International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (English International Federation of Journalists , IFJ) is the largest international confederation of national trade union associations of journalists. Journalists' associations that are not also trade unions can join as associate members.
organization
The IFJ has 161 member associations from 117 countries and, according to its own statements, represents 600,000 members worldwide. German members of the IFJ are the German Journalists' Association and the German Journalistinnen- and Journalists Union (dju) in ver.di . For Austria, the union of private employees , printing, journalism, paper (gpa-djp) is part of the association. Swiss interests are represented internationally in the IFJ by the Imprint union . The IJF has the legal status of an aisbl (association sans but lucrativ) under Belgian law.
The seat is in Brussels . Offices are in Buenos Aires , Dakar and Sydney . The Frenchman Anthony Bellanger has been General Secretary since November 2015 . He replaced Beth Costa from Brazil in this position . The IFJ Congress, which elects the Executive Committee and the General Secretary, meets every three years. The executive committee consists of 21 people.
The largest continental group of the IJF is the European Journalists' Federation (EFJ) in the office community with the IJF - since 2013 also with the status of a Belgian aisbl. The General Secretary of the EFJ is Ricardo Gutiérrez.
history
A predecessor of the IFJ was founded for the first time in 1926. After the Second World War, a new establishment took place in 1946. The current organization was created in 1952. The last congresses took place in Cadiz in 2010 and in Dublin in 2013.
aims
According to its own understanding, the IFJ is non-partisan and advocates the following goals:
- Defense of press freedom
- Free and independent journalists' unions
- Fair working conditions
- Protection of copyrights
- Human rights , democracy and pluralism
- Prevention of discrimination, abuse of media for propaganda
The IFJ sees itself as the voice of journalists within the global trade union movement and the United Nations system .
List of murdered journalists
Since 1994 the IFJ has published an annual report on journalists murdered around the world. According to these figures, a total of 2,297 journalists were killed between 1990 and 2015. In 2015 alone there were 112.
Journalists Safety Fund
In 1992 the IFJ created a fund to support journalists who were being persecuted.
Code of honor
In 1954 the IFJ Congress formulated a code of honor for journalists, which was amended in 1986 ("Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists"). This code of honor was the model for many national codes of honor such as the press code . After changes in 2019, the code is called the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists .
Union journalists can also obtain an International Press Card issued by the IJF through their affiliates. It obliges the owner to adhere to this code.
Content of the code:
- Journalists' work focuses on the truth and the public's right to the truth. This presupposes freedom of the press, which is necessary to defend. The reporting should be based on verifiable facts. The suppression and falsification of documents is not permitted.
- Only fair methods are allowed in research. The confidentiality of sources must be observed.
- The journalist is obliged to correct incorrect reporting.
- Discrimination on the basis of skin color, gender, sexual orientation, language, nationality or religion as well as political convictions is not permitted.
- Journalists should refrain from theft of intellectual property, distorting representations, defamation, denigration, insults and unjustified accusations
- Journalists are not allowed to take or bribe
literature
- Michele Ford, Michael Gillan (2015) The global union federations in international industrial relations: A critical review. Journal of Industrial Relations 57 (3): 456-475
- Torsten Müller, Hans-Wolfgang Platzer, Stefan Rüb (2010), The global trade union associations face the challenges of globalization. In: International Politics and Society Online: International Politics and Society. - 2010, 3 ( PDF, 17 pp. , Accessed on February 24, 2018)
- Hans-Wolfgang Platzer, Torsten Müller, The global and European trade union federations: Handbook and analyzes of transnational trade union politics, Berlin (Ed. Sigma) 2009, half volume. 1, 403 p. Table of contents , there in particular p. 381-403
Web links
- Homepage
- IFJ Report: At least 2297 Journalists and Media Staff Have been Killed since 1990 , accessed July 4, 2018