NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS PREMIERE SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY FILM, 'DYING TO TELL THE STORY',
Press Release
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS PREMIERE SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY FILM, 'DYING TO TELL THE STORY',
19980908 TO BE HELD AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS"Dying to Tell the Story", a TBS documentary film about journalists who risk their lives to cover conflict, will have its New York premiere at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 10 September, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at United Nations Headquarters. The screening, will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and prominent journalists. The event is being co-sponsored by the Department of Public Information, TBS Superstation and the Overseas Press Club of America. The programme will be opened by the Under-Secretary- General for Communications and Public Information, Kensaku Hogen.
"Dying to Tell the Story" centers on the life and death of Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old Reuters photographer who was stoned to death in Somalia in 1993 along with three other journalists. The film follows Eldon's sister, Amy, as she travels to Somalia to see the spot where her brother lost his life in an attempt to understand what happened to him and why. She serves as on-camera host and interviewer, talking to noted journalists about their reasons for undertaking dangerous assignments. Among the journalists appearing in the film are: Christiane Amanpour, Cable News Network; Jacqueline Arzt Larma, Associated Press; Martin Bell, BBC; Corrinne Dufke, Reuters; Peter Magubane, Time; Carlos Mavroleon, ABC News; and Donald McCullin, The Sunday Times.
Dan Rather, Anchor and Managing Editor, CBS News, will moderate a panel discussion following the screening. Panelists include: Bernard Shaw, Principal Anchor, CNN; Mohamed Shaffi, Cameraman, Reuters; David Turnley, Photojournalist, Detroit Free Press; and Amy Eldon, Associate Producer of "Dying to Tell the Story".
Journalists risk their lives every day to tell the story of war and make a plea for peace. In his message on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 1998, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan cited statistics from the Committee to Protect Journalists indicating that 474 journalists had been murdered over the past decade. He called on the international community to "honour the memory of those members of the press who have fallen in their quest to bring us the news, to tell the truth and to expose injustice".
"Dying to Tell the Story" will air on TBS on Sunday, 13 September. For further information, please call 963-6923; for media accreditation, 963-6934. * *** *