IFJ stands up for journalists

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Journalists from around the world gathered recently at the 29th Congress of the International Federation of Journalists to compare notes on the challenges facing their industry and improve journalists' safety around the world.

"International solidarity is essential if we are going to stand up for quality journalism and protect the rights of journalists to do their job," said Philippe Leruth of Belgium, elected president of the IFJ.

Unifor Staff Representative Stuart Laidlaw was elected to the IFJ's executive committee, representing North America.

There were several resolutions regarding the recent attacks on journalists worldwide. More than 450 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the US invasion, 17 so far this year in Yemen and seven this year in Mexico.

"Mexico is a very dangerous place to be a journalist. This must stop," said Fernando Olivia Ortiz, president of the SNRP union in Mexico, where Unifor's Social Justice Fund is backing a project to improve the safety of journalists.

More than 2,300 journalists have been killed in the last 25 years, including 115 in 2015.

The Congress included a march in commemoration of local photojournalist Camille Lepage, killed on assignment in the Central African Republic. Lepage's mother made an emotional address to the group at a memorial to her daughter at the local library.

The Congress was held in Angers, France, home to a prominent journalism school, on the 90th anniversary of the founding of the IFJ in Paris. The IFJ works to train and protect journalists around the world.

It has offices in Brussels, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa.