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Pride and prejudice in reporting on human rights violations: Will south and north ever meet?

Monday, 20 June 2011, 4.00 p.m., Room C

https://p.dw.com/p/QiCJ
Image: AP

Reporting on human rights issues in a globalized world poses serious challenges for the media both in the developing (South) and industrialized (North) countries. While "dignity and justice for all" and freedom of speech and expression comprise the crux of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the reality on the ground is completely different.

Mainstream and new media continue to be dominated by the North, which often reinforce prejudices about the countries of the South in that they do not provide the context of the news. While they pride in their ability to report, comment and analyze developments around the world, thanks due to their access to most modern information and communication technologies, the media in the South reel under lack of such tools. They are also subject to national traditions which influence the manner in which media in the South approach human rights issues in respective countries. Lack of western democratic structures in several countries of the South poses additional challenges to the media, a situation which is neither overcome by globalization nor is often appreciated by the media in the North.

Discussants in the workshop will cast a close look at such issues from the perspectives of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe. In particular they will examine factors contributing to underlying pride and prejudice both in the North and the South coloring the coverage of rights violations. They will also look at ways and means of building bridges between the North and the South to ensure contextual reporting in a globalized world.

Moderation:
Ramesh Jaura
Executive President Global Cooperation Council

Panelists:
Pía Figueroa
Director of Pressenza, international news agency

Julio Godoy
Freelancer, writing on human rights, development and environment issues

Baher Kamal
Middle East and Arabic Service Director IPS-Inter Press Service

Kalinga Seneviratne
Head of Research, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Singapore