Resources
World Press Freedom Day: Not Just Another News Day
Imagine living in a world with complete news blackout? What kind of a world and society would this create? Many of us take the press for granted because we have never experienced such a blackout in our lifetime. Each year 3 May marks World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside by the United Nations Education Scientific Organisation, to highlight the right to have an open and free press as well as to commemorate those who have dedicated their lives in pursuit of journalistic integrity. In Singapore, freedom of the press is a tricky area. Some critics have called for more freedom of expression in the local press. However, Singaporeans understand that some press restriction is needed to maintain our delicate racial harmony. This is not easy to achieve, and the Singapore government has seen the need to improve media regulations to cater to an ever changing media landscape. The Media Development Authority of Singapore released the Media Convergence Report on 30 November 2012. This report makes recommendations on how to improve the existing media regulations to allow for a more open media environment while still protecting Singapore’s unique cultural harmony. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York, champions the safety of journalists all over the world and keeps track of all reported cases of murdered journalists. CPJ has called the Philippines’ Maguindanao massacre, where an estimated 34 journalists were killed, as the deadliest attack on journalists in history. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which is the largest and oldest union for journalists established a safety fund for journalists whose lives have come under threat. The fund provides immediate financial relief and strives to highlight the plight of these journalists. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Walter Lippmann states, “There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil”. World Press Freedom Day is a time to commemorate the efforts and the people who do their upmost to uphold this very law, no matter the cost. Happy World Press Freedom Day.
Here are some interesting websites focusing on journalism and news reporting. UNESCO World Press Freedom Day http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/ flagship-project-activities/world-press-freedom-day/about-theday/ Go to this website to find out more about World Press Freedom Day.
Global Editors Network (GEN) http://www.globaleditorsnetwork.org/about-gen/ GEN is non-profit, non-governmental association, committed to the principles of innovation and information sharing in the newsroom.
International Journalists’ Network (IJNet) http://ijnet.org/ IJNet keeps professional and citizen journalists up-to-date on the latest media innovations, online journalism resources, training opportunities and expert advice. NTU Libraries has several news databases, some of which are highlighted below. To find these databases, go to our library website and click on ‘Databases’, look under the ‘Subject List’ for ‘News’, click and the list of databases will appear. Factiva Factiva provides news and business information. It covers 10,000 sources from more than 159 countries in 22 languages and offers more than 400 continuously updated newswires.
Lexis.com Lexis.com is one of the world’s leading online legal research services and an online library of international news and information.
Wise Search
Debra L’Angellier Communication Librarian (Advertising, PR, Broadcast & Film) dblang@ntu.edu.sg
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Wise Search is a Chinese news provider from Hong Kong. It covers the 742 main Chinese newspapers from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and other Asia Pacific countries.