Osama Hajjaj (Jordan)
Nowadays, publishing press cartoons online has become a way of life for the profession and there is probably not a single cartoon that is not published in an online newspaper or on social media. Some cartoonists have even started their careers online. According to the cartoonists, this increases their visibility but also creates new challenges for the profession, whether it is a question of remuneration, recovery of cartoons, non-respect of property rights, threats, lawsuits, etc.
Thus, thanks to the financial support of the Global Media Defence Fund administered by UNESCO, Cartooning for Peace is starting a new project whose objective is to encourage the sharing of experience and dialogue about the challenges that accompany the publication of press cartoons online in order to draw lessons and recommendations.
This 12-month project builds on the previous project “Support for the legal protection of press cartoonists” (see below) also funded by the GMDF.
Based on a survey and analysis of emblematic cases by legal experts, Cartooning for Peace intends to build a typology of cases that will feed into the creation of a repertoire of “textbook cases” and suggestions for responses, and also wishes to provide useful contacts and resources for press cartoonists. Cartooning for Peace will also organize round tables, the discussions of which will be translated into a report.
Watch the roundtable discussion “Press cartoons in the face of digital challenges: what protection for their authors?” realised in the framework of the European Journalism Conference.
In partnership with:
Mana Neyestani (Iran)
This 15-month project, which received financial support from the Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) managed by UNESCO, had the main objective to improve the legal protection of editorial cartoonists and thus contribute to an environment of free, plural and quality information for citizens.
In proposing this project, Cartooning for Peace wanted to respond to the demand expressed by cartoonists to know and understand the texts and mechanisms inherent in the regulation of freedom of expression at the international level, while at the same time reporting on the growing number of cases of censorship through the courts.
It was global in scope and focused on information, capacity building, access to legal aid and advocacy for cartoonists.
In addition to ongoing monitoring of threats to cartoonists and support for their work in collaboration with its long-standing partners, Cartooning for Peace has organised four thematic online sessions led by Media Defence between October and November 2021: one dedicated to Africa, one dedicated to Asia, one dedicated to Europe and one dedicated to Latin America.
The content of these sessions has been translated into 4 practical sheets divided by geographical region. They are made available to cartoonists and also to legal practitioners who may be able to assist them in their work. They contain the key texts, the institutions responsible for their application, concrete examples and useful links.
These sheets have also been annexed (pages 71-78) to an update of the Practical guide for the protection of editorial cartoonists, the first edition of which dates from 2019.
In partnership with:
Marvin Halleraker (Norvège / Norway)
Health crises such as the ones we are experiencing reinforce the need for reliable information. However, the confusion caused by the Covid-19 crisis has led to the spread of false information or systematic misinformation. The role of the journalist is therefore central to meeting our need for information. Circumstances have exacerbated the difficulties of the profession of journalist and generated a lack of resources, opportunities or a reinforcement of repression against them which affect the profession in Africa.
Funded by the European Union, the 18-month project will be implemented by Free Press Unlimited, Article 19, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Fondation Hirondelle, Deutsche Welle and International Media Support (IMS), in collaboration with UNESCO. It aims to provide an effective response to the Covid-19 crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa by supporting the media in 17 countries in the region to continue to provide reliable and critical information to their audiences.
It consists of three objectives:
1. To financially support local media actors to enable them to fulfill their role as informers ;
2. Fostering the sharing of good practices between media organizations and journalists and capacity building ;
3. Ensure effective advocacy to safeguard the right to freedom of expression and information by following up on alerts and formulating concrete policy recommendations.
More information and resources on the different objectives of the project are available on the dedicated website.
Press review:
– Debates of “Le Monde Afrique” with Anaud Froger, Africa Manager at RSF, Lassane Zohoré of Cartooning for Peace, and Chiara Adamo, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG DEVCO (watch here).
– Cartooning for Peace is already mobilized in the realization of the project, which was presented on the occasion of the broadcast “Une semaine dans le monde” on France 24 (watch here).
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