International: Zimmcomm New Media, Cantonment, Florida.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12106
Notes:
Online from ZimmComm News Media. 2 pages., A pioneer in agricultural uses of new social media expresses concern about FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube having become political weapons. "Since the election, the level of censorship on all of the major social media platforms has just skyrocketed. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think that freedom of speech and the press might be endangered in this country, but we do believe it is right now." FaceBook and Twitter platforms "are both essentially business platforms. Author reports a decision to put a temporary hold on ZimmComm business FaceBook accounts.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11694
Notes:
18 pages., Online from publisher website., Issue brief in the UNESCO series, "World trends in freedom of expression and media development." Reports seven key trends involving increasing disinformation, rising demand for verified information, need for more more transparency, some regulatory measures restricting human rights, risks to safety of journalists, economic threat to journalism, and new opportunities to stand up for journalism.
International: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris, France.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 166 Document Number: D11692
Notes:
2 pages., Online from organization website., In an online event, United Nations leaders and others emphasize importance of free, independent, fact-based journalism at the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2020."I takes journalism to communicate the findings of scientists and disseminate real and reliable information and counter fake news that is dangerous to people's lives and to efforts to contain the spread of the (COVID-19) pandemic."
Roberts, Owen (author / President, International Federation of Agricultural Journalists)
Format:
Commentary
Publication Date:
2020
Published:
International: International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), Ormstown, Quebec, Canada
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D11647
Notes:
2 pages., Online from publisher., During a global coronavirus pandemic, IFAJ President Owen Roberts emphasizes the vital importance of journalists in helping people be informed and safe. "The world will change hugely in the next 365 days as we grapple with the pandemic... But two things won't change: these are farmers' need to feed the world and journalists' role in helping them do so. Through our global network for agricultural journalism, we can make a difference in how effective this all works out."
4 pages., Via online., "The chief ethical fear for the past 99 years of agricultural journalism has been that one of our number would cuddle up closer to advertisers than others of us, and reap unethical benefits of that. The chief charge of every Ethics Committee [of AAEA] has been to protect our collective readers from any hoodwinking that would come from such collusion. As I look toward that 100th year, I wonder who needs protecting from whom." Examines pressures on agricultural journalists in the wake of divided audience perspectives about the role of agricultural media in covering contentious political issues
4 pages., Online via publication website., Author addresses a Parks Canada policy that prevented employees from speaking with the media without approval. This follows up on an earlier article, "Parks in the dark," published in The Narwhal and shining "a bright light on how Parks Canada's media relations' practices hinder press freedom."
