First and last, the safety of journalists is paramount. The figures are worse than we heard at the beginning of the meeting.
According to the International News Safety Institute, which compiles all the numbers from different groups, the last three years have seen an unprecedented growth in media killings.
In the last week two more journalists have been killed in Iraq – the most dangerous country in the world.
We need to leave today with a renewed commitment to do more to end impunity in the killings of journalists and media staff, to provide support for journalists in danger and to insist that governments do more to protect media from violence.
We need also to commit ourselves to work against the weakening of our civil liberties as we have seen in the so-called war on terror. The scandal of the treatment of the illegal six-year detention of journalist Sami al-Haj is symbolic of our need to restore values in public life and, in this year of its 60th anniversary, to defend the principles of the universal declaration of human rights.
There has been a theme running through all of our sessions – whether it’s covering conflict, reporting minorities or reporting the challenges of reporting global issues – and that is how do we in journalism do good work in difficult conditions?
We welcome the changing media landscape that brings us great opportunities to communicate in new and different ways. But we face a major challenge to ensure continued respect for the core values and ethics of journalism built upon respect for the truth, independence and professional social responsibility. This is the key to doing good work.
Our discussions have provided a brilliant kaleidoscope of diverse opinions and ideas from different countries and cultures from all around the world. Again we have been enriched by the experience. We thank the Governments of Indonesia and Norway and also New Zealand for their support and assistance in allowing us to meet.
Now we have to face the difficult question – where do we go from here?
The supreme achievement of this Inter-Media Dialogue is the network of contacts and participants that we have brought together over the past three years.
We know that there are a number of specific projects that are being considered for further support – covering diversity, improving journalism ethics, media development, training and a journalism prize.
But we need to go further. The great strength of meetings like this is the energy and enthusiasm they generate. We who have been in the process from the start want this to continue.
This small group at the table is ready to serve as a network steering group to keep us all in touch and to involve you all in a continuing dialogue about meeting the challenge of diversity.
I am pleased to say that the Governments of Indonesia and Norway are happy to support this wish to further strengthen our network.
But this is not a process under single ownership – it is yours and all of you are invited to join this work. Anyone who wants to join this core steering group please let us know.
We have agreed to circulate within a month details of the Global Inter-media Dialogue Network mailing list with information about some upcoming events.
The aim is simple – to inject into all of the events, conferences, debates and media dialogues to which we have access the ideas and conclusions that we have reached so far. As I said at the beginning of this meeting we do not finish our work here. Instead it begins anew.
It has been inspiring and useful work which has shown the value and importance of solidarity within journalism. We will meet again that’s for certain, but for the time being it will be in the virtual world. We thank you all for your commitment, goodwill and friendship and look forward to your involvement in the next phase of this dialogue.
A last word. None of what happens here happens by accident. We owe a great debt to the people who have worked to make this dialogue a success, not least the teams in the secretariat of Indonesia and Norway who have done brilliant work. Thank you all.
Thank you
Aidan White
Bambang Harymurti
Elisabeth Eide
Jim Tucker
Bali, May 8th