Their News [Archives:2008/1177/Local News]
-Journalists can apply for Human Rights Media Awards
Mainstream and citizen journalists from around the world are invited to apply for the Every Human has Rights Media Awards. The deadline to apply is September 15.
The awards, which will be given by Internews, are in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Applicants are asked to send “creative and eye-opening works” that help illustrate one or more of the Declaration's articles.
The award seeks to encourage greater press freedom and support human rights reporting worldwide.
To learn more visit: http://media-awards.everyhumanhasrights.org/
-National Endowment for Democracy offers journalism fellowships
The Washington, D.C.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) invites journalists worldwide to apply to be part of the 2009-2010 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. Selected fellows will take up residence at the Forum, a research division of NED, for five to ten months. Deadline: November 10.
According to its organizers, the fellowship seeks to provide experienced journalists with an opportunity to reflect on their work, learn from counterparts in the United States, and reevaluate techniques for building democracy in their country of origin. Projects must be in English.
Each participant will receive a monthly stipend for living expenses, health insurance and reimbursement for travel. Fellows also receive a fully equipped office and research support.
For further information, including eligibility information, visit http://www.ned.org/forum/reagan-fascell.html or contact [email protected].
-Media21 Global Journalism Network offers global media workshop
Experienced journalists are invited to apply for Media21 Global Journalism Network's global issues media workshop, which will focus on the challenges of migration in the 21st century from November 24 to December 7. Deadline to apply: October 15.
The first part of the workshop will be held in Geneva, Switzerland for three days where expert panels will discuss the aspects of migration, refugees and trafficking affecting countries from Europe to Afghanistan.
The next part will be held in Andorra as part of the 3rd Future of Europe Summit. Journalists will be exposed to international businesses, academia, non-governmental organizations and policy representatives.
Chosen applicants also will receive the opportunity to participate in a week-long field trip to certain parts of Africa or Europe.
The cost for traveling, food and lodging, field trip and tuition is EU$5,400(US$8,465). Limited grants are available.
For more information, contact Daniel Wermus at [email protected] or visit http://www.media21geneva.org.
-Citizen journalism course offers basic skills
Aspiring journalists can apply to enroll in the citizen journalism workshop, hosted by the citizen-based Web site 7iber.com, in Amman, Jordan, on August 2.
The workshop will cover basic journalism skills and review how to post news items online. Journalists will also learn how to cover a story using different formats such as “photostories” or video.
The Web site aims to train aspiring journalists in using technology to improve their community.
For more information, visit http://www.7iber.com/blog/2008/07/22/register-for-the-citizen-media-workshop/.
-Syndicate launched in Kuwait to support journalists
Journalist Zuhair Al-Abbad launched the Kuwait Journalist Syndicate this month after four years of being rejected by the Kuwati courts.
Al-Abbad, the former Assistant Board of Directors and General Manager of the Arabian Broadcasting Corporation, now is the Chairman of the new syndicate program.
The syndicate aims to provide opportunities for journalists in Kuwait and abroad. Although Kuwaiti journalists currently have the government-controlled Kuwait Journalist Association (KJA), Al-Abbad argues the media group does not serve any purpose for journalists.
The syndicate will reach international audiences and is not subject to governmental control.
For more information, visit http://www.arabpressnetwork.org/articlesv2.php?id=2444.
-Social Exclusion Debated at the UN House
Who are the excluded groups in the ESCWA region and what makes them so? What is Social Exclusion? How is it different from poverty? Who does it affect and why? Questions that UN-ESCWA and a quorum of regional experts, academics and activists will attempt to answer this week, on 1-2 August at an expert group meeting on “Social Exclusion in the ESCWA Region: Determinants and Indicators”, to be held at the UN House, Beirut.
Three UN-ESCWA countries, Lebanon, Yemen and Egypt, have served as research grounds for this topic. UN-ESCWA conducted 36 -in-depth interviews with men and women who live on the margins unable to benefit from different opportunities and services. Groups included refugees, street children, persons living with HIV/AIDS, Maqaber residents, and others.
Participants in the meeting will discuss the findings of -studies, UN-ESCWA's definition of social exclusion; and the research methodology required to capture social exclusion and to make it a useful and meaningful tool of analysis in the Western Asia region.
UN-ESCWA's work on social exclusion is part of the United Nations Development Account Project (UNDAP), “Interregional Cooperation to Strengthen Social Inclusion, Gender Equality and Health Promotion in the Millennium development Goals (MDGs)”, initiated in 2006. Since the general targets of the MDGs do not adequately address certain disadvantaged groups in different societies, the project is intended to supplement the MDGs with specific targets and localized indicators that measure the determinants of the exclusion and which take into account the challenges and differences facing the different regions in their progress towards the these millennium goals.
UN-ESCWA is one of the five UN Regional Commissions. It is comprised of 13 member countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Its objective is to support economic and social cooperation among the countries of the region and promote the development process in order to achieve regional integration
-REAL-TIME TEXT AIMS TO IMPROVE INTERNET ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DEAF AND
HARD OF HEARING
The blossoming of multimedia content on the Internet in recent years has revolutionised personal interactions, business communications, and other online services. But for millions of Internet users with sensory disabilities, many of the communication tools remain frustratingly out of their reach.
Mr Arnoud van Wijk, Disability Projects Coordinator for the Internet Society (ISOC), who was born deaf, knows only too well the frustration Internet users with a disability experience from many current Internet services.
“During the past few years
