<nettime> [creative-radio] Community journalists denied access to IMF meeting

["Elvira Truglia" <elv@alcor.concordia.ca>]

     [orig to <creative-radio@egroups.com>]

apologies for cross postings

ACTION ALERT: United States of America

Community journalists denied access to International Monetary Fund
meeting

(AMARC/IFEX) 11 April 2000. Community radio stations are not
allowed, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF), nor are other
community media outlets that want to cover the IMF and World Bank
spring 2000 meetings.

According to Media Alliance, a San Francisco-based media advocacy
organisation, just one week before its spring meeting the IMF has
issued letters denying access to its meetings to many independent
media organisations. This appears to be an attempt to prevent
unfavourable media coverage of IMF policies, according to Media
Alliance. WORT-FM, The Boulder Weekly, KAOS radio of Olympia,
Washington, CorporateWatch website, and other independent media
groups have all been denied access.

"To prevent independent journalists from covering IMF meetings is
tantamount to an attack on freedom of the press," says Andrea
Buffa, executive director of Media Alliance. "The IMF might prefer
to keep under wraps (issues) like environmental destruction and
economic inequality," she says.

Media Alliance, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and Project
Censored are calling on the IMF to immediately clarify its policy
on giving press credentials and start crediting independent media
journalists.

AMARC joins in this request. AMARC insists that the right to
communicate is an extension of the right to freedom of expression
under which all journalists are protected.

According to the Independent Media Center, an IMF press office
staff person stated that the organisation "does not provide press
accreditation to public access TV, community radio, student or
academic publications." It has yet to explain its policy.

16 April 2000 is the first day of the spring meetings of the IMF
and World Bank. Thousands of people will go to Washington, D.C. on
this day to demonstrate against these organisations in solidarity
with protestors of the World Trade Organisation last November in
Seattle.

It is crucial that the independent journalists who will attend
from all over the world have full access to the IMF and World Bank
in order to ensure that advocacy and community-based perspectives
are represented in the news.

Recommended Action

Send appeal to the IMF press registration office:
- asking for an explanation of why community journalists are
  denied press credentials

Appeals

APPEALS TO:

IMF Press Registration
Records and Information Section
International Monetary Fund
Washington, DC 20431
Tel: +202 623 6797
Fax: +202 623 4100

If you have been denied press credentials, contact:
sheri@speakeasy.org

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

More Information

For further information, contact Elvira Truglia, at the AMARC
International Secretariat, 3575 Saint-Laurent Blvd. #611, Montral,
Qu bec, H2X 2T7, Canada, tel: +514 982 03 51, fax: +514 849 71
29, e-mail: interad@amarc.org, Internet: http://www.amarc.org

Distributed by the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX)
Clearing House.
489 College St., suite 403, Toronto, ON, Canada M6G 1A5
Tel: +1 416 515 9622 Fax: +1 416 515 7978
E-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/


Elvira Truglia
Editor, InteRadio
Communications Officer
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
Association Mondiale des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires
Asociacion Mundial de Radios Comunitarias

International Secretariat
3575 Saint-Laurent Blvd. #611
Montral, Qu bec  H2X  2T7   CANADA
Tel : +1 (514) 982 03 51 Fax : +1 (514) 849 71 29
Email: interad@amarc.org
WWW : http://www.amarc.org

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