your ^ ^ week. Your topic — 'Regardless of Frontiers:' Article 19 in a World of Sovereign States — is certainly most appropriate in this 50th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We anticipate a packed house at the Madison Hotel, and I know that you will be pleased with the reception you find there.
Enclosed please find a list of those individuals who have 'Indurated they will be with us for the luncheon and lecture. Responses continue to come in, so the list could change somewhat. To give you an idea of the schedule for this event, here is a general outline:
We have invited guests for 12:30 p.m., to leave time for settling down and for a glass of wine. We can begin the program at 1 p.m. or once you've had a chance to enjoy your lunch and become comfortable.
Jim Ottaway, Jr., our chairman, will introduce you briefly and will acknowledge the presence of at least four press freedom heroes ~ Doan Viet Hoat of Vietnam; Christine Anyanwu of Nigeria; Kenneth Best of Liberia and Gambia; and Yndimiro Restano of Cuba.
Following your address,.i f you are willing, _we w|ll entertain^Jguesy_pns_fi;pJ]yhe_audience . And at some time during the program, if you agree, it would be wonderful if you would give your end^ement to the Char foraFreePress, whi^hjvejike to_call_an impement for putting Article 19 intojpractice.
We would also appreciate the opportunity to make photographs with Jim and other key people present, . ------~------....-.^^^vA^j.— .._— •^~^^..w*r.T.™-"^-vA— .~-..~ --- —«i-^ —..^^.n..-.,.." ...... *... --- *, —r _Vi-^..*- -_, ----- .- ,...,------„,,.,. ..f.,^,-... , „ .,.,-.,,,.:,«„...,,...... **, .A',...-.o,- - ,._J-JJ.-.*LI_EJ, . •- . — and this time can be kept brief. If you have any questions or suggestions, I hope you will feel free to be inlouch with us. We want this to be a rewarding experience for all involved, and we welcome your thoughts.
Once again, we thank you for accepting our invitation to deliver this important address. I know it will reach key policymakers in not only Washington, but around the world, and we deeply appreciate the opportunity to host this event. Sincerely, loTsii-lJ- Marilyn J. Greene Executive Director
WPFC, 11690-C Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191 USA Tel: (703) 715-9811 FAX: (703) 620-6790 e-mail: [email protected] WORLD PRESS FREEDOM COMMITTEE OFFICERS James H. Ottaway, Jr., Chairman Marilyn J. Greene, Executive Director Ronald Koven, European Senior Vice President, Dow Jones World Press Freedom Committee Representative & Company, Inc. 11690-C Sunrise Valley Drive 9, place du President Mithouard Chairman, Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. Reston, Virginia 20191 75007 Paris 200 Liberty St. Tel: (703)715-9811 France New York, N.Y. 10281 Fax: (703) 620-6790 Tel: (331) 4783-3988 Tel: (212) 416-3024 Fax: (331)4566-8302
OFFICERS Harold W. Andersen Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Mochtar Lubis Omaha World-Herald The New York Times Company Press Foundation of Asia James H. Ottaway, Jr. Omaha, Nebraska New York, New York Jakarta, Indonesia Dow Jones & Company, Inc.: ; Pedro Cresp8 de' Lara '.: .f i •' Reid MacCluggage Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. Asociacion de Editores de AP Managing Editors New York, N.Y. Diarios Espanoles Association Chairman DIRECTORS Jerry W. Friedheim The Day Harold W. Andersen Kenneth B. Allen New London, Connecticut The Newseum National Newspaper Omaha World-Herald Arlington, Virginia Morgan McGinley Omaha, Nebraska Association Andres Garcia Lavin Arlington, Virginia National Conference of Chairman Emeritus Editorial Writers Novedades de Yucatan Osamu Asano Pedro Crespo de Lara Merida, Mexico The Day Asociacion de Editores de Nihon Shinbun Kyokai New London, Connecticut Diarips Espanoles Marilyn J. Greene Tokyo, Japan World Press Freedom Committee Monica Miller Madrid, Spain Fred Brown Pacific Islands News Vice Chairman Henry Grunwald Society of Professional Association Andres Garcia Lavin New York, New York Journalists Pago Pago, American Samoa Denver, Colorado Novedades de Yucatan Cushrow R. Irani Curtis Prendergast Merida, Mexico The Statesman, India Oliver F. Clarke Trappe, Maryland Vice Chairman Inter American Press Leonard H. Marks Linn Rounds Henry Grunwald Association Cohn & Marks The Gleaner National Federation of New York, New York Press Women Vice Chairman Claude Moisy Kingston, Jamaica Paris, France Cheyenne, Wyoming Cushrow R. Irani Barbara Cochran Bill Roberts Radio-Television News Charles S. Rowe The Statesman, India The Free Lance-Star Vice Chairman North American National Directors Association Broadcasters Association, Toronto Washington, D.C. Fredericksburg, Virginia Leonard H. Marks Scott Schurz Ann K. Cooper John Schidlovsky Conn & Marks, Pew Fellowships in Washington, D.C. Herald Times Committee to Protect Journalists Bloomington, Indiana New York, New York International Journalism Treasurer & Counsel Washington, D.C. John Simpson John Corporon Marilyn J. Greene Petr Schonfeld Reston, Virginia USA TODAY Overseas Press Club Arlington, Virginia New York, New York Czech Publishers Association Secretary and Executive Director Prague, Czech Republic Khun Suthichai Yoon Linda K. Foley Dana H. Sullen Edward Seaton Reston, Virginia The Nation The Newspaper Guild-CWA Bangkok, Thailand Washington, D.C. American Society of Senior Adviser Newspaper Editors Edward 0. Fritts The Manhattan Mercury National Associaton of Manhattan, Kansas EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Broadcasters Washington, D.C. Paddy Sherman Helen K. Copley Canadian Newspaper Association James H. Ottaway, Jr. Lucy Harr Dow Jones & Company, Inc.; Copley Press, Inc. Vancouver, B.C. La Jolla, California Association for Women in Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. Communications John F. Sturm Chairman Lee Hills Madison, Wisconsin Newspaper Association Horacio Aguirre Knight-Ridder, Inc., Miami of America Harold Hoyte Vienna, Virginia Diario Las Americas Allen H. Neuharth The Nation Miami, Florida The Freedom Forum Barbados, West Indies Leonard R. Sussman Dr. Hector Oscar Amengual Arlington, Virginia Freedom House Jane Kirtley New York, New York International Association of Charles E. Scripps Reporters Committee for Freedom Broadcasting Scripps-Howard Newspapers of the Press Frans Vink Montevideo, Uruguay Cincinnati, Ohio Arlington, Virginia Lasne, Belgium
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM COMMITTEE AFFILIATES American Society of Newspaper Associated Press Managing Editors Hong Kong Journalists Association Newspaper Guild-CWA Editors Association Inter American Press Association Nihon Shinbun Kyokai American Women in Radio and Association for Women in International Association of North American National Television, Inc. Communications Broadcasting Broadcasters Association Asia-Pacific Institute for Bloque de Prensa-Venezuela International Press Institute Organisation Camerounaise pour la Broadcasting Development Bonneville International Corp. International Women's Media Liberte de la Presse (OCALIP) Asociacion de Diarios Colombianos Brazilian Newspaper Association Foundation Overseas Press Club (Andiarios) Canadian Newspaper Association National Association of Pacific Islands News Association Asociacion de Editores de Diarios Central and Eastern European Broadcasters Pakistan Press Foundation Espanoles Media Centre-Warsaw National Conference of Editorial Press Foundation of Asia Asociacion de Entidades Committee to Protect Journalists Writers Radio-Television News Directors Periodisticas Argentines Commonwealth Press Union National Federation of Press Association Association of Hungarian Czech Publishers Association Women Reporters Committee for Freedom Journalists Federation of Australian Radio National Newspaper Association of the Press Associated Press Broadcasters Broadcasters Netherlands Association of Sociadad Dominicana de Diarios Association Freedom Forum Newspaper Editors Society of Professional Journalists Freedom House Newspaper Association of America Banjul, Gambia 1998 Harold W. Andersen Lecture and Luncheon Craig Branson American Society of Newspaper Editors Acceptances to 10/5/98 Del Brinkman Journalism Program Officer John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Elie Abel Bob Brinkmann Sherry Abel Vice President, Postal & Regulatory Affairs Newspaper Association of America Ambassador Sven Alkalaj Embassy of Bosnia Herbert Brubaker The Television News Center Adnan Alkatib VAE Broadcasting System Andrew Buchman Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe David Anable President Dana Bullen International Center for Journalists Senior Adviser WPFC Harold W. Andersen Chairman emeritus, WPFC Joyce Bullen Former chairman, Omaha World-Herald Co.; Frank Calzon Center for a Free Cuba Marian Andersen David Case Kofi Annan Freelance reporter; S ecretary-General Pew Fellow in International Journalism United Nations Stephen Chaplin Christine Anyanwu USIA Founder, The Sunday Magazine, Lagos, Nigeria; Winner, 1998 UNESCO press Stephen Chen freedom prize Representative Taipei Economic & Cultural Office Ambassador Michael Arnevad Embassy of Trinidad & Tobago Ambassador Willie Chokani Embassy of Malawi Ambassador Le Van Bang ; Embassy of Vietnam Louisa Coan Asia Director Todd Bensman National Endowment for Democracy Dallas Morning News Pew Fellow Barbara Cochran WPFC Board of Directors Kenneth Best President Exiled owner, The Daily Observer, Radio TV News Directors Association USIA Richard Cole Dean, School of Journalism Mary Lou Forbes University of North Carolina Commentary Editor The Washington Times Robert Coonrod President PaulFrazer Corporation for Public Broadcasting Embassy of Canada
Esther Coopersmith Jerry Friedheim U.S./UNA WPFC Executive Committee Newseum Helen Dalrymple Library of Congress Joseph Fromm
Janet Dates Ambassador Jan Gabor Dean, School of Communications Embassy of Slovakia Howard University Murray Gart Mary-Esther Dattatreyan Former editor, Washington Star Administrative Assistant, WPFC Tobi Gati Ralph Davidson Senior International Advisor Davidson & Associates Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. Former assistant secretary of state Joseph Dickie Public Affairs Officer Georgie Anne Geyer Bureau of International Organization Affairs Columnist U.S. State Department. Universal Press Syndicate
Steven Dimoff Ronald Godard U.N. Association of the USA Deputy Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the OAS Joseph Duffey Director, USIA Donald Graham Chief Executive Officer and President Fred Eckhard The Washington Post Spokesman for the Secretary-General, United Nations Katharine Graham Chairman, Executive Committee Ambassador Rols Ekeus The Washington Post Co.
Embassy of Sweden i Bob Greeriberger Steven Erl anger Foreign Policy editor Reporter, The New York Times The Wall Street Journal
Nasim Firdaus Marilyn Greene Embassy of Bangladesh Executive Director WPFC Joel Fischman John Hall USIA Washington Bureau Chief Media General News Service Inc. Elzbieta Krzanowska International Center for Journalists Mark Hallett Journalism Program Officer Ramtane Lamamra Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation Embassy of Algeria
Stephen Hess Low Lantner Senior Fellow, Governmental Studies . Voice of America The Brookings Insitution Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif) Doan Viet Hoat House International Relations Committee Exiled founder, The Freedom Forum magazine, Vietnam Dr. Myrella Lara (Mr. Restano's interpreter) Mrs. Doan Viet Hoat (Tran Thi Thuc) Chuck Lewis Kensaku Hogen Hearst Newspapers Under- S ecretary-General for Communications and Public Louise Lief Information, United Nations Pew Fellow
Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Don Lippincott U.S. Ambassador-designate Former Director, ICFJ Clearinghouse to the United Nations Andrew Lluberes Kristan Hutchison Office of Public Affairs Reporter, Juneau Empire U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Pew Fellow Princeton Lyman Mike Jendrzejczyk Assistant Secretary of State for Washington Director International Organization Affairs Human Rights Watch/Asia Department of State (10)
Joe Junod Ambassador Patricia Gates Lynch Vice President/Customer Programs Newspaper Division John Madigan Gannett Co., Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Tribune Co. Norman Kempster Los Angeles Times Holly Madigan
Jane Kirtley Boguslaw Majewski WPFC Board of Directors Minister-Counselor Executive Director Embassy of Poland Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Leonard H. Marks Cohn & Marks Bob Klein General Counsel and Treasurer, WPFC Patrick D. Maynes Carol Pastan President, The Media Institute Associate Producer, NBC Dateline Pew Fellow in International Journalism Amb. Donald McHenry Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Dr. Jelena Grcic Polic Deputy Permanent Representative to the Shannon McNary United Nations Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe Permanent Mission of Croatia
Vjollca Mici Ambassador Andrew Peacock International Center for Journalists Embassy of Australia
Ambassador Amos B.M. Midzu Ambassador Christopher H. Phillips Embassy of Zimbabwe Former deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (1969-73) Julie Moffett Founding president, U.S.-China Business Radio Free Europe Council
Jim Moody Amb. Alexander Philon President Embassy of Greece Inter Action Thomas Pickering Paul Moran Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Eurasia Foundation State Department
Joan Mower Curt Prendergast Manager, International Programs WPFC Board of Directors The Freedom Forum Former Time correspondent
Betty Nan Obermayer Mian Qadrud-Din Director Herman Obermayer Promotion & Public Services Division Former publisher, Northern Virginia Sun Department of Public Information United Nations Michael Oreskes Washington Bureau Chief Yndamiro Restano The New York Times Founder, Independent Press Agency of Cuba (1988); Bureau of Independent Press in Jim Ottaway, Jr. Cuba(1995) Chairman, WPFC Imprisoned 1990-95; exiled 1995
Senior Vice President, Dow > Jones & Company Amb. Elliot L. Richardson Chairman, Ottaway Newspapers Co-chair, National Council, United Nations Association of the USA; Robert G. Ottenhoff Former Under Secretary of State; former President, North American National Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Broadcasters Association (NANBA) Attorney General and Secretary of Executive Vice President and Chief Commerce. Operating Officer, PBS Sen. Charles S. Robb, D-Va. Director, U.N. Information Centre Senate Foreign Relations Committee Washington, D.C.
Carla Robbins David Simonson Foreign policy correspondent Media consultant; former WPFC trainer The Wall Street Journal Lois Simonson Sherry Rockey Executive Director John Simpson International Women's Media Foundation WPFC Executive Committee Deputy Editor Jeff Rosenberg USAToday National Public Radio Rena Singer Carleton F. Rosenburgh Reporter, Philadelphia Inquirer Senior vice President/Newspaper Division Pew Fellow in International Journalism Gannett Co. Inc. Gillian Sorensen Ambassador Dimitrij Rupel Assistant Secretary-General, Embassy of Slovenia External Relations United Nations Antoinette Samuel (and guest) National Association of Black Journalists Amb. E. Michael Southwick Deputy assistant Secretary of State for George Santulli Global Issues, Bureau of International TV Producer/Director Organization Affairs USIA Former U.S. ambassador to Uganda
Ambassador Ashmed Maher El Sayed Lee Stinnett Embassy of Egypt Executive Director American Society of Newspaper Editors John Schidlovsky WPFC Board of Directors Marvin Stone Director, Pew Fellowships Former editor, U.S. News & World Report in International Journalism Stacy Sullivan Erika Schlager Freelance Reporter, New York Pew Fellow in International Journalism Bill Schmick Former Washington bureau chief Leonard Sussman Ottaway News Service Senior Scholar in International Communications Richard M. Schmidt, Jr. Freedom House Cohn & Marks General Counsel, ASNE Susan Talalay Director, Knight Fellowship Program Bernard Shaw International Center for Journalists Anchor, CNN
Joe Sills Shashi Tharoor Executive Assistant to the Secretary-General Christine Wells United Nations Senior Vice President/International The Freedom Forum Dan Thomasson Washington Bureau Chief Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minnesota Scripps-Howard News Service Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Jake Thompson Robert M. White II Washington Bureau Chief Former publisher, Mexico (Mo.) Ledger Omaha World-Herald William L. Winter Norma Tucker Director Washington office American Press Institute The American University in Bulgaria Ambassador Miomir Zuzul Amb. Helmut Tuerk Embassy of Croatia Embassy of Austria Beverly Zweiben Tricia Uhlir Officer-in-Charge Anchor/reporter Human Rights Affairs KXLF-TV, Montana IO/ESA Pew Fellow in International Journalism State Department
Eduardo Ulibarri Director, La Nacion San Jose, Costa Rica
Erin Uritus International Women's Media Foundation
Ambassador Yuri Vorontsov Embassy of Russia
Richard Wald Senior Vice President ABC News
Raymond Wanner Officer-in-Charge UNESCO and Scientific Programs Bureau of International Organization Affairs U.S. State Department
Brian Weaver National Newspaper Association
Allen Weinstein President The Center for Democracy About the Charter... This Charter for a Free Press represents provi- Charter sions approved by journalists from 34 countries at the Voices of Freedom world conference on censorship problems in London, Jan. 16-18,1987. The conference was held by the World Press fora Freedom Committee, with the cooperation of the World Association of Newspapers, International Press Institute, Inter American Press Association, North American National Broadcasters Association Free and the International Federation of the Periodical Press. The provisions embody a wide consensus on principles necessary to ensure free, independent Press news media. The Charter has been cited approv- ingly at OSCE and other meetings, formally en- dorsed by both the U.N. Secretary-General and UNESCO's Director-General and supported by a number of journalistic organizations around the world. We hope the Charter will be useful wherever principles for freedom and a free press are needed.
World Press Freedom Committee 11690-C Sunrise Valley Drive Reston,VA 20191 USA Ph: (703) 715-9811 Fax: (703) 620-6790 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM COMMITTEE e-mail: [email protected] 5. Legal, technical and tariff practices by Charter for a Free Press communications authorities which inhibit the distribution of news and restrict the flow of information are condemned.
A free press means a free people. To this 6. Government media must enjoy editorial end, the following principles, basic to an independence and be open to a diversity of unfettered flow of news and information viewpoints. This should be affirmed in both within and across national borders, both law and practice. deserve the support of all those pledged to advance and protect democratic institu- 7. There should be unrestricted access by tions. the print and broadcast media within a country to outside news and information 1. Censorship, direct or indirect, is unac- services, and the public should enjoy ceptable; thus laws and practices restrict- similar freedom to receive foreign publica- ing the right of the news media freely to tions and foreign broadcasts without gather and distribute information must be interference. abolished, and government authorities, national or local, must not interfere with 8. National frontiers must be open to the content of print or broadcast news, or foreign journalists. Quotas must not apply, restrict access to any news source. and applications for visas, press creden- tials and other documentation requisite for 2. Independent news media, both print their work should be approved promptly. and broadcast, must be allowed to emerge Foreign journalists should be allowed to and operate freely in all countries. travel freely within a country and have access to both official and unofficial news 3. There must be no discrimination by sources, and be allowed to import and governments in their treatment, economic export freely all necessary professional or otherwise, of the news media within a materials and equipment. country. In those countries where govern- ment media also exist, the independent 9. Restrictions on the free entry to the media must have the same free access as field of journalism or over its practice, the official media have to all material and through licensing or other certification facilities necessary to their publishing or procedures, must be eliminated. broadcasting operations. 10. Journalists, like all citizens, must be 4. States must not restrict access to news- secure in their persons and be given full print, printing facilities and distribution protection of law. Journalists working in systems, operation of news agencies, and war zones are recognized as civilians availability of broadcast frequencies and enjoying all rights and immunities ac- facilities. corded to other civilians.