This week the world of the media has woken to the human condition.  Real life suffering did not seem so far away.  The next administration was going to be about, even if the candidates would not publicly admit it, survival in a pair of gently used shoes. 

I sense an undertone of gasoline rationing, in a world with limited supply of foreign oil, as one candidate's solution.  No one was asking specifics.  Talk was cheap anyway, except when you were paying for those commercials.  Where I live, you saw little sponsorship on televsion except by the candidates.  And this more than anything reflected a sick society. 

The real price of freedom:  "Human nature doesn't change, with the changing of latitude or longitude, with parliamentary majorities, and not even with the passing of time,” said Tarcisio Bertone this week.  In a collapsing economy everything was at risk.  Health, education, defense.  In a collapsing economic system called capitalism, where there has been a true revolution going on, basic human rights involving speech, religion, and the press were at risk.  The War on Terror had not ended.  It also never began on September 11, 2001.  The struggle of the human condition has been ongoing before 1776.  America never held the patent to human rights.  Freedom was not defined by Americans in the 20^th Century.  It was an ongoing struggle.  America was just the place where you could find a pair of gently used shoes. 

It is said that political films, like political books, are most eagerly welcomed in societies that repress free speech.  It is said that religion flourishes in a society when religious freedom is supressed.  The human spirit is spurred on in its quest.   

This morning it seems to me that an end of an era is at hand.  Dew points were falling, the leaves were changing, and fear was in the air.  Things that had always been cheap and available, gas, credit, would be regulated like drugs and alcohol.  Banks would be nationalized.  The vibrations of it all.  On democracy and freedom.  I suspect even gasoline, if you listen to what Obama is never asked.  The way of life that I have known is changing.  There will be political consequences to governments around the world.  In some places there will be revolutions.  Intimacy between neighbors has long been lost in this society.  Commuting long distances had isolated us all. 

Evil men will jump in at some point.  I had not figured out the appropriate defensive measures if there were any.  Dwight Eisenhower had once said when it came to the War Department, Department of Defense, it all was dependent on a thriving econmy of hard working citizens.    

This week in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Lawrence Brandt, the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Greensburg which has about 180,000 parishioners in four counties east of Pittsburgh, announced the consolidation of 28 parishes or sharing of clergy and the clsosing of 14 of its 100 parishes that will take effect Oct. 30th, in an effort to deal with a priest shortage.  Brandt said 20 percent of the diocese's priests were being used to serve just 2.5 percent of its population, in his decsion that grew out of a three-year study.  "I know that people are mentally and emotionally attached to their parishes and churches in a way they identify with no other building or entity," Brandt said in a statement. "It is understandable that they feel a part of themselves has been lost forever."

When Catholics quit praying, they argued and quit becoming priests. 

In Minneapolis–St. Paul, we had two papers that were both on the verge of collapse, running out of money and opportunity.   When you ran out of money, the choices were limited.  No one was discussing the affect on the community with the loss of real freedom when it was gone.  When American quit praying in this suburban world, they argued, really quit caring, and went about individual lives.  In a sense, the community was broken.  No one cared about a newspaper owner far away.     

But I was going to be harder to find a gently used pair of shoes.  And the distances between us were a long way to walk.  Whether it was newspaper closings, church closings, or the loss of jobs, it was all about the survival of the fittest.    -

The trouble that everyday people have in understanding what PR is and why it's relevant to their business (or more importantly how it works and exactly what it is they're paying me to do) is that it's not advertising, direct mail, direct email, cold calling, sponsorship, brand design and a number of other marketing elements where you can see something; feel something in your hands.  There's an intangible to PR.  That is until you actually get a news story and you not only see the story but also begin to feel the impact of it on your business.

The process of generating PR includes a press kit (a tangible) and then media relations (the intangible).  This is where the professional you hire spends time, which you pay them for, sending emails, making phone calls and pitching your story to the media.  It is the most frustrating part of the process to understand. 

It's like my cat.  I think she's precious, great personality, understands certain commands, but if she doesn't want to do something or simply can't be bothered with it right now she will ignore it or look over it.  I can't control her and you can't control the media.  Because of this, I'd be highly leery of any professional who says that "they can get you this or that" media guaranteed.  There is no guarantee, but PR is one, of not the most, valuable aspect of your marketing plan you can have. 

There's one reason why PR is so different from other marketing elements and that's because it's a journalism-based industry.  Sure advertising degrees and such come from journalism schools, but they aren't required to take all of the classes that their journalist counterparts are.  In fact, I would say that some of my best media contacts today are also people I graduated journalism school with - they sat next to me in editing and reporting.  That means that a good professional not only understands the media, every kind of media, but, more importantly, they know how to create and write a good newsworthy story. 

I encourage you to become your own journalist and look at your business from a different perspective.  What are your burning questions about PR?  I want to hear how I can help you better understand the process. 

Jennifer Fortney, Cascade Communications

Taylor's mother called Barhoumeh Saturday expressing concern, saying her son did not use his credit card since Oct. 1, he said.

Chmela and Luck left their Beirut hotel Sept. 30 after a one-night stay, the hotel manager Nimr Shalala said. "They checked out, took all their belongings and didn't say anything," he told The AP.

Read more on this here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,434515,00.html

The innovations are about a change in phrasing, saying the organization is not a newspaper but the leading local media company. Stories and readers have also transformed into content and audience, she writes. Smolkin observes the multiplatform media concept gaining popularity industry-wide and highlights some innovations: Studio 55 video reports and the AP Online Video Network.

These changes, she writes, also constitute serious changes for print journalists in terms of the demands on their time and learning new skills and new ways of thinking.

There are challenges to these changes which Smolkin poses as questions: "What will all these new obligations mean for the thorough, in-depth reporting that separates newspapers from their competitors? Will reporters' responsibilities to write for the Web mean they simply don't have time to make that extra call to the mayor, or the police chief, or the local gadfly — time-consuming reporting that adds nuance to stories and sometimes changes their direction entirely?"

Smolkin uses the example of the role of a journalist at the Washington Post. These reporters, she writes, feed washingtonpost.com with stories, blogs and online chats and in addition appear on TV news shows and on Washington Post Radio (before the plug was pulled on the radio project this past June).

One of the problems inherent in this restructuring of responsibilities is the matter of compensation. The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in response to the increased workload without increased pay. The NLRB agreed that the Washington Post violated labor laws, but an administrative law judge rejected the claims based on contractual language. The judge did find, however, that employees' work assignments were changed and that the changes were "material, substantial and significant." This issue of pay for a perceived increase in workload with innovations is still being played out and explored.

Smolkin argues that newspapers need to be able to continue the type of relentless reporting that makes them unique in order to be worth preserving.

"They must not turn print journalists into spinning tops, whirling from podcasts to vodcasts to radio appearances to online chats to blogging, then clutching their video cameras as they rush to an assignment and, if they get a free second, trying to squeeze in a little reporting," she writes.

NOTE: Wikipedia has removed ALL the links to ALL references to Huntley being framed.
Do they know something, or are they involved?
Joe Vialls had a strong case, with points that can't just be ignored.
Or at least could do with some clearification.
You don't have to agree with the references below, although that must be hard, but at least we don't remove them.

• illuminati-news TIP!!
• BBC conspires to pervert course of justice
  • handing over evidence?!!
• Geocities

(medialens)

"It is notable that there is not a single large media institution dedicated to providing a platform to those who dissent or express non-conformist views, however talented they are as journalists. Only at the very margins of what are considered to be left-wing publications such as the Guardian and the Independent can such voices very occasionally be heard, and even then only in the comment pages."

Yet, now, I’m very much in love with these two words and the things I’m looking forward to experience when I finally embrace them. I’m signing up for the Peace and Development Educators’ Program – a personality development/community immersion course – that has been regularly (and quite successfully) conducted by Pax Christi Pilipinas.

(By successful, I mean the influences of the training that I’ve seen in the way my girlfriend and my male friend had transformed into relatively more mature persons and their narrations of the development work they have done to the communities they were sent to.)

The idea of looking again into myself – this time not only through the pep talks of a guidance counselor or the suggestions of an acting coach but through group sharing and actual community visits – has made me think about how things could have been different for me had I agreed to undergo this training two years ago.

I’m also excited about learning teaching/facilitating techniques that I hope, I could later use effectively in sharing the ideas of peace and development, most especially, to those who don’t have the resources, much less the time, to look them up in a dictionary or the internet.

Yes, I’m a journalist and the traditional school of thought is that journalists should stick to being catalysts for (positive) change through reporting and informing their audience on issues surrounding them without leaning on one side. Then again, journalism is no longer limited to just one clear-cut-black-and-white definition today. Journalism, after all, is about life. And life shouldn’t be lived through just one definition.

What's more, while the french press is working on its future at the General States of Press(since thursday morning), which want us to believe that the problem can be solved by helping the constitution of huge medias groups (but who believes it?), or that free internet is not the future of news (president Nicolas Sarkozy says thursday), we can legitimately think about this idea, which is not less serious than the first one. Just to think about it... Just to know. Just in case...

And what if, tomorrow, as the financial system today, the press industry falls down? So indebted that anyone holding a big cash pile could buy it for nothing.

Or just incapable to pay for its paper and journalists?

Impossible of course... But.. in case of... Let's say: maybe...

So while newspapers continue to fire more and more people, and lose money one the print section (-$77 millions ad lost on print vs. + $6 millions earned on the web for the Washington Post in 2007), where should they invest the money (if they still have some) ?

On which model shall we build the future medias ?

Today, most of 70% of the newspapers' budget is going to fabrication and distribution (around 40% for the only distribution!).

And we can say (if we count editorial jobs that are not useful online...) that, even if the ad incomes are 8 to 10 times bigger on the print than online, maybe we could build a healthy business (and save some money) by getting rid of paper...

There's a revolution to make, that is not made for a lot of medias (especially in France) and some courageous investments: do we have to invest in our old industry to involve the distribution for example, or should we switch definitly to the online distribution, and invest massively on the web to avoid catastrophy ? Of course it depends on each newspaper's situation

But maybe is the catastrophy nearer than we imagine (it's not me but the Deutsche bank talking) . So we have to play fast.

One of the problematic issue is still: is the online business model strong enough?

So, lets imagine: what if we decide to stop printing and invest all our money online? Would it be realistic? Short term? No? Middle term?

In his blog, Frédéric Filloux, dares to make some calculations..

A little bit unpredictable... but it helps to start the conversation about it...

Filloux asks: how could we transform a print newsroom in an only web based newsroom? How much would it cost to do that?

"I am sure we can produce good quality general news coverage with one hundred full-time equivalent dedicated journalists", Filloux says.

So: 100 journalists + technical, marketing, administrative... = €10M/ year

What trafic can generate 10 million a year?

New figures : "the average income per visitor per month appears to range from €0.10 to €0.25" A €850,000 per month income (10 million/year), "requires a hefty 8.3 million UV per month".

That is very approximative, you can earn €850,000 with less... or the contrary..., depending on the brand, on the target and on the position of the media compared to its concurrents (for exemple 20minutes.fr= 60%lemonde.fr in VU, but 10% of its ad revenues...)

In conclusion, it's very complicated.

Filloux gives 2 tips :

- Don't think packaged websites, prefer one section (like sports, politics), one site. It costs less but has more potential (ex: Huffington Post, specialised in politics makes more audience than Los Angeles Times, generalist).

- Diversify revenues: develop services on your news website. Not new, but still relevant.

Yes but...:

1- Move your print newsroom online? Theoretically, yes. But... which newsroom? Print journalists? I know no print newsroom able to push all its journalists to become online journalists (but I may be wrong). A ask a friend (who rules training sessions for print journalists in a big french newspaper): "How many of them are ready to move online?" His answer: "0".

2- And do we need a huge newsroom? 100 journalists= a hundred times bigger audience than 20 journalists? It doesn't work like that. A new journalism appears on the web, but not necessarily with a single and huge newsroom (outsourcing rise), and not necessarily with journalists...

So: 100, 50, or... 10?

3- Business on the web is always approximative...

"[UN special rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories Richard] Falk says the unfortunate incident [in which award-winning Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer was tortured by Israeli security officials] "cannot be discounted as an accident or an anomaly involving undisciplined Israeli security personnel."

"The treatment of Mr. Omer seems to have been motivated by Israeli anger over international recognition of his journalism describing the occupation of Gaza, his willingness to repeat his descriptions abroad and his dedication and intention to continue in the professional role of bearing witness to the excesses of the occupation."

[...]

Nadia Hijab, senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for Palestine Studies, told IPS: "Richard Falk is absolutely right."

She said other journalists have been killed or injured by Israeli security forces, even though they and their vehicles were clearly marked as "press." ...

Through its actions, said Hijab, Israel was sending a message that no Palestinian, journalist or otherwise, is safe and that even European diplomats are no match for Israel.

"That is a very chilling message to a defenseless people," she added.

Falk also points out that all Palestinians are subject to arbitrary harassment and abuse at borders and military checkpoints, "although the hostility towards journalists seems particularly severe."

In his report, Falk also says that although the incident affected only one individual, it inevitably has "a chilling effect, and appears to be part of a broader pattern of Israeli punitive interference with independent journalistic reporting on the occupation."

"The only possible protection would be for the US and/or Europe to make it very clear to Israel that they do not condone its violations of international law," [Hijab concluded]." [my emph.]

For more on Israel's abuse of journalists, and on the specific case of Mohammed Omer, see my posts here and here.

This is a must-see blog-post for aspiring journalists and students in today's financial crisis: the Gawker Guide to a Journalism Career.  But why no 'freelance foreign correspondent' on the list?  We will have to consult with them for next year's list.  

Here are some of the highlights:

Newspapers
Forget it. Really. This is the worst place of all to either be employed, or be looking for employment.  Not the best job prospect. (Except in India. Print is exploding there! If you like naan as much as journalism, buy yourself a plane ticket).

Cable Networks
Many cable networks are doing quite well! Hey, CNBC will surely be popular for the foreseeable future! Cable news is a niche far less damaged by the internet than print media. And specialty cable networks like the Sci Fi channel or National Geographic seem to be doing fine. So if you can broaden your idea of "journalism" to include, say, being an assistant producer for some nature show, you just might be in luck!

Online Ventures, new and otherwise
These are a mixed bag. Once upon a time young people worked for blogs as a way to gain exposure and land a good magazine job (Elizabeth Spiers). Now, in some cases, the two are viewed as roughly equivalent (our new editor is coming from a real magazine!). So you actually have to evaluate the specific title now to determine whether you're moving up or down. For example:

Editor at the Huffington Post > Police reporter at the Newark Star-Ledger
Writer for Slate = Writer for Washington Post
Writer for Tina Brown's new Daily Beast < Reporter for the New Republic, because Tina Brown's thing might fold in six months.

Use discretion.

The idea was initially planted following the announcement of the radical shake-up at TrinityMirror's titles in the Midlands and the prospect of 60+ experienced, skilled journalists - writers, subs, photographers and graphic artists - needing to find work in the region.

Rather than setting up a formal agency, a couple of us chatted about setting up an informal and loose network.

Quite how it would work is unclear, but there is interest in the opportunities it might generate.

Although the original post is still comment free, I also emailed about a dozen people at the same time and have received a dozen very positive and enthusiastic responses. Some of them have also contacted others, who also seem enthused by the potential of the idea of a new freelancing network.

As the situation at the TM titles is still a bit fuzzy, with many unsure about what their future holds, a lot of those who have responded are a bit guarded about going public at this stage. But there seems sufficient interest to start talking about organising a get-together of anyone interested in joining.

All those who have responded agree that a web-based network offers potential to develop in many different directions. Although there will inevitably be competition for work, sharing skills and experiences and offering recommendations for projects that come across your radar which might well suit others, does appeal to most.

And as many of us are still coming to terms with new technology and new ways of working, then a loose network offering guidance on the various issues we will all be facing also makes sense.

Some of the comments, so far, include:

...the idea of a web-based collective seems like it could go in all manner of directions and succeed at some or all of them....

...all sounds interesting. I'm not going to pretend I can second guess how you see this working, but my first reaction is it'd be cool to recommend each other rather than just compete; though I can't see how we wouldn't also be competing against each other...

...there would be strength in numbers. I'm not sure any of us would want to set up a formal agency, but a chance to network on-line and off-line regularly would appeal...

...one of my worries about freelancing is feeling isolated and not having the newsroom environment to bounce ideas off, get some advice on a particular story, or simply switch off and talk crap for half an hour. I haven't got a clue about most of these changes that are happening, so being able to sit down and talk to others who do understand would be brilliant...

That idea of maintaining a newsroom-style link and environment is something that I do find appealing.

Over the last two years the main thing I've missed is the newsroom atmosphere. Although it has changed considerably in the 20 years I've been a journalist, the opportunity to "bounce ideas around" and "gather advice on a story" or simply "talk crap" shouldn't be underestimated.

Creating that sort of environment, both physically and virtually, could be one of the biggest initial draws to this type of network.

So the next stage is to think about setting up an informal gathering.

I'll be emailing everyone who has responded so far and asking them to contact others who might be interested.

It is still very early days, but networking about networking to set up a new network for freelancers seems to have gone well so far.

Scoopit!

Adam has been watching what are euphemistically called news programmes and current affairs in this country. More precisely they should be called the Crime Reporting Show, the Weather Update and the Sports Report coupled with the ad programme for whatever it is TVNZ is promoting this week.

The amount of time expended on the Prefu was derisory.

The ordering of the news bulletins was poor.

At 4:30 on TV One the Christchurch murder trial was more important, followed by National's crime policy.

On Close Up they spent about 7 minutes on looking at the Prefu issues.

Sainsbury as usual asked no hard questions. God he is such a waste of space.

TV One seems to have totally swallowed the Cullen spin.

Then we had to go to an ad break and much more importantly something on Footrot Flats to be followed by something just as important about Kiwi Music.

My god our taxes support this rubbish.

Are there any journalists left in this country?

Surely the Prefu rated more in depth analysis than it received?

What is wrong with the media ?

I'm not too sure about the thoughts of my contemporaries.

After this one media week, I'm tempted not to use the words change, economy, debate, or corruption for the next ten years.

But I think I'll gain courage not to preemptively kill my journalism career.

Sometimes when writers are in quest to cover popular topics that will relate to their audience; they tend to repeat themselves to the point of monotony.  My own example would be from my college newspaper--The Sunflower.

The first article was popular.  It was an expose of a professor, and student government supervisor, that had allegedly given an underage Wichita State student alcohol--proof coming via a facebook photo.  It was a significant story that showed possible corruption within Wichita State's faculty.

However, many news and opinion articles continued about the same subject.  Sometimes stories, not specifically related to the event--news articles about SAG events and meetings--were tied into the incident.  Students began to get weary and suspected the newspaper of being biased towards Wichita State's student government.

So what to do?  How do you divert a writer's interest away from something they are interested in? How do you gain new interest?

One of my favorite news/kinda-blog site, Slate.com, has a variety of creative news articles that go over popular events in the news, but it's always from a different perspective than mainstream news.  However, each article is credible and falling within the rules of journalism.

Slate's approach to news has also created a niche for the Web Site being an outspoken, yet interesting information with news that can only be found on their Web Site.  Think about what could be your staple at your news organization.  What could set you apart from the rest.

For a helpful start, check out this article, "New Ideas for Writing Articles" by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlin.  It features methods for finding those ideas and putting interesting twists on popular ideas.

A law that dictates what journalists will publish or broadcast is patently unconstitutional. The right to reply bills -- House Bill No. 3306 and Senate Bill No. 2150 -- precisely seek to impose the editorial judgement of congressmen and senators on gatekeepers at the newsroom. The bills intend to enforce penalties on news executives and owners for not publishing replies in the same space or program within a specific period. It constitutes prior restraint and violates the constitutional right of press freedom.

The advocates of the bills argue that freedom of the press is not absolute. They say that offended parties have also the right to have their side published or aired. They even advance the argument that the bills will widen the freedom of expression by requiring the publication or broadcast of media reports and commentaries deemed inaccurate, unfair or biased, and injurious to reputations.

But newspapers and news programs are not passive mouthpieces. The choice and treatment of material especially on public issues and public officials -- whether fair or unfair -- constitute editorial control and judgement. This is integral in the news media's function as the Fourth Estate. Our congressmen and senators should leave editors to freely do their jobs.

Moreover, we journalists consider fair play, accuracy and responsibility basic tenets in the conduct of our profession. We serve society best under an atmosphere of freedom sans interference from legislators who want to play editors.

Besides, offended parties already have a wide array of options in airing their sides against what they deem unfair or inaccurate news reports and commentaries. Offended congressmen and senators could deliver lengthy privilege speeches and even malign the object of their ire at the Congress floor before live television without fear of libel suits.

We in Cebu hope our legislators will see the light and reject the bills outright. But in the unfortunate possibility of passage of the bills into law, we will join our colleagues in going to court and win a major victory for press freedom.

National Press Club Cebu
October 2, 2008

UN Report Castigates Israel for Harassing Journalists

by Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS - A new United Nations report on the human rights situation in Palestinian territories blasts the Israeli government for its heavy-handed treatment of journalists reporting on the military occupation.

The 20-page report, which will go before the 63rd sessions of the General Assembly currently underway, singles out the mistreatment of award-winning Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer who was stripped, interrogated, kicked and beaten up when he returned from Europe to his home town in the occupied territory of Gaza last June.

A stringer for Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency, Omer, 24, was awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism for "displaying courage and ability in covering war zones".

The U.N. report, by Richard Falk, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, says that Omer was convinced the brutal assault on his person was carried out by personnel from Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency.

The security agents "were fully aware that he had received the Gellhorn Prize while abroad, and were attempting to confiscate the award money, but were frustrated because it has been deposited in a bank account and was unavailable."

When he left Gaza for Europe to pick up his prize, he was assured of the benefit of a Dutch diplomatic escort on his return.

But the escort arrived late at the Allenby Bridge border, where he was interrogated and beaten up and lost consciousness.

According to Omer's testimony, he was forced to strip by an Israeli officer wearing a police uniform. He was pinned down on the floor with a boot on the neck. He says he collapsed during interrogation, and when he came round his eyelids were being forcibly opened. He was then dragged along the floor by his feet by officials of Shin Bet.

Omer was taken by ambulance from the Allenby crossing to the Jericho hospital in Palestinian territory in the West Bank. From there he was transferred to Gaza after a few hours.

A note from the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) denies Omer's account of physical abuse in Israeli custody. "In contradiction to his claims, at no time was the complainant subjected to either physical or mental violence."

But an ambulance report of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society says: "We note finger signs on the neck and chest." A report from the European Gaza Hospital of the Palestinian National Authority's Ministry of Health includes the following notation following examination of Omer: "Ecchymosis (discolouration caused by bleeding underneath, typically caused by bruising) at upper part of chest wall was found."

Following the assault, international press freedom groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders called for an immediate and public investigation of Omer's treatment.

By private communication, Falk was assured by the Dutch Ambassador in Geneva that the incident is being taken "extremely seriously" and that an explanation is being sought from the government of Israel.

But at the time of the U.N. report, no response had been received to either request for an account and an explanation.

Falk says the unfortunate incident "cannot be discounted as an accident or an anomaly involving undisciplined Israeli security personnel."

"The treatment of Mr. Omer seems to have been motivated by Israeli anger over international recognition of his journalism describing the occupation of Gaza, his willingness to repeat his descriptions abroad and his dedication and intention to continue in the professional role of bearing witness to the excesses of the occupation."

Falk also points out that all Palestinians are subject to arbitrary harassment and abuse at borders and military checkpoints, "although the hostility towards journalists seems particularly severe."

During his time in Europe, Omer had also spoken before European parliamentary audiences, describing the suffering in Gaza caused by the Israeli siege, closures and fuel and food shortages.

"It should be noted," says Falk, "that Mr. Omer was not charged with any offence, nor was he carrying any prohibited materials."

His treatment, as described, appears to constitute a flagrant violation of article 3(1)(a)(c) of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits "outrages on personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment" of persons under military occupation.

Nadia Hijab, senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for Palestine Studies, told IPS: "Richard Falk is absolutely right."

She said other journalists have been killed or injured by Israeli security forces, even though they and their vehicles were clearly marked as "press".

But there are several particularly chilling aspects to Israel's assault against Mohammed Omer, she added.

"He had just been on a successful European speaking tour and received a prestigious award, and he was being met by European diplomats on his return home," she noted.

Through its actions, said Hijab, Israel was sending a message that no Palestinian, journalist or otherwise, is safe and that even European diplomats are no match for Israel.

"That is a very chilling message to a defenceless people," she added.

In his report, Falk also says that although the incident affected only one individual, it inevitably has "a chilling effect, and appears to be part of a broader pattern of Israeli punitive interference with independent journalistic reporting on the occupation."

Falk says the United Nations has a "clear responsibility and definite obligation to protect independent journalism, especially in war zones and areas under occupation, as part of its commitment to human rights and international law."

Asked if the United Nations is doing enough to protect reporters covering the occupied territories, Hijab told IPS: "The United Nations is not equipped to protect reporters covering the occupied territories, just as it is not equipped to protect civilians."

"The only possible protection would be for the U.S. and/or Europe to make it very clear to Israel that they do not condone its violations of international law," she added.

Copyright © 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service

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