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African editor wins Golden Pen of Freedom

One of Africa's most prominent press freedom advocates, Geoffrey Nyarota, Editor of the Daily News in Zimbabwe, has been awarded the 2002 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

The award presented during the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Bruges, Belgium, in May, was made in recognition of Mr. Nyarota's outstanding defence of press freedom in the face of constant persecution.

"Geoffrey Nyarota has with great courage stood firm and resolute in the face of repeated attempts to silence him and his newspaper", said the WAN Board.

"He has been arrested and jailed and threatened with death; the printing presses of the Daily News have been destroyed by a bomb and his offices have been attacked. Mr. Nyarota has refused to bend under this constant campaign of intimidation. He has continued to edit a newspaper which has gained the trust of his readers by fearlessly providing them with the truth about government corruption and the country's economic and social upheaval.

His fierce devotion to free honest and independent journalism is an inspiration to his colleagues everywhere."

WAN also called on the Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, to ensure "that the growing repression of free journalism ceases immediately". Mugabe's government has been widely criticised for its attacks on the independent press. "The fact that the Daily News and I have received the Golden Pen of Freedom should influence Mugabe, it should make him understand that Zimbabwe needs an unimpeded flow of information, that the people of Zimbabwe are entitled to know the truth.

The campaign by the government to muzzle the independent press is destined to fail", said Mr. Nyarota (read the complete interview at www.wan-press.org/pf/golden-pen/nyarota/interview.html)

Mr. Nyarota 50, is Editor-in-Chief of the privately-owned Daily News which was launched in 1999 and has become the largest circulating daily newspaper in Zimbabwe with sales of more than 100,000 copies per day. Its most serious rival the government controlled Herald, has seen its circulation decline from more than 150,000 to about 60,000 a day over the same period.

The Daily News coverage of the ruling party-sponsored invasion of white-run farms by Zimbabwean war veterans is part of the reason for the circulation turnaround. It has also brought down the wrath of the government and its supporters.

A bomb destroyed the printing press of the Daily News in January 2001 and its offices were attacked in April last year.

Its editors and reporters have been arrested on numerous occasions and a reported plot to kill Mr. Nyarota failed last year.

German media institution to train Asian journalists

The International Institute for Journalism (IIJ), a German organisation that trains print journalists from developing and transitional countries, is offering training for Asian journalists.

The institute, part of the German Foundation for InternationalDevelopment DSE), has scheduled some media training events to be held during this year in Berlin, Germany's capital, and in several Asian countries.

The foundation will conduct seven short-term training courses in Germany, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia and Singapore.

IIJ will begin its programs for Asia in Berlin with a course on electronic sub-editing and layout.

This 82-day course, conducted in English, will take place from April 11 to July 2. The course isalso designed for African journalists. In Berlin the institute has scheduled a two-month course to be held in fall this year.

Asian and African journalists will learn how to improve training concepts. This course, also taught in English, will be conducted from August 29 through October 29.

Twice in November, Singapore will host journalists from Afghanistan. There are two five-day events to be held November 18-22 and November 25-29.

The first workshop will be on journalistic ethics in a democratic society, and the second one will teach editorial management.

Both courses will be taught in English.

The IIJ is one of three organizations through which the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development trains journalists in developing and transitional countries.

The two otherorganizations are the Radio and TV Training Centre of Deutsche Welle.

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