IMPACT OF DECISION-MAKING BY NEWS EXECUTIVES ON COVERAGE OF MAJOR WORLD EVENTS TO BE DISCUSSED AT FORUM ON 6 DECEMBER

Note No. 5701

3 December 2001

Note to Correspondents

IMPACT OF DECISION-MAKING BY NEWS EXECUTIVES ON COVERAGE OF MAJOR

WORLD EVENTS TO BE DISCUSSED AT FORUM ON 6 DECEMBER

The impact of decision-making by news executives on the media’s coverage of major world events will be discussed by key United Nations officials and media decision-makers at a televised forum on Thursday, 6 December 2001, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  The event, which is being held in observance of Human Rights Day, will take place in Conference Room 4.  Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, will participate.

The forum, entitled “News vs. Propaganda:  The Gatekeeper’s Dilemma”, will focus on media coverage as it relates to the United Nations’ agenda for human rights and its forward-looking role in promoting tolerance and respect for diversity.  The responsibility of the media in reporting on efforts to form a viable and representative Government in Afghanistan will also be discussed.

Speakers at the forum will include the following representatives from television and newspapers:  Ibrahim Helal, Chief Editor of News, Al-Jazeera; Steve Williams, Senior Editor, BBC World News; Larry Register, Vice President of Special Projects, CNN; Mathatha Tsedu, Deputy Chief of News, South African BroadcastingCorporation; Abdel Bari Atwan, Editor-in-Chief, Al Quds Al-Arabi; and Barbara Crossette, Correspondent, New York Times.

Moderating the Forum will be Shashi Tharoor, Interim Head, United Nations Department of Public Information.

Following the debate, the forum will be opened to questions from the floor.  The forum is organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

A live webcast of the forum can be accessed at www.un.org/webcast/events/hrday.  Broadcasters requiring a live television feed or videotape of the event should call (212) 963-3507 or (212) 963-7650.

Additional information materials can be accessed on the following Web sites: www.un.org/rights, www.un.org/Dialogue, and www.un.org/News/dh/latest/afghan/afghan2.html.

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                                                                   3 December 2001

For further information, contact Laufey Love, Public Affairs Division, Department of Public Information, tel: (212) 963-3507; e-mail: love@un.org or Oleg

Dzioubinski, NGO Section, Department of Public Information, tel: (212) 963-1859; e-mail:  dzioubinski@un.org.

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