| In
Focus: industry news
The Freedom
Forum, working with BBC World Radio Service
and AKE recently organised a "hostile environment"
training course for 20 local journalists and stringers working in Albania,
Kosovo and Macedonia. The course took place at the Albanian Media Institute
in Tirana on November 23-26 1998. It is believed to be the first ever
safety in journalism course designed specifically for journalists working
in a conflict area and may serve as a prototype for future courses around
the world. Freedom Forum: tel: +44 (0) 171 262 5003, fax: +44 (0)
171 262 4631
In 1999 the budget for independent commissions through Channel
4 News Independents Fund will rise substantially to over a million
pounds. This sum includes a series of output deals, but a large slice
will remain available for ad-hoc commissions. The Indie Fund
will continue to seek increasingly original, often investigative stories,
on both domestic and international agendas. Running times remain flexible
— from 5 to 10 minutes. A dedicated Commissioning Editor for the
Indie Fund will be appointed shortly. In the meantime, proposals to: Peter
Barron (Deputy Editor Channel 4 News) or Andrew MacDonald (Foreign Editor).
BBC News Online
has been named Site of the Year by Internet magazine, the UK’s highest
circulation monthly covering the Net.
Insight Television News have been awarded a multiple
supply deal for ITN/Channel 4 News for the coming year.
As always, they are interested in good stories and news features from
around the world. They have just moved offices and are now to be found
at The Clock House, 28 Old Town, Clapham, London SW4 0LB. Tel: +44
(0) 171 738 8344; fax: +44 (0) 498 2030
At the News World conference held in Barcelona on 4-8th
November, freelance cameraman Vaughan Smith, of Frontline
Television, was the recipient of the Mohammed Amin Award
for his footage in Kosovo during this year. We at the Rory Peck Trust
are particularly delighted about this, as Vaughan is one of our Trustees,
and therefore unable to submit any of his footage, no matter how good,
for the Rory Peck Award.
The organisation Reporters Sans Frontières, which campaigns
for media freedom, has awarded the jailed journalist, Nizar Nayyuf,
$8,000 for his work to defend freedom of expression in Syria.
Rodney Pinder
has been appointed Editor, Reuters television news, based
in London. Pinder, who has moved from Singapore where he was Reuters News
Editor for Asia, will be responsible for all Reuters television newsgathering
operations worldwide and coordination with Reuters text and stills pictures
service.
Reuters are soon to launch NewsBreaker,
a pioneering multimedia news-on-demand product, designed for operators
of digital television channels. Reuters has hired a team of multi-skilled
journalists who are already producing video news covering top news stories.
Rory Peck Finalist in 1996 Thomas Goltz has been invited
to screen his 12 minute documentary "Devotion--War, Rage and Revenge
in Chechnya" at the Middle East Studies Association 14th annual film
festival (Chicago, Illinois December 4-7th). "Devotion" was
shot by Goltz on contract from BBC Correspondent in 1997.
And finally……..(now why is that dear old phrase
so sadly familiar?)
On Tuesday 17th November, Pope John Paul finally confessed before the
world that computers have changed his life. The Vatican went online several
years ago with its own homepage. The Pope still writes most of his speeches
by hand, and in Polish. Now, whether he likes it or not, every word he
utters or writes goes straight onto the world wide web at a speed rivalling
that of a prayer to heaven.
(Nothing at all to do with freelancers. We know.)
| The
year is 2004:
what is the DNA of the Freelancer of the Future? In 1999 the
Rory Peck Trust will be inviting broadcasters, programme-makers
and camerapeople to take part in a special open forum debate
at BAFTA. We would welcome your ideas and input. |
|
Issue 1
December 1998
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