The National Writers Union (NWU), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations (CCCUN) and Metro NY Labor Communications Council (MNYLCC) organized a panel discussion May 3 for World Press Freedom Day.
Held at the United Nations in New York City, the event explored the media’s role in supporting human rights and social change. Five experts described how the mass media—from news crews to bloggers—help to document human rights abuses and affect social change.
More than 60 attendees gathered in the UN’s Church Center to hear from
–H.E. Mrs. Bénédicte Frankinet, the Belgian ambassador to the UN
–Vanessa Gezari, managing editor of the Columbia Journalism Review
–Madeleine Bair, program manager for the human rights organization WITNESS Media Lab
–Graciela Leal, Latin America program manager at PCI Media Impact
–Lindsay Curcio, NWU member and immigration attorney
NWU’s Lindsay Curcio and Alexandria Faiz at the UN.
Dr. Elizabeth Carll, president of the CCCUN, served as moderator, while Alexandria Faiz, an NWU Trustee, closed the event by bringing attention to the End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists campaign.
Along with NWU President Larry Goldbetter, Faiz represents IFJ at the UN’s Economic and Social Council non-governmental organization. In this role, the two work with various UN agencies and global organizations to foster support for the international organization’s resolutions to defend freedom of the press.
This is the second year that the NWU, IFJ, and Metro NY Labor Communications Council have worked with CCCUN to organize an event at the UN. Program co-sponsors included the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities, the International Council for Women, and the Earth Society Foundation.
