Public Communication Contexts & CulturesInternational NGOs & Human Rights Coverage

Professor Eric Freedman5 October 2011

freedma5@msu.edu

Discussion of Central Asian Points to Ponder

• Why did post-Soviet Lithuania develop a pluralistic press while post-Soviet Central Asia did not?

• What civil society institutions appear essential to developing press freedom?

• What other factors may advance or interfere with press freedom?

Lecture Outline

• Expanding role of international NGOs & multi-government institutions as newsmakers

• Why the press should cover their activities• Using human faces in human rights & civil

liberties coverage

Common Themes

• Power of the media in a variety of countries and political systems.

• Conflicts between those with political and economic power on one side and those with less power or no power on the other side.

• Impacts of changing communication technologies and economic models.

• Role of the press in bringing events to light, helping to set the public agenda for discussion and action by citizens and policymakers.

Points to Ponder

• Are NGOs & multinational institutions sources of unbiased or biased information and news?

• Relative credibility of government officials & NGO officials

• Does too much human rights coverage “burn out” press & public interest?

Glossary

• Non-governmental organization (NGO): non-profit group that may operate within 1 country or in several or many countries (examples: Red Cross, Amnesty International)

• Multi-governmental institution: official organization created by 2 or more countries to carry out public purposes (examples: EU, NATO, UN)

Partial List of United Nations UnitsProgrammes • Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees • United Nations Children's Fund • United Nations Development Programme • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime • United Nations Environment Programme Research and Training Institutes• United Nations Research Institute for Social Development • Functional Commissions• Commission on Population and Development• Commission on the Status of Women• Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentRegional Commissions• Economic Commission for Europe Specialized Agencies• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations • International Labour Organization • International Monetary Fund • World Health Organization Related Organizations• International Atomic Energy Agency • World Trade Organization

News You Can Use from Multi-governmental Institutions

OSCE Action against terrorism Unit (ATU Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructurefrom Terrorist AttacksPOLICY BRIEFSeptember 2010

President of Lithuania to visit NATOIssued on 27 Apr. 2010The President of Lithuania, Her Excellency Mrs. Dalia Grybauskaitē, will visit the NATO Headquarters on Wednesday, 28 April 2010. She will meet with the Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and address the North Atlantic Council.Media Advisory12.00 The NATO Secretary General and President Grybauskaitē jointly meet the press – Main Entrance – open coverage The press point will be streamed live on the NATO website, and available live on demand from EBU Geneva.Still photographs and video footage of the event will be available on the NATO website afterwards.Accreditation: Journalists wishing to cover the press point will be allowed into the NATO premises on presentation of a NATO accreditation pass or a valid national press card / letter from their editor. Media will be allowed to take position at the main entrance starting from 11.15 hrs.The programme of the visit is subject to change. For further information, please contact the NATO Press and Media Service at Tel: +32 2 707 50 41, fax: +32 2 707 50 57.

Sample PressAdvisory

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Lithuania

• Vilnius Historic Centre http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/541

• Curonian Spit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/994

• Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė) http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1137

• Struve Geodetic Arc http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1187

Major International Human Rights Issues Today

• Religious bias• Ethnic bias• Gender bias• Anti-refugee bias• Sexual orientation bias• Social caste bias• Anti-immigrant bias• Racial bias• Age bias• Geographic regional bias• Human trafficking• Exploitation of children• Bias against people with disabilities• Language bias• Bias against indigenous (native) peoples• Forced labor• Inhumane prison conditions

Sample of Categories of Human Rights Violations

• Arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life• Disappearances• Torture• Substandard conditions in prisons & detention centers• Arbitrary arrests & detentions• Denial of a fair public trial• Political prisoners• Arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home or correspondence• Threats & harassment • Hate speech• Death penalty

Parliament narrowly defeats controversial homosexuality law Nov 15, 2010

Christian groups at odds with Muslims over mosque Sep 10, 2008

Anti-Semitism from Lithuanian mediaApr 21, 2009

Polish PM visits Lithuania amidst anti-Lithuanian hysteria in PolandSep 07, 2011

Lithuania ignores European court decision and proposes to ban gender reassignment3/09/11

Vilnius municipality encourages not to give alms to homeless people9/01/11

Discrimination complaints down in 20103/21/11

Respect for Civil Liberties & Political Rights

• Freedom of speech & press• Internet freedom• Academic freedom• Cultural events• Freedom of assembly & association• Freedom of religion• Freedom of movement• Protection of refugees• Protection of political rights• Free and fair elections• Government transparency• Worker rights

•

Vahan Bayatyan, Armenia

Faranak Farid, IranBelarus

Moscow

Some International Human Rights Defender Groups

• Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org)• Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)• Reporters sans Frontieres (Reporters without

Borders) (www.rsf.fr)• Transparency International (

www.transparency.org)• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (

www.ohchr.org) • Global Integrity (www.globalintegrity.org)

Reminder: Points to Ponder

• Are NGOs and multinational institutions sources of unbiased or biased information and news?

• Relative credibility of government officials & NGO officials

• Does too much human rights coverage “burn out” press & public interest?

Assigned Readings for Next Lecture

• MAIN READING: “Hiding the Real Africa” (Columbia Journalism Review, 2011)

• SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS: “OSCE PA Takes Up Discussion of Torture and Other Assaults on Human Rights in Its Member States” (Ferghana News Service, 2011)

“Genital mutilation: Women fight Africa’s taboo” (The Independent, 2009)

“Aid groups demand action as famine in Somalia gets worse” (Deutsche Welle, 2011)

“Belarus: “Inmates are afraid of exercising their religious freedom rights” (Forum 18 News Service, 2011)