More than six decades after it was first drafted the need to preserve the principles enshrined within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is as urgent as ever. Local media worldwide are the key to allowing citizens to uphold the declaration’s principles and to claim the same rights as any other human being. However, all too often, the states with poor Human Rights records are those with less media freedom and heavy restrictions on conventional flows of information.
Through free access to information and the ability to express opinions, individual citizens can better understand their rights and contribute to meaningful public debate about related issues in their societies. Liberalised, plural and professional media, in all forms, can educate citizens about their rights, amplify the discourse around the human rights agenda and ultimately ensure that those in positions of authority and power are held to account.
Internews Europe trains journalists and citizen journalists and gives them the tools and knowledge to analyse and report on human rights issues more effectively.
Where the right to seek and receive information is itself under threat, Internews provides carefully tailored support to independent media and to preserve access to independent information and to promote monitoring of human rights violations.
We also reward the best journalists for their achievements and courage in bringing to light human rights violations. For example, The Every Human Has Rights media awards ceremony was held during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights in Paris, in December 2008. Distinguished personalities such as members of the Elders, President Mary Robinson and President Jimmy Carter honoured 30 journalists and citizen journalists from around the world in a high-profile ceremony.
