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13 May 2008
Scholar Sherry Ricchiardi Discusses Role of the Press
Ask America webchat transcript, May 13
Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi, a senior writer for American Journalism Review magazine who specializes in international coverage and a professor at the Indiana University School of Journalism, discussed freedom of the press and the role of journalists in a May 13 Ask America webchat.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Guest: Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi
Date: May 13, 2008
Time: 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT)
Moderator: Welcome to today's webchat! You may begin submitting your questions now. We'll be getting started in just a few minutes!
Please be advised, there are many questions coming in for today's chat. Our guest speaker will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.
Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi: Hello. My name is Sherry Ricchiardi and I have been a journalist for all of my professional career. I am looking forward to chatting with the guests who send questions or comments today. I am a journalist who has a foot in two worlds: I am a writer for American Journalism Review magazine, specializing in international coverage.
I also am a professor at the Indiana University School of Journalism. I have gained much by working in the real world of journalism and in the academic world. I believe journalists all over the world share common values: truth, accuracy, fairness and balance are among our watch words. I look forward to talking about the important issue of press freedom and role of journalists throughout the world.
Question [resial]: And when the threat comes from the government, which should provide good conditions of work? An example was that North American journalist who was arrested after her denial to tell a source of reportage that involved people related to politics.
Answer [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: I am not sure which North American journalist you are talking about. I would have to know more details before I could respond.
Q [Yasser Khalil]: Hello, do you think networking between journalists, internet activists, and NGOs will help in supporting freedom of expression? Will this put more pressures on dictatorial governments?
How do you evaluate the freedom of expression in Arab countries? Do you think it will be improved? Thank you, Yasser Khalil, Egyptian researcher and journalist (IRC, U.S. Embassy in Cairo)
Answer [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: You are right on track. I do believe that networking among journalists, Internet activists and NGOs will be a positive influence on the globalization of press freedom. The more we cooperate and network, the stronger we will become. It also is important to keep dictatorial governments in the spotlight and publicize any and all actions they take against journalists. Groups like Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders are powerful international media watchdogs. Both have excellent websites.
I am not an expert on the Arab media, but I know there have been difficulties with press freedom in some Middle Eastern countries. Hopefully, we can support the brave journalists in places where they are under control and restraint from government.
Moderator: If you are just joining us welcome. There are several questions coming in. Please be patient as our speaker is answering them.
If you would like to introduce yourself to our global audience please select "comment". Tell us who you are and where you are joining us from.
Q [lazina]: As we know democracy is the best for the press freedom. But sometimes journalists also face a threat by different political parties/government in democratic third world countries. How can this situation be changed? Lazina Sharmin, Relief International, Bangladesh.
Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi: You bring up a very important matter: governments and political parties should never interfere with press freedom. I have worked as a media trainer in countries where the journalists are very courageous and work very hard to write stories that are important to the people. Yet, they pay a price for this. The better their reporting, the greater the threats against them.
I am good friends with a journalist from West Africa who had to flee for his life after a colleague -- another editor -- was assassinated. There is magic formula for what we can do to help, but I believe it is important that we operate as a journalism community, doing what we can from wherever we are. The new communication technology, like this web chat, helps us to do that.
Q [IRC Cairo]: IRC Cairo, Samer Eid, from your point of view do you think that press freedom in the Arab world reached its aim?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: As I said to an earlier guest, I am not am not an expert in the Arab media. The goal of any democratic system should be to have an open and free media that acts as a bridge or link to the people. If this is not happening, there is much more work to do. I have known brave Arab journalists who are trying to make a difference in their countries.
Comment [Cario IRC]: We should take into account the best practices of international standards when guiding the functioning of public channels. Ali
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan: LC Karachi]: Dear Ms. Sherry, As you are into the business of war crime reporting, what are the challenges of the war crime reporting and what international role is there for journalists to protect them from threats?
Answer [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: There are many challenges to war crime reporting. Often, the people we are reporting about would rather keep the information secret and it is difficult to prove their wrongdoings. It is a very complicated and difficult process, but we have seen some success in places like Rwanda and Bosnia, where there have been arrests and trials of war criminals. We should do all we can to cover these trails and explain exactly what happened.
There is no easy way to stop threats against journalists. It is helpful when we publicize the threats and hold those who are responsible accountable. Unfortunately, those who kidnap, torture, or kill journalists often are not punished by their governments. We have seen this in Russia, where journalists have been killed and the murderers remain free. You can find out more about this from reports on the Committee to Protect Journalists website. They have done many investigations in places where journalists are threatened.
Moderator: America.gov features a freedom of the press webpage with more information on this topic. Please visit: http://democracy.america.gov/democracy/press-freedom.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Can journalist organizations and international organizations protect journalists and their rights?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: Journalists are more at risk when there are no watchdogs. I believe that journalism organizations play a major role in helping to keep us safe. The challenge is to move quickly in the regions where journalists are under fire. I believe the new communication technologies will go a long way toward creating a global journalism community -- that might make it easier for us to look out for each other and hold governments that persecute journalists accountable.
Networking among journalists worldwide is just starting. The more of that we do, the better off we will be. There are ways to pressure governments that threaten the media. We have to do a better job of figuring out how to do that and to speak with a global voice -- the voice of the international journalism community.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan: LC Karachi]: There are many journalists organization working across the continents, what coordination they do with International organizations & governments to protect journalists?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: There is good coordination among international media groups. I would refer to you to website for the International Center for Journalists in Washington, D.C. They have a wide global reach and do much to coordinate media activities and train journalists world wide. The International Federation of Journalists in Europe also works across continents. If you check out the website of one of these, you will see links to many, many others. It is a good thing to become part of these networks.
The more coordination and cooperation we have across borders, the stronger position we will be in to challenge governments that threaten press freedom.
Q [IRC Cairo]: IRC Cairo, Samer Eid, Is there a world organization responsible for journalists who faces terrors?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: I already have responded to this early in our chat. The Committee to Protect Journalists in New York City and Reporters Without Borders in Paris, are two of the very best. They have sophisticated networks all over the world to play the role of watchdog for journalists. I urge you to check their web sites. You will find much valuable information and many relevant links.
Q [Shahab]: In a developing country like Pakistan, the cross-media ownership has led to certain media groups assuming the role of a 'mafia' thrusting their own personal agenda over the readers/viewers. How can we cope with the situation from public perspective? (Shahab Zafar, Islamabad, Pakistan)
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: The press itself should act responsibly, and fostering a personal or political agenda is not a good thing anywhere in the world. The ideal is for the media to hold leaders accountable and provide a forum for public debate of local and national issues. The media cannot perform this role if they are operating on a selfish political or personal agenda.
I am not sure how possible this would be, but journalists might want to create a forum for the public to speak out about the special media agendas. That would take a certain amount of organization and courage. If you have a strong enough media association, you might solicit their help.
Q [Omaid]: What is freedom of speech?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: There have been entire books written on freedom of speech. Simply put, it means that governments should not interfere with freedom of speech and freedom of the press. These are the foundations of a democracy. There is much information online about how freedom of the press has developed in former Communist countries. Always, the people are better off when governments do not interfere with their basic rights.
Democracies deal with a struggle between two important groups -- the government has an obligation to protect national security and the people have a right to know based on journalists’ access to information. It is important governments do not restrict the information the public needs and wants in a democracy.
Moderator: Please be advised, there are many questions coming in for today's chat. Our guest speaker will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.
Q [Kuba]: What about personal journalism? Is this a "threat" to traditions of journalism? I mean blogs and cell phone camera journalism.
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: For the most part, citizen journalism can be a good thing. The voice of the citizens in any country is very important. There are many discussions going on in American newsroom about the role of blogs and cell phone camera journalism. It is good that we have more access to information this way, but it often is a matter of quality control. How do we know what we see on a blog is true/accurate?
How do we know a photo from a cell phone has not been faked? Citizen journalists do not adhere to the same standards that professional journalists do. That is at the heart of the debate within the media community right now.
Here is the challenge: what kind of ethical standards or guidelines will we create to govern the use of blogs of citizen reports/photos. Right now, we are in a trial and error mode. It will be up to individual journalists and the journalism community to hammer out the guidelines the sooner, the better.
Q [Cario IRC]: Dear Dr. Sherry, Hi from Cairo. What is the role of journalists in overcoming all kinds of corruption in the 21st Century? Ali eid, PH.D. Student
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: There needs to be a continuation of unrelenting investigative reporting around the world. Much already is being done on such matters as human trafficking, drug market, and organized crime. We need to keep the pressure on.
Q [Cario IRC]: What is the law to access governmental information in US? Ali Eid
Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi: The U.S. has a Freedom of Information Act that insures access to government reports and documents. These are reports and documents that the public as a right and need to know about. However, it often is difficult for our journalists to get access to everything we need. At times, we have to go to court to do this. It is important that countries have a FOIA act -- it is a place for journalists to start requesting what they need to fulfill their role as public watchdog.
Moderator: America.gov also features an article on how global events are marking World Press Freedom Day 2008. Please visit: http://www.america.gov/st/freepress-english/2008/May/200805010921311xeneerg0.1282923.html
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan: LC Karachi]: What role you think a journalist could play to shape the destiny for his/her nation?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: Promote the development of democracy in any way you can, especially with accurate information. Voters and citizens need accurate, fair and balanced information in order to make good decisions. Media operate as a bridge between government and the people -- we are the link. Journalists should be in the forefront of promoting democracy.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan: LC Karachi]: Democracy & journalism are associated with each other, or we can say that democracy is the fuel for journalism, but it also requires a responsible press office. Kindly explain.
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: A free press is necessary for a real democracy. A democracy necessitates an informed electorate. You can't have that without a free flow of information. The press itself must act responsibly through professional organizations, press ombudsmen -- in-house critics -- who hear public complaints. The press has to respond to public concerns about what they see or hear -- that is part of our duty.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan: LC Karachi]: Women as a war crime reporters have more of a tough time and face challenges over a male journalist in the society, both in Eastern & Western societies. Would you like to share some personal experiences?
A [Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi]: I covered the war in the Balkan region of Europe during the 1990s and I wrote stories about the many female journalists who were on the frontlines. Certainly, there are some obstacles for women, especially when they are in the hands of combatants who view them as a threat. There also are advantages to being a female. Some of the reporters told me that generals and other high-ranking officers often did not take them as seriously as male reporters.
Often, they were able to get more information because they let their guard down around them. I wrote a cover story for American Journalism Review on this -- it is on the website: http://www.ajr.org.
Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi: Thank you for the excellent comments and questions. It is through dialogue like this that we come together as a journalism community and as consumers of the media. The fact that you took the time to be part of this web chat is very impressive -- I know how busy we all are. But these are important matters and there are so many new possibilities with the technology for us to stay in touch. Freedom of the press and the safety of journalists are dear to my heart. I appreciate my time with you today. Sherry Ricchiardi
Moderator: We wish to thank Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. We hope you will understand that there were many questions coming in. She may not have been able to answer your direct question, but please check the transcript for similar questions. A full transcript of today's webchat will be published (usually within one business day) to our Ask America homepage.
(Speakers are chosen for their expertise and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of State.)
(end transcript)
