Location: Tunisia, Tunis
Date: September 25, 2020

Available in: 🇸🇦  عربي

Tunisian Press Council is formed following two years of rigorous preparation. The council is a nonprofit independent entity that aims to protect press freedom and defend citizen's access to right to information. The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the formation of Tunisian Press Council as a right step towards ensuring press freedom.

Tunisian Press Council consists of 10 members and it’s the first of its nature in the Arab region. Media outlets and non-governmental organizations collaborated with the Tunisian government to form the council. Members of the council are experts in media, representatives of virtual, visual, and written media outlets in addition to geographical and demographical representation.

Half of the council budget would be provided by the government and the rest will be provided by the National Syndicate of Tunisian journalists, the public union for media, the Tunisian Association for defending human rights, and other non governmental entities.

President of the council, Etidal Abdelmajid who is a journalist herself explained that the council will work on protecting press freedom and self-organizing the journalistic scene to connect with audiences and raise their awareness about the role of media in society. Etidal added, council members will be working on a voluntary basis and gender balance was ratified for the council formation.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is thrilled by the formation of Tunisian Press Council and what it implies to the state of press freedom in Tunisia. The council which is led by a woman journalist and consists half of its members from women in journalism, is an example of how the media scene can be reshaped to treat women journalists fairly with fair representation. CFWIJ welcomes this progressive step and invites other countries in the region to follow Tunisia’s example to empower women journalists and bolster press freedom.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.

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