The Walkley Foundation is proud to present, in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists and the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the 2017 Press Freedom Australia Dinner on April 28, 2017.

The dinner raises money for the Media Safety and Solidarity Fund, which provides support for journalists in conflict zones in the Asia-Pacific, as well as emergency assistance in times of disaster. It also funds the education of the children of slain journalists; see below for more details.

In the Asia-Pacific alone last year, 28 journalists were slain — deliberately targeted for their work. In total, 93 media workers worldwide died in targeted killings, bomb attacks and cross-fire incidents.

The dinner is also the event at which the three organizations announce the release of the annual Press Freedom Report, an assessment of the state of press freedom and trends in Australia over the past 12 months.

Event details
Date: Friday April 28, 2017
Time: 6.30PM for 7.00PM
Venue: Ivy Ballroom, Ivy, 320 George Street, Sydney
Dress: Cocktail attire
Tickets: Media, not-for-profits and Press Council conference attendees $145 plus GST, others $350 plus GST.
RSVP: Friday April 21. To book individual tickets or inquire about table sponsorship contact melissa.mcallister@meaa.org.

Keynote speaker

Watch this space!

MC

Sandra Sully is a Journalist and Senior Editor with TEN Eyewitness News and one of the most recognisable and respected faces on Australian television.Sandra is the co-presenter of TEN Eyewitness News Sydney and has been part of the TEN News team since 1990. She celebrated her 25^th anniversary at the network in 2015.

The Media Safety and Solidarity Fund

The Media Safety and Solidarity Fund assists journalists in the Asia-Pacific region through times of emergency, war and hardship. Established in 2005, the fund is a tangible product of strong interregional media partnership. It is administered through the Asia-Pacific office of the IFJ in collaboration with MEAA and the Media Safety and Solidarity board. Learn more about the Fund and find out how to donate on our Press Freedom page.

Nepal
Nepal’s rocky transition to democracy has taken its toll on the country’s media community. Many children of journalists have lost one of their parents, and their families struggle to sustain their livelihoods. In 2015, MSSF is supporting the education of 30 children. It is also helping the media industry get back on its feet after the devastation of the Gorkha earthquake on April 25.
Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. Up to a dozen journalists were killed by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, including two radio journalists working to keep their community informed when the storm surge struck Tacloban. The Media Safety and Solidarity Fund provided emergency assistance support for the families affected and journalist colleagues. The massacre of 32 media personnel, among a group of 58, in the southern Philippines on November 2009, is the world’s worst single atrocity committed against the media. The MSSF supports the primary and secondary education of more than 86 Filipino children, the sons and daughters of slain journalists.
Pakistan
Pakistan is now the most dangerous country for journalists in the Asia-Pacific region. Last year, 14 journalists were murdered. Almost all were directly targeted. The MSSF trustees have agreed to establish an education fund, based on the Nepal and Philippines models, to assist the children of these journalists.

The MSSF also works in Vanuatu, Sri Lanka and China to support the families of journalists and advocate for the rights of journalists and media workers.

Press freedom and the Walkley Foundation

The Walkley Foundation supports the efforts of the MSSF, MEAA and the IFJ in promoting a free press, without which there is no democracy. Read an overview of the foundation’s efforts here. The foundation raises awareness about press freedom issues through the annual Press Freedom report, events including the Press Freedom Australia Dinner and 30 Days of Press Freedom, and the Walkley Magazine.