Spotted this today on the US Embassy's page...
Do you agree? Why do you THINK Journalists are important?
I wanted April Ryan and Jean Ross to see this cos they mentored me as a Journalist as I entered this profession while I was a Pharmacist. Jean used to let me come in and do a weekly health segment on her morning show with Frank Ski while April used to step in to do her half hourly newscasts. What many Journos have gone thru today is unimaginable. President Obama honored some of them.
“Journalists give all of us, as citizens, the chance to know the truth about our countries, ourselves, our governments. That makes us better. It makes us stronger. It gives voice to the voiceless, exposes injustice, and holds leaders like me accountable,” the president said May 1.
Obama was joined by journalists Fatima Tlisova, Dieu Cay, and Lily Mengesha. “All three have been detained or harassed in the past. All three have sought refuge here in the United States. And we welcome them so that they can continue their important work,” he said.
Fatima Tlisova, from Russia, was attacked, kidnapped and tortured after reporting on military operations in the North Caucasus region, disappearances and corruption. Her investigative journalism covered Circassian nationalism, the role of Islam in regional affairs and human rights abuses in the North Caucasus. Today, she works for the Voice of America (VOA).
Nguyen Van Hai, commonly known by his pen name Dieu Cay, spent six years in a Vietnamese prison on politically motivated charges. His blog addressed human rights and corruption in Vietnam, including sensitive topics like land rights, religious freedom and Vietnam’s policy toward China. He now lives in Los Angeles.
Simegnish “Lily” Mengesha, from Ethiopia, advocated for a free press. Mengesha was harassed and detained after she criticized the arrest of the independent Zone 9 bloggers. Her reporting also exposed the suffering of Ethiopian child brides. After enduring increased intimidation and surveillance, she left Ethiopia in July 2014 and now works at the National Endowment for Democracy.
Obama said the United States regularly engages other governments on press freedom. The president added that “being able to express yourself and your conscience without danger is a human right, a universal right, and ultimately makes the world better and stronger when individual conscience and a press that is free is allowed to function.”
I am a Nigerian Journalist trained in the US and lived there 30 yrs. Journalists are not persecuted in Nigeria. This country has more reporters than Journalists and the practice of Mass Communications seems to be confused with JOURNALISM. Nigerian based reporters do not like appearing on foreign cable networks for the fear of the government. I am the only one that does that on any subject, terrorism, ebola, etc. Why are they afraid. Freedom of the press like the first amendment of the US constitution is in the 1999 Nigerian constitution. I appear on BBC, RT, CNN, FOXnews, CTV name it but my colleagues here claim fear. Last year I interviewed a politician who was accused of the murder of the attorney general. A simple question I asked Omisore, he sent a message to me thru his media ppl that I was a damn good Journalist who had done her homework. Omisore's intv with me is on Soundcloud.com/HNNAfrica. Yes there are some countries that even persecute BLOGGERS but know the laws and do your work. Thank u Mr Obama for the reflection on our work.
Kemi-Twitter, Facebook and instagram @HNNAfrica
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