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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Deadline is August 29 for Knight International Journalism Fellowships
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Only 3% of People Recycle Their Old Mobile Phones
The survey is based on interviews with 6,500 people in 13 countries including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil. Nokia says they carried out the survey to find out more about consumers' attitudes and behaviors towards recycling, and inform the company's take-back programs and efforts to increase recycling rates of unused mobile devices.
Markus Terho, Director of Environmental Affairs, Markets, at Nokia said, "It is clear from this survey that when mobile devices finally reach the end of their lives that very few of them are recycled. Many people are simply unaware that these old and unused mobiles lying around in drawers can be recycled or how to do this. Nokia is working hard to make it easier, providing more information and expanding our global take-back programs." He added, "If each of the three billion people globally owning mobiles brought back just one unused device we could save 240,000 tonnes of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road. By working together, small individual actions could add up to make a big difference."
The findings highlight that despite the fact that people on average have each owned around five phones, very few of these are being recycled once they are no longer used. Only 3% said they had recycled their old phone. Yet very few old devices, 4%, are being thrown into landfill. Instead the majority, 44%, are simply being kept at homes never used. Others are giving their mobiles another life in different ways, one quarter are passing on their old phones to friends or family, and 16% of people are selling their used devices particularly in emerging markets.
Globally, 74% of consumers said they don't think about recycling their phones, despite the fact that around the same number, 72%, think recycling makes a difference to the environment. This was consistent across many different countries with 88% of people in Indonesia not considering recycling unwanted devices, 84% in India, and 78% of people in Brazil, Sweden, Germany and Finland.
The survey revealed that one of the main reasons why so few people recycle their mobile phones is because they simply don't know that it is possible to do so. In fact, up to 80% of any Nokia device is recyclable and precious materials within it can be reused. Globally, half of those surveyed didn't know phones could be recycled like this, with awareness lowest in India at 17% and Indonesia at 29%, and highest in the UK at 80% and 66% in Finland and Sweden.
Mr Terho said, "Using the best recycling technology nothing is wasted. Between 65 - 80 percent of a Nokia device can be recycled. Plastics that can't be recycled are burnt to provide energy for the recycling process, and other materials are ground up into chips and used as construction materials or for building roads. In this way nothing has to go to landfill."
Many people interviewed for the survey, even if they were aware that a device could be recycled, did not know how to go about doing this. Two thirds said they did not know how to recycle an unwanted device and 71% were unaware of where to do this.
Responding to the survey findings Nokia is developing a series of campaigns and activities to give people more information on why, how and where to recycle their old and unwanted devices, chargers and mobile accessories. The company is also expanding its global take-back program by adding many more collection bins and promoting these in store to raise greater awareness.
Posted on Cellular News website on 8th July 2008.
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice on Friday formally cleared Journalist Bill K. Jarkloh of Rape/Sodomy Charges. The City Court’s “Clerk’s Certificate” clearing Mr. Jarkloh of the charges forbids him from further answering to the charge of rape/sodomy.
The court document indicates that the case was been dismissed by the court after careful perusal in Mr. Jarkloh’s without prejudice, totally discharging him from further answering to the charge of Rape/Sodomy.
Mr. Jarkloh was on May 13, 2008 charged with Rape/Sodomy based on the complaint of one Ruth Samuels who alleged that he had raped her eight-year-old daughter Love Samuels. But Mr. Jarkloh at the time challenged his accusers to use the law prove the criminal charge against him instead of using extrajudicial methods.
The journalist who was detained at the Monrovia Central Prison for over three weeks by the court strongly protested his innocence and claimed that the charges against him were masterminded by people whose intend was to destroy his reputation.
Jarkloh noted that "the Chief Justice of Liberia, Cllr. Johnny Lewis, perfected the plot when he personally ordered the Monrovia City court to disregard police investigation into the Love Samuels situation and go ahead to prosecute Mr. Jarkloh in the absence of police investigative report and charge sheet as required by the New Penal Law of Liberia."
The journalist said the Women and Children Unit of the Liberia National Police was investigating the Love Samuels situation based on the intervention of a local NGO, ZODWOCA, Inc. through its Women and Children Coordinator Korpo Kortimai who is also Mr. Jarkloh’s spouse when the court arrested him on the Chief Justice’s orders.
The journalist further explained that Love Samuels was found on the streets of Monrovia in a state of abandonment. The journalists states that at which time the little girl told ZODWOCA and the Police that she was raped by a fellow known as Lincoln.
The journalists also said the police attested little girl on several prior occasions for vagrancy. The kid told police investigators at the Women and Children Unit that she was raped by this Lincoln person in a video cinema. “She earlier related the same information to ZODWOCA, and thereafter told the Safe Home to which police sent her for rehabilitation. She is said to have further confirmed this same information to the Court and even the Chief Justice in the presence relief workers and journalists.
Mr. Jarkloh has meanwhile indicated his intension of seeking legal redress against the people behind the conspiracy for the "very serious damage" the Rape and Sodomy allegation have done to his character and reputation. He then expressed his gratitude to all those who stood in his cause during his ordeal.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Liberia Media Center Releases 2nd Media Monitoring Report
After nearly three months, the Liberia Media Center today released its second media monitoring report on the coverage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process and the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
The exercise, follow up on the center’s previous monitoring of the TRC coverage by the local media is meant to technical and editorial advice to the country’s media for the improvement of news content and programs being delivered to the general population.
According to an LMC release, the monitoring also seeks to build a culture of professional accountability amongst media houses. The center noted that the Liberian media has generally shown strong interest in the coverage of the TRC and the Charles Taylor trial, in spite resource and editorial constraints.
The release extolled the outstanding works done by the Daily Observer, New Democrat, Star Radio and Radio Veritas for their coverage of both processes, though overall the broadcast media provided more coverage than the print. The LMC also flagged The Analyst Newspaper’s persistency in notably keeping a number of issues, especially the appearance of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf before the TRC on the front burner.
All media institutions combined produced far better quality stories than the previous review. But the report berated the National Chronicle for what it called its troubling pattern of reporting. It strongly admonished the paper clearly delineate its news articles from its opinions.
The study stated that coverage of the TRC process declined since the issuance of the first monitoring report. This, the report noted is in part due to lack of access by reporters, and the movement of the hearings further away from the capital city Monrovia.
According to the report, the print media published a total of 182 articles dropping from a monthly average of 95.5 in the preceding period to 60.6 articles. While the broadcast media aired 126 articles which accounted for a 1.93% reduction on the previous monthly average of 65.5 to 42.0 news stories.
The monitoring found that coverage of the Charles Taylor trial is almost evenly divided between the print and broadcast outlets, though the broadcast sector relied rather heavily on Talking Drum Studio and the BBC World Service Trust syndicated reports from the trial taking The Netherlands.
In a related development the LMC has recommended that the TRC should to reconsider its approach to issues regarding media. The center said the commission’s media unit is acutely under-resourced and requires concrete support to carry out its functions and that support for local media coverage of the process should be provided if and when necessary.
The center also noted that a mechanism needs to be instituted for providing print media houses access to resources on the Charles Taylor trial. It says institutions like the ICTJ, LMC, BBCWST and TDS should explore the possibility of forging partnership as well as other creative ways to narrow the information gap, especially within the print media.
The LMC is expected to release its final report on its media monitoring project in the coming months.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
HIGHWAY AFRICA CONFERENCE
CALL FOR APPLICATION TO ATTEND THE HIGHWAY AFRICA CONFERENCE, 8 – 10 SEPTEMBER 2008, RHODES UNIVERSITY, GRAHAMSTOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Highway Africa, a programme of the School of Journalism at Rhodes University, will be hosting the 12th edition of the Highway Africa Conference from 8-10 September in Grahamstown, South Africa.
Highway Africa has a limited number of scholarships for practising African journalists who are keen on learning and using digital media. PLEASE NOTE THE EMPHASIS ON PRACTISING JOURNALISTS. WE DO NOT HAVE SPONSORSHIP FOR ANY OTHER INTERESTED PARTICIPANTS OUTSIDE THIS CATEGORY.
Interested PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS should submit the following information:
· a curriculum vitae with 2 contactable referees
· a 300 word statement on why they are interested in attending the Highway Africa and what will be done with the skills and information acquired
· a letter of support from your Editor or Publisher
Please submit the above by the 30th of June 2008. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE DISCARDED. SEND THROUGH ALL DOCUMENTS AT THE SAME TIME.
Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete registration and indemnity forms supplied by Highway Africa.
The decision of Highway Africa on the selection of candidates is final.
Applications should be submitted to Luthando Kiti on:
L.Kitit@ru.ac.za and copied to dirtyharry70@gmail.com
Please do not phone to inquire about your application. We will respond to e-mail correspondence ONLY.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
LMC Participates in ICFJ Conference
The seminar is been held in the Swedish city of Goteborg under the theme “Toward an International Network of Independent Journalism Training Organizations: Partnerships and Mentoring, Innovation and Multimedia, Sustainability and Money.”
The ICFJ seminar, which is been held on the sidelines of the 15th World Editors Forum and the 61st World Newspaper Congress is the beginning of a year-long initiative that is geared towards building a new network of independent journalism training organizations around the world.
The four-day program will bring together over 50 participants from various media training institutions around the world, and is also expected to discuss topics on essential web tools, the use of digital resources, models for sustainable successes, etc in the work of the media.
According to a Liberia Media Center release, the ICFJ seminar is to culminate in a mentor/mentee pairing exercise of the participants whereby the skills and experiences of individual participants would be matched to ensure long term successful collaborations.
The LMC release stated that the seminar would end with the Knight Foundation and ICFJ Newsmakers Cocktail Reception at which time the winners of the 2008 Knight International Journalism Award would be announced.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
From VOANEWS.COM
By Naomi Schwar
Dakar
15 January 2008
Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has entered its final phase: public testimonies by victims of civil war and by those they accuse. Many Liberians say airing the crimes will help the country heal from the psychological wounds of war and instability. But others say Liberia should focus on moving forward and not look back. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.
Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created by the accord that ended the civil war in 2003. It has collected more than 20,000 written testimonies covering the period from 1979 when Samuel Doe seized power in a coup, to 2003 when a large force of U.N. peacekeepers arrived in the country. The testimonies tell of widespread rape, massacres, and children forced to be soldiers.
Now victims have begun testifying in public hearings.
James Makor of Liberia's non-governmental organization Save My Future says the public statements still contain surprises.
"One musician around here, I had never knew that he was a general, but during the public hearing we got to know that he was a general," said Makor. "So in that case now, most of his songs he had always won public sympathy that he was victimized, instead people now know that he was one of the guys that had a lot of power to himself."
Makor is referring to Michael David, known as Sundaygar Dearboy. Witnesses have accused David of rapes and beatings. One of Liberia's most popular stars, he sang the campaign song for Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf when she ran for office in 2005.
Makor says it is good for Liberians to know the truth about what happened.
"It is necessary that we get to know some of the people, what they did. For us to have the past information, so we can know how to interact with them," added Makor.
But some Liberians say the information could be dangerous.
Lamii Kpargoi of Liberia's Media Watch says he feels it is too soon to stir up these wounds.
"There are a lot of people walking the streets in Liberia that committed heinous crimes that have never owned up to their mistakes. Hearing some of the testimonies that have come out over the past few days, it may well just make people become rowdy and try taking things off on these people, especially if they come out and they deny these things when everybody knows that they actually did them," said Kpargoi.
He says there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, so the issues can be addressed later.
"I think this TRC thing has come a little bit too soon. I think what Liberia needs presently is to get political and economic stability," he added. "Then when we are stable, then we can go after these people who have committed crimes and try to see how we can best forgive each other and move on."
The Commission will hear from victims first and then allow the accused to respond and apologize. When it finishes hearing testimony, the commission will give its recommendations to the government on how to use the information to foster reconciliation.
This is not enough for some Liberians.
"Crimes against humanity are not pardoned by amnesty or whatsoever form of saying sorry," said Boakai Jalerba, the secretary general of an organization that pushed for a war crimes tribunal, with power to prosecute. He says the country cannot move forward while people who committed atrocities remain free and, sometimes, hold powerful positions.
One man who will likely not face Liberia's TRC or prosecution in Liberia is former president Charles Taylor, whose attempt to overthrow the government in 1989 instigated the worst phase of violence.
Taylor is currently on trial for crimes against humanity in neighboring Sierra Leone's civil war, in which he is said to have participated in exchange for diamond money. The trial, in The Hague in the Netherlands, is being held by a special court for Sierra Leone.
Jalerba says Taylor should be extradited to Liberia and face charges there.
But Steve Marvie, acting chairman of the Youth Empowerment Program, a pro-democracy organization, says most Liberians are content to let the Sierra Leone special court handle that prosecution.
"We, Liberians, we are moving along with our lives, we are generally happy with our situation, and we do not think we want to turned back into our crisis days," said Marvie.
Media Watch's Kpargai says bringing Taylor back to Liberia could lead to greater instability. And Kpargai says, as a former head of state, Taylor benefits from amnesty under Liberian law for any crime committed after he became president.
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Lamii Kpargoi actually works for the Liberia Media Center (LMC) not Liberia's Media Watch as is stated in this account.