What role does imagery and journalism have in the reporting of war, climate change, humanitarian crisis and other global issues in a world where public information platforms are constantly changing? Does journalism need to re-invent itself in order to adapt? And how can young people, who rely increasingly on UTube, the Daily Show and other new media, learn to critically discern credible information and not be open to manipulation by political, commercial and other interests?
Writer Edward Girardet explores these avenues for The Essential Edge based on a recent keynote speech he gave at the International Center for Photography (www.icp.org) in New York on “Inspiring Dialogue: The Intersection of Images, Journalism and Global Issues.” This brought together journalists, photographers, editors, film-makers and other media professionals on the inauguration of the “On History” exhibition featuring American photojournalist Susan Meiselas, particularly renowned for her coverage of Nicaragua and Kurdistan.
And you thought Salman Rushdie had a hard time with Fatwas? Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari seems to be heading towards the same - including demands for a forced marriage with Palin by some fundamentalists - following the decision of Mawlana Abdul Ghafar - the prayer leader of the Lal Masjid (mosque) in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad - to issue a fatwa against him. As noted by the Indian subcontinent's NDTV website on September 29, 2008, the religious chief seems irked by Zardari's "you're gorgeous" compliment to US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin during a recent meeting at the General Assembly in New York, when she was trying to brush up on her foreign affairs credentials.
If you happened to be one of the 300 reporters watching the launch of the proton beam at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, Wednesday, it didn’t take long to realize that you didn’t really need to be there to get the picture.The BBC broadcast updates throughout the day, and beyond that there was not much to see. As one CERN control room after another flashed on a giant video screen, most of the action consisted of technicians intently watching dynamic graphs on flat video screens, and then smiling as each stage was accomplished.The real star of the show, a stream of protons, barely the diameter of a human hair, and running along a 27-kilometer, roughly oval shaped circuit 100 meters underground, was safely out of sight. The real drama had more to do with what the LHC means to science than it did with the actual launch.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and scores of other donors like to promote their recovery-support activities in Afghanistan. But one often wonders how effective are these efforts and are they really worth the millions spent? How much is for show and what will promote effective change? Here is a blog on "Peacebuilding, reconstruction and development with peanuts” written by Akmal Dawi, a young Afghan journalist. Read Here This provides a short but somewhat disturbing insight by a local observer into the true nature of the international community’s commitment to this increasingly conflict-ridden country.
For those interested in what is happening - or not happening - at the Human Rights Council here in Geneva over the next two weeks, then you need to read the online Human Rights Tribune. http://www.humanrights-geneva.info This is an independent daily news site in English and French compiled by editors and journalists of InfoSud, a Geneva-based non-profit news agency. Unfortunately, while international donors are willing to support the Council - and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - there is precious little support for initiatives such as this. This is extremely short-sighted and serves few interests other than governments who do not want the outside world, particularly the grass roots, to know what is going on. Judge for yourself. Here is a sampling of today's two main stories.
A Geneva NGO upsets Arab countries
- Over the past four years, the Geneva based NGO, Alkarama has filed thousands of complaints to the UN regarding human rights violations by Arab states. Algeria has launched regular attacks on one of its members in Switzerland but relations between Bern and Algiers appear unaffected. Read here
Burundi wants no Special Rapporteur after all
- Last September (2007) the government of Burundi agreed to the renewal for one year of the mandate for the Special Rapporter from the Human Rights Council, Akich Okola. Today it considers the work of this expert to be terminated, according to diplomatic sources in Geneva. The African group at the Council, which seeks to suppress this mandate, was not previously opposed to Burundi renewing it. Today it seems they have changed their minds. Read here
On Wednesday morning, CERN, the Geneva-based European Center for Nuclear Research, will kick off the first stage of its Large Hadron Collider experiment in a 27-kilometer circular tunnel, which lies roughly 100 meters underground. The tunnel, which contains 5,000 of the world’s most powerful magnets needed to keep opposing streams of protons precisely positioned, cuts through a sizeable chunk of the bucolic Pays de Gex, where gently grazing cows seem blissfully unaware of the history - and controversy - surrounding the events about to take place beneath them.
The Geneva Network, a diverse group of Swiss and international diplomats, aid representatives, business leaders, journalists, academics and other professionals concerned by the need to develop and harness the wealth of Lake Geneva exceptional resources more effectively, will be publishing a “Call for Action” later this month. This is the second report by the Network in two years. The first was to provide a document for public debate. This second is to prompt action before it is too late.
Haiti's new Prime Minister has stated that improving health care on the island will be one of her top priorities. But repairing the health system in a country plagued by turmoil, natural disasters, and a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic is not going to be an easy task. Patralekha Chatterjee, an Indian writer who took part in the Media21 Access to Health journalism workshop in Geneva followed by a field trip to Haiti earlier this year, wrote this piece for The Lancet magazine in the UK. The article, which are publishing below as part of The Global Beat. is also produced on the Media21 Global Journalism Network website www.media21geneva.org
What role does imagery and journalism have in the reporting of war, climate change, humanitarian crisis and other global issues in a world where public information platforms are constantly changing? Does journalism need to re-invent itself in order to adapt? And how can young people, who rely increasingly on UTube, the Daily Show and other new media, learn to critically discern credible information and not be open to manipulation by political, commercial and other interests?
And you thought Salman Rushdie had a hard time with Fatwas? Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari seems to be heading towards the same - including demands for a forced marriage with Palin by some fundamentalists - following the decision of Mawlana Abdul Ghafar - the prayer leader of the Lal Masjid (mosque) in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad - to issue a fatwa against him. As noted by the Indian subcontinent's NDTV website on September 29, 2008, the religious chief seems irked by Zardari's "you're gorgeous" compliment to US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin during a recent meeting at the General Assembly in New York, when she was trying to brush up on her foreign affairs credentials.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and scores of other donors like to promote their recovery-support activities in Afghanistan. But one often wonders how effective are these efforts and are they really worth the millions spent? How much is for show and what will promote effective change? Here is a blog on "Peacebuilding, reconstruction and development with peanuts” written by Akmal Dawi, a young Afghan journalist. 
On Wednesday morning, CERN, the Geneva-based European Center for Nuclear Research, will kick off the first stage of its Large Hadron Collider experiment in a 27-kilometer circular tunnel, which lies roughly 100 meters underground. The tunnel, which contains 5,000 of the world’s most powerful magnets needed to keep opposing streams of protons precisely positioned, cuts through a sizeable chunk of the bucolic Pays de Gex, where gently grazing cows seem blissfully unaware of the history - and controversy - surrounding the events about to take place beneath them.
The Geneva Network, a diverse group of Swiss and international diplomats, aid representatives, business leaders, journalists, academics and other professionals concerned by the need to develop and harness the wealth of Lake Geneva exceptional resources more effectively, will be publishing a “Call for Action” later this month. This is the second report by the Network in two years. The first was to provide a document for public debate. This second is to prompt action before it is too late.
Haiti's new Prime Minister has stated that improving health care on the island will be one of her top priorities. But repairing the health system in a country plagued by turmoil, natural disasters, and a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic is not going to be an easy task. Patralekha Chatterjee, an Indian writer who took part in the Media21 Access to Health journalism workshop in Geneva followed by a field trip to Haiti earlier this year, wrote this piece for The Lancet magazine in the UK. The article, which are publishing below as part of The Global Beat. is also produced on the Media21 Global Journalism Network website 
