On Nov. 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Aldo Moro Aula Magna of the University of Bari in Piazza Cesare Battisti, the second edition of the Forum of Mediterranean Women Journalists entitled: “#PressPhobia: The New War on Information” will open, with speakers from Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Kosovo, Kuridstan, and several Italian regions.
Assaults, intimidation, and reckless lawsuits against female journalists are on the rise in Italy, which occupies the last places in Europe in freedom of information rankings.
A real phobia towards Information that feeds on social networks and fake news and explodes in hate speech, if not in physical violence, death threats or the most insidious reckless lawsuits.
Therefore, women journalists want to reflect on their way of reporting and offer their voices from the hot spots of social, political, religious, and environmental conflicts.
The Forum aims to be a space for reflection and enhancement of talents engaged on all “fronts” in defense of the right to information of citizens.
At the Forum, organized by the association “Gi.U.Li.A. journalists united free autonomous,” Apulian women journalists will dialogue with colleagues from national and international newspapers on the very eve of the international day of Nov. 25 with the intention of testifying repudiation for all forms of violence against women.
The presence of women reporters in the territories, as a testament to the values of Democracy and Peace, is the message that will be launched each year from Apulia through the Forum, creating bridges with other cities in the Mediterranean basin: a channel that will remain open 12 months with widespread bilingual (Italian and English) and multimedia communication.
Eight discussion panels with talks by some of the most influential names in Italian and international journalism:
–
Nurcan Baysal
(Turkish TV T24),
–
Lina Ben Mhenni
(Nobel Peace Prize nominee, blogger of A Tunisian girl),
–
Leila Ben Salah
(Radio Bullets),
–
Laura Cappon
(Rai 3),
–
Luciana Capretti
(writer, The Jihad of Women).
–
Ester Castano
(LaPresse agency),
–
Linda Dorigo
(freelance photojournalist),
–
Marilena Natale
(journalist under escort, editor of Piùenne web TV),
–
Fabiana Pacella
(freelance),
–
Giuliana Sgrena
(The Manifesto),
–
Arbana Xharra
(editor in chief of Zei newspaper – Kosovo).
The two-day proceedings will be closed by Carlotta Sami, UNHCR spokesperson, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Southern Europe.
Female guest journalists will be awarded the “Peace Envoy” award: they will be given an original sculpture symbolizing the daily effort of writing as a moment of building Democracy and Peace. The work was designed especially for the Forum by artist Salvatore Sava.
The forum is organized by Julia journalists on an idea of Marilù Mastrogiovanni thanks to contributions from: Corecom of the Apulia Region, Equality councilor of the Apulia Region, FNSI (Italian National Press Federation), USIGRai (Rai journalists union), Idea Dinamica coop of journalists and under the Patronage of the President of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini, Academy of the Crusca, Article 21, Oxygen for Information, University of Bari, Gender Archives at Uniba, University of Salento, LIM (Laboratorio Interdisciplinare del Mediterraneo), Centro Studi Osservatorio Donna at UniSalento, Associazione Una buona storia per Lecce, Comune di Lecce, CREIS (European research center for sustainable innovation).
