Small protest outside editors conference

Monday June 09, 2003 14:59

by paul cummins - indymedia

Bonos groupies Vs Gr groupies

As you know a huge conference of the world's newspapers editors is being held in Dublin today. Just after 12 a dozen or so members of GR turned up to protest outside the entrance to the RDS(or is that Lisdoonvarne) with Bono and the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern due to talk at the 3 day conference, this morning.

Although I tried to ask the protestors how the saw the efforts of WAN to increase press freedom as it is top of their aims, they replied fairly that they were there to increase the pressure for true press independence and although there are some worthy writers out there they are outnumbered by in right-wing or simply inaccurate articles.

An example of the balance of Mondays conference
World Trends in the Newspaper Industry:
-
First Session: Journalism under Threat
Robert Fisk, Middle East
-
Zhanna Litvina, President, Belarus Association of Journalists
-
How they keep us free-and under watch
Pius Njawe, President, Union of Publishers in Central Africa (UEPAC)
-
Innovation International Media Consulting Group.
-
Cultural evening, with dinner and entertainment, at the Guinness Storehouse, hosted by Tourism Ireland

In a list of seven threats facing press journalism in regards to freedom(from wan-press.org), only two out of the seven may have applied to Ireland most dealing with war, violence and dictatorships although these are serious problems in a lot of countries it seems perhaps that the more subtle types of press interference experienced in countries like ours don’t matter once you have the appearance of press freedom?

Most Irish newspapers focused either on the plight of journalist injured or killed in the line or duty or the Corr's set list from last night.

There was little activity from the hall with only the occasional attendee or Merc exiting, although there was a good number of police around. One persons protest was directly towards Bono for talking to the powers that be but not specifically denouncing the war, for trying to reduce the debt but seemingly not being so hard against wars or certain foreign polices with them all being interconnected. However U2 didn’t agree with her and defended Bono and admonished her for getting in the way of her fandom.

One unidentified protestor after hanging around the gate for a while decided, it seems, to get himself arrested by pushing up against a Guard and then when a van came along he immediately jumped in when the side door opened without any help from anyone else, and seemingly without being arrested first??? Maybe that’ll get him an inch in the papers?

Media savvy Joe spent most of his time talking on his mobile to News 106 and some other photographers came along and the protest was also reported in some of the main newspapers.

Further protests are being planned for the banquet tonight being held at 8:00 at the Guiness Storehouse.

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Comments (3 of 3)

Why is GR picketting Robert Fisk

by Curious

Mon Jun 09, 2003 15:03

I understand the theoretical point of the protest but it seems a bit silly if the conference includes sessions like the above. A bit like party full timers with time on their hands trying to give potential recruits something to do post-Evian.

they had good reason

by pc

Mon Jun 09, 2003 15:16

as was said theres still along way to go with press freedom so expressing your concern over future progress is more then worthy of a protest.

Update on 'Press Barons Ball' protest

by paul cummins

Tue Jun 10, 2003 17:58

At around 7:30 numbers from the spw sp and gr and others gathered outside entrances to Guinness site. It was good humoured and (more colourful then usual) protest with a good few people coming suited and top hated. About 30 people protested waving banners at the conference attendees being bussed for around two hours, outside two entrances to Guinness the second one being within earshot of the party and when the crowd raised its voice in chants im sure they could here the protest.

Photos from the day on thursday.

-------------------------------------------------
If am to be good and not post this as a new story on the newswire, then how to people know that i have posted this here?

Either they will look for the previously posted article and take the trouble to look down possibly loads of commments to find it or more likley they'll not see a newstory on the appropiate date and not think any thing was posted ?

i dunno perhaps something that says newstory has been updated? on the strip newswire?

i know on the full page newswirte it says how many extra commments have been added which helps but doens't on the front page sidebar...?

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Small protest outside editors conference

Comments (3 of 3)