We are overjoyed that our much-missed colleague and friend Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has finally been freed.
No one can imagine how tortuous the past six years have been for Nazanin and her family – and their reunion can't come soon enough.
#NazaninIsFree
This Sunday, our colleague Nazanin should be freed. We stand in solidarity with all those who have waited five years for her terrible ordeal to end.
#FreeNazanin
@FreeNazanin
⭕️ Did you know a journalist is now killed every 5 days?
✏️ That means around 73 people a year lose their lives while fighting to tell important stories.
How did the situation become so dire?
Here are the 5⃣ biggest threats facing reporters globally. 🧵
#WorldPressFreedomDay
Japanese journalist
@AsamiTerajima
wins the
#KurtSchork
Local Reporter Award for uncovering the human cost of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 🏆
Asami has shown immense bravery by shining a light on the brutal realities of war through the eyes of Ukrainian soldiers.
♀️ It could now take 135 years for the world to achieve total gender equality, according to
@wef
.
This is up from 99 years in 2020, as COVID-19 and other crises set global progress back.
How did we get here? Here are 7⃣ shocking facts you need to know on
#IWD22
.🧵
#BreakTheBias
The
#KurtSchork
News Fixer Award goes to
@khabat_abas
from Syria. 🏆
As one of very few female fixers in north-eastern Syria, she's breaking barriers and making headlines with stories of women on both sides of the war – from Kurdish fighters to ISIS wives.
What are your main concerns when it comes to travelling
#AsAWoman
?
See how one thousand
#WomenOnTheMove
replied to our poll in five global cities, supported by
@Uber
We stand united today with our colleague Nazanin and her husband Richard as they finish their 13th day of hunger striking.
#Hungry4Justice
#FreeNazanin
💼 More women lost their jobs than men during the pandemic.
⏪ The
@WEF
called this a "she-cession" as it reversed many gains that women had made in the workplace.
⏰ It also means closing the global gender gap will now take an extra 36 years.
🔥 Fearless activist Vanessa Nakate is forcing world leaders to wake up to the injustices of the
#ClimateCrisis
.
At
@trustconf
, she spoke powerfully about the action needed from Western nations to help vulnerable communities to adapt. ⬇️
#TC2022
🗣️ “Part of the solution is making sure that we are all fully engaged in and electrified by the prospect of being custodians of bringing people facts.”
–
@RonanFarrow
on just one way to navigate and fight back against the war on journalism.
We are devastated by the news that our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced to another year in prison. Read our CEO
@antozappulla
's statement in the thread below.
#FreeNazanin
🔥 Fearless activist Vanessa Nakate is forcing world leaders to wake up to the injustices of the
#ClimateCrisis
.
At
@trustconf
last week, she spoke powerfully about the action needed from Western nations to help vulnerable communities to adapt. ⬇️
#TC2022
💰 Women are still paid less than men for equal jobs.
🇬🇧 In the UK, women are only paid £92.10 for every £100 men earn.
🇪🇺 The pay gap is almost double that across the EU, with men earning up to 14% more than full-time female employees.
👤 How could a world driven by AI affect our human rights?
Machine learning is starting to shape every aspect of our lives – but few companies have so far committed to use it ethically.
Here are 4⃣ ways experts say
#AI
innovation needs to change. 🧵
Brazilian journalist
@rafapsoares
wins the
#KurtSchork
Local Reporter Award for his investigations into extra-judicial killings by the police. 🏆
His courageous reporting has been vital in exposing how corruption and impunity have flourished in Rio de Janeiro.
Alongside the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the
#KurtSchork
Local Reporter Award from Palestinian journalist Shatha Hammad.
Read our full statement here:
With more than 100,000 children waiting to be adopted in the US, LGBT+ people must be allowed to adopt children, says Ellen Kahn of
@HRC
#LGBT
news via
@openly
🟢 Is Gen Z growing up to become the “sustainability generation"?
🤔 More young people now care about how businesses are protecting the climate & workers' rights when investing money.
#ESG
is one framework they can turn to. What is it and why should companies pay attention?🧵
Our CEO
@antozappulla
visited Richard Ratcliffe as he continues his hunger strike to demand justice for our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
We remain committed to the
#FreeNazanin
campaign and call for her immediate release.
We created this pair of handmade sneakers with a hidden message, then sent it to Jacques Slade
@kustoo
to
#UnboxTheTruth
What is the human price of the products you buy?
“History is not made by the famous people, which is why I write the stories of ordinary people”.
💬
@ShahmeerAlbalos
, 2020
#KurtSchork
Freelance Award winner.
🚨 We're searching for a Head of Communications!
In this fixed term role, you will lead on strategic internal and external campaigns, oversee major Foundation initiatives and events and support a fast-paced team. Apply by 14 June. ➡️
1⃣ Surging physical violence
⭕️ Holding power to account is increasingly putting the safety of reporters at risk.
⚖️ Yet 87% of these crimes go unpunished, according to
@UNESCO
.
♀️ Businesses still overlook female leadership.
📉
@ilo
found the bigger the company, the less likely we are to see women at the top.
💸 This is despite research showing that having them in senior positions can boost a company’s value and profits.
🙏 The freelancer covering persecution of minorities in China
🇺🇦 The journalist reporting from Ukraine's frontlines
💪 The fixer taking brave personal risks in Syria
Congratulations to
@AsamiTerajima
,
@polvrini
and
@HishamArafatt
– the 2023 winners of the
#KurtSchork
Awards. 🧵
We are deeply saddened that for the second time in two years, Richard Ratcliffe has gone on hunger strike to demand justice for his wife and our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
#FreeNazanin
|
@FreeNazanin
Extremely saddened that Richard Ratcliffe had to resort - once again - to a dangerous hunger strike to demand justice for Nazanin who faces another jail term. We urge the government to accelerate negotiations with Iran to
#FreeNazanin
.
3⃣ More threats from governments
🌏 Some countries are increasingly using smear campaigns to spread disinformation and demonise the media.
⭕️
@rapplerdotcom
CEO
@mariaressa
is facing sentences totalling 100 years in jail for criticising Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte.
We are devastated by the news that our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has lost her appeal against her new sentence.
We join the
@FreeNazanin
campaign in calling for her
immediate release.
Read our CEO
@antozappulla
's statement below:
#FreeNazanin
“We are delighted to hear the news of Nazanin’s temporary release from Evin prison, after more than two and a half years in detention, including eight months of total isolation."
Full statement from our CEO
@Monique_Villa
on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe:
✏️ For war correspondents, the threat of physical harm can be especially dangerous.
🇺🇦 In fact, 18 have died so far while reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
🏆 Our
#KurtSchork
Awards celebrate the heroes covering conflict around the world.
🌎 The reporter exposing the human cost of conflict.
💪 The fixer taking brave personal risks.
👣 The freelancer tackling tough territories.
Congratulations to
@kenneth_rosen
,
@shathahammad4
and Kyaw Ye Lynn – the 2022 winners of the
#KurtSchork
Awards. 🧵
“The motivation for reporting on corruption and injustice, and putting myself at risk, is that I want a better society. I want a society that works for all”.
💬
@fisayosoyombo
, 2020
#KurtSchork
Local Reporter Award winner.
1⃣ Tackling bias
👤 Racial and gender prejudice creeps into AI systems based on the data fed into it – with devastating impacts for recruitment to criminal justice and even healthcare.
📚 The first step companies can take to stamping it out is committing to ethical principles.
The world's most dangerous countries for women revealed. Find out how countries scored on healthcare, discrimination, cultural traditions, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, and human trafficking.
Get the full results:
#WorseforWomen
"
@FreeNazanin
confirmed today that it believes Nazanin has contracted Coronavirus inside Evin Prison. We urge the UK Government to unabashedly push for Nazanin to be tested immediately."
👉Read the full statement by our CEO
@antozappulla
:
#FreeNazanin
🗣️ Diversity doesn't seem to matter yet.
⭕️ Global consultancy
@McKinsey
found just 3% of women on boards are women of colour.
⏪
@PRI_News
says it isn't possible for businesses to push for diversity without thinking about inclusion and equity too.
2⃣ Rising tide of abuse
🗞️ Women journalists face an onslaught of online harassment – from threats to "doxxing".
���️ 1 in 5 cases of virtual harm now lead to real-life attacks.
📚 Our guides with
@UNESCO
and
@IWMF
lays out steps to help them stay safe.
🔴 Some governments are increasingly relying on fake news laws to crack down on their critics.
@madamasr
Editor
@Linaattalah
shares how her team in Egypt were charged with publishing fake news, and how the law was used as a tool of repression and not of regulation. ⬇️
Despite gains, many gay people are still forced to undergo archaic and invasive therapy based on the idea that homosexuality is a mental disorder or medical condition. Experts say it's time to ban the treatments.
@ILGAWORLD
@HRC
@stonewalluk
#LGBT
⏰ It could take up to 267.6 years to close the pay gap around the world.
⭕️ So how can we get there?
🔄
@GIWLkings
and
@fawcettsociety
say governments and employers must work together to tackle inequality in the workplace, and beyond.
Our
#FreeNazanin
message is displayed in London and Times Square today on the three-year anniversary Nazanin's detention in
#Iran
Read our CEO's statement:
|
#London
#TimesSquare
Congratulations to our correspondent
@Rolionaroll
, who has just taken third place in the ‘Outstanding Investigative Reporting’ category at the
@fjawards
If all young people had the opportunity to become entrepreneurs, could the whole economic system change completely?
Opinion from Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus -
@Yunus_Centre
“We utterly condemn the latest move by the Iranian authorities to prolong Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s inhumane and unjust ordeal”.
Read our CEO
@antozappulla
’s response to the news that Nazanin faces a new charge:
#FreeNazanin
Today we are launching the Coronavirus Crisis Reporting Hub for Journalists.
The Hub will equip journalists in the Global South with the skills they need to report on
#COVID19
with fair, accurate and relevant information.
📊 Company data on gender equality is harder than ever to find.
💼
@SDGBenchmarks
found only 4% globally give out information on the
#GenderPayGap
.
📈 Experts say this data can be crucial to help people and firms demand more action to empower women.
🇦🇫 The freelancer exposing the horrors of war.
🇧🇷 The journalist uncovering police crimes.
🇸🇾 The female fixer breaking all boundaries.
Congratulations to
@JasonMotlagh
,
@rafapsoares
and
@khabat_abas
– the 2021 winners of the
#KurtSchork
Awards in International Journalism!
The winner of the 2020 Kurt Schork Local Reporter Award went to
@fisayosoyombo
for his undercover investigation on Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Soyombo spent 13 days in detention to experience and document the widespread corruption.
🔴 Defamation cases can cause emotional turmoil and financial damage to journalists.
In January 2022, Peruvian reporter
@TrujiYo
was sentenced to two years in prison and a $100,000 fine after revealing political corruption. Here's his story. ⬇️
📖 Many countries don't report on the
#GenderPayGap
.
⚖️ Research from TrustLaw,
@GIWLkings
and
@fawcettsociety
found few nations had action plans to close the gap.
🇬🇧 For example, the UK still lags behind others in holding businesses to account.
We're delighted to be at the Global Conference for Media Freedom, organised by
@foreignoffice
,
@CanadaFP
& supported by
@luminategroup
.
Freedom of expression is essential to informing societies, holding power to account, and social & economic development.
#DefendMediaFreedom
Congratulations to
@mariaressa
, fearless journalist and advocate, for being awarded the
#NobelPeacePrize2021
. 👏
Maria has long-fought against disinformation and attempts to silence the free press in the Philippines. 🇵🇭
Our CEO
@antozappulla
was at
@OneYoungWorld
last week, where he shared the stage with
@Ahmadnawazaps
#OYW2019
After surviving a school shooting in 2014, Ahmad set up an organisation that provides education for children
Watch the full session here:
2⃣ Championing representation
⭕️ Researchers at
@AINowInstitute
warned of a "diversity disaster" – leading to flawed systems that perpetuate gender and racial biases.
💻 The answer? Increase the diversity of AI researchers to ensure that future tech can benefit everyone.
🌈 Fair, accurate and impartial reporting can dramatically shift action on
#LGBTQ
+ rights.
That's why our platform
@Openly
delivers balanced and impartial LGBTQ+ journalism to a world that isn't.
Here's a roundup of some of our coverage over
#PrideMonth
. ⬇️
💻 From endless surveillance to algorithm bias, activists have been sounding the alarm over AI for years.
✊ But for some African developers, it might be key to tackling inequality.
Could AI really help lift countries out of poverty? These computer scientists think so. 🧵
We are pleased to hear that our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her temporary release from prison in Iran extended by two weeks.
Her case is now under consideration for clemency.
We hope Nazanin can return soon to the UK to be reunited with her husband and daughter.
So pleased that our dear colleague and friend
#Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her temporary release from prison in Iran extended by 2 weeks. Her case is now recommended for clemency. Let’s hope she will soon be reunited with Richard & Gabriella!
@FreeNazanin
@trf
We went to the courts and with the help of friends who are lawyers, it took us just 13 days to liberate over 30 children - Nobel Peace Prize Winner
@k_satyarthi
#WEF18
#modernslavery
🔴
#SLAPPs
can dramatically silence free speech around the world.
In an important move for press freedom in the UK, judges will now be able to dismiss these harmful strategic lawsuits at an early stage. ⬇️
Nazanin was separated from her husband and young child, denied her freedoms, and even thrown in solitary confinement.
An innocent victim of an international dispute, Nazanin has been one of many used as political pawns.
Her treatment has been utterly inhumane.
📲 Abuse can trickle down from above into brutal harassment campaigns.
🤳 Paired with little regulation from Big Tech, these attacks can warp public opinion.
🇧🇷
@folha
journalist
@camposmello
shares Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro's attempts to discredit her. ⬇️
Welcome to everyone joining our Twitter chat in partnership with the
#GoodFoodMedia
Award!
We're discussing all things
#agroecology
over the next hour - be sure to keep following us and get involved using the hashtag
#GoodFoodMedia
@BarillaCFN
More here:
💼 According to a 2021
@CNBC
poll, around one-third of millennials use investments that take Environmental, Social, and Governance – or
#ESG
– factors into account.
📊 This is compared with 19% of Gen Z, 16% of Gen X – though only 2% of baby boomers.
.
@ShahmeerAlbalos
, a journalist from Pakistan, wins the
#KurtSchork
Freelance Award. 🏆
From reporting on child labour in coal mines to government negligence in the polio vaccination programme, Shah Meer Baloch has taken considerable risks to bring these stories to light.
The awards are named after American war reporter Kurt Schork, who was killed in Sierra Leone while on assignment for Reuters in 2000.
Hear from friends of the awards,
@camanpour
,
@BowenBBC
,
@lindseyhilsum
& Jon Lee Anderson, on how the annual prize honours his enduring legacy:
✏️ Censorship of journalists around the world is reaching an all-time high.
We stand with Indian reporter
@RanaAyyub
who has been banned from flying to Europe to speak out against journalists facing intimidation. ⬇️
📰 Abuse can compromise a reporter's work – forcing some to leave journalism altogether.
⭕️ For columnist
@RanaAyyub
, relentless attacks made her fear for her life.
📲 With
@Jigsaw
, we're launching TRFilter, a tool to help journalists manage harassment.
👏 Congratulations to fearless journalist and
@RukhshanaMedia
founder
@ZahraJoya
on winning the Marie Colvin Award at the
#BritishJournalismAwards
.
Having fled the Taliban, her voice is louder than ever for the women of Afghanistan. ⬇️
3⃣ Transparency at all levels
🔎 Companies can get away with poor disclosure on their use of algorithms, says think tank
@rankingrights
.
⭕️ The job of checking whether an AI system can cause problems is increasingly being left to the businesses creating them in the first place.
🔴 The speed at which repressive governments are fabricating these crimes is gathering pace.
@ExileContent
’s
@jczamora
shares the experience of his father and founder of Guatemalan newspaper
@el_Periodico
who is imprisoned on alleged money laundering and blackmail charges. ⬇️
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Food Sustainability Media Award! 🏆
The Award recognises outstanding reporting on global food sustainability challenges around the world 🌽🥑🌱
Check out their work here: 📸📝
#GoodFoodMedia
-
@BarillaCFN