Freedom of the press and violence in Pará

Sunday, 18 January 2009 - 9:42 AM
Amazonia, Pará, Brazil

Freedom is a fundamental condition for the full exercise of journalism. The object of journalism is the history of this. A story produced by men and dominated by the quest for freedom. It is no coincidence that the news feeds an insatiable passion for freedom, both of which depend on and defend.

The defense of freedom of the press is striking presence in each of us, author and publishers of Wake Pará For the team to the Agreement for the heritage of journalism is free society and should be linked to a rigorous system of social responsibility and the media its professionals.

For journalists, the defense of press freedom is not only a principle, it is also a question of survival. A 'bullet Lost' and other threats against the journalist Jorge Calderaro threaten not only the journalist, but to democracy itself.

When reporting, and denounce the systematic use of force, abuse of power, the threats veiled or not, the bullying to prevent access and dissemination of information, the editorial team of the agreement for reaffirms its role of protagonist in this fight, the reference category, and contributes to the preservation of democracy itself. It is not just a complaint. It is a warning and an invitation to struggle for a permanent free journalism, ethical and qualified.

Report cases of violence against journalists and communication professionals in a State such as Continental Pará, will become more and more of a challenge to be faced by our editorial staff. Chasing every time the information on the cases to denounce them, to defend the freedom of the press and demand of the government more efficient actions in this sector.

Get Increasingly, precise data on the injustices and irregularities will build a more comprehensive policy for the area. An action in which all segments involved in the issue.

The case should be reported to the Commission on Human Rights of the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) to be included in its database. It is estimated that most cases are not reported and, when it is not enough to be disclosed. Therefore, the case against the journalist Jorge Calderaro can be considered a sampling of the sad reality paraense and even Brazil.

The attempts of intimidation against journalists, usually, are the most diverse. The most common is the physical or verbal aggression. The judicial harassment is the second 'weapon' more used to criticize or try to prevent publication of information by the press, or, or punish the company for professional broadcast field.

And worse, in most cases, the perpetrators are accused of crimes against the public interest, which they wish to hide the journalists bombarding the population with lawsuits.

Indeed, long before reaching the Justice, the search for 'shut up the press' begins in interviews and in their writing. Journalists expelled from collective, prevented from doing covers, with equipment seized during reports and even fired after publishing material that contradicts the political, economic and personal effects of 'holding power'.

Urge to make public the situation of risk that is not only the professional, but also society itself paraense, to not have your constitutional right of access to information and freedom of expression respected or threatened.