Saturday, January 3, 2015

THE PRESS EMBLEM CAMPAIGN( PEC) AND AUDIOVISUAL ARCHIVES

The updating of the content of any audiovisual archive is an aim worth fighting for to increase the standard of the academic research work. Annual input of facts and information about political events are a must for most of the audiovisual archives. Radio companies and television stations are daily transmitting facts to people about what is going on around the world. Who are doing the work collecting the information? The answer is: The journalists. The reports made by Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) about the working conditions for the journalists are alarming. Too many journalists have been killed on duty. PEC annual report for year 2014 is a document about the mounting dangers journalists are facing while working. 128 journalists are reported killed on duty in 32 countries. Middle East is on the top of the list for 2014. The most dangerous countries are: Gaza with 16 killed, Syria with 13 killed, Pakistan with 12 killed, Iraq with 10 killed, Ukraine with 9 killed, Mexico with 8 killed, Afghanistan with 6 killed, Honduras with 5 killed, Somalia with 5 killed, Brazil with 4 killed, Central African Republic with 4 killed, Cambodia with 3 killed, Guinea with 3 killed, Paraguay with 3 killed, and Philippines with 3 killed. The standard of academic studies is depending on correct information stored in libraries and archives made for future television and radio productions and studies. On the national level, it is important that the government introduces a legal deposit law for all broadcast materials. The responsibility for the future care of national audiovisual patrimony must be supported by a country’s national library or archive. But it is even more important to protect those brave few who are risking their lives to get the facts needed for a high academic standard of the audiovisual archives. The content and the standard of the archives are jeopardized if the annual report of PEC continues to publish an increase in the number of killed journalists – and above all: A threat to any democratic system or society.

The Press Emblem Campaign(PEC) is an international independent non profit and  a non-governmental organization (NGO) with Special consultative UN status.
PEC was founded in June 2004 by a group of journalists from several countries based in Geneva.
The aims of PEC are to promote the protection of journalists in situations of violence, with a view to
strengthening the respect for press freedom and the right of professional journalism to information.




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