News organizations standing up for the safety of media professionals

Paris, 05 February 2016 - In Paris today, two Libyan media managers participated in an international conference hosted by UNESCO that provided news organizations the opportunity to discuss existing and new measures aimed to strengthen journalists’ safety worldwide. In attendance were close to 200 media owners, executives and practitioners from public, private and community media, ranging from major international channels to local broadcasters.

The one-day conference fostered dialogue on security issues with a view to reducing the high number of casualties in the profession. Participants will share good practices on a wide range of measures including safety protocols in newsrooms, training to improve physical, psychological, and digital security, innovative protective measures for reporting from dangerous areas and developing better international and local partnerships.

The travel of the Libyan participants, Majdi El-Shaari, owner and Director of Libya TV & Libya FM. and Nabil El-Shebani, Director-General of Libya’s Channel, was facilitated by UNESCO Libya. Michael Croft, the UNESCO representative in Libya pointed out that “Libyans need to have access to international fora to raise awareness of the plight of media professionals and identify new strategies to confront the problem of impunity,” adding that, “This experience will also enrich the post-Madrid discussions between Libyan media stakeholders.”