Published: 30 April 2014
Region: Worldwide
For the first time ever, Reporters Without Borders is publishing a list of profiles of “100 information heroes” who “through their courageous work of activism help to promote the freedom enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
Marking World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, this list of “100 information heroes” comprises women and men of almost all ages (25 to 75) and 65 nations. One of the heroes is Abeer Saady, Egyptian journalist who is the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) trainer and one of the members of the jury for the MDI Inclusive Journalism Award in Egypt.
“Well known in the Egyptian media, Abeer Saady has been writing constantly in Arabic and English on the most important subjects for the past 23 years. Whether at the Libyan war front or on the streets of Cairo, she seems to be everywhere. Hundreds of journalists throughout the Middle East know her, as she has given safety training to journalists working in hostile areas in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Bahrain and elsewhere.
As well as being deputy editor of the daily Al-Akhbar, she has been elected vice-president and member of the board of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate for three terms, and ran its training department, hosting seminars and training sessions. But now she has had enough. Publicly criticizing the union’s silence in the face of all the arrests, violence and murders targeting journalists, she has announced that she is freezing her involvement. She urged her colleagues to consider the ‘catastrophic ramifications of silence in response to this attack on the safety, security and dignity of journalists.’
Twelve journalists have been killed in Egypt since 2011 and more than 20 are currently detained”, says Reporters Without Borders in the profile of Abeer Saady.
“This obviously non-exhaustive list pays homage not only to the 100 famous and less well known people on it, but also to all the professional and non-professional journalists who constantly help to shed light on the world and cover every aspect of its reality. This initiative aims to show that the fight for freedom of information requires not only active support for the victims of abuses but also the promotion of those who can serve as models.”
The list of “100 information heroes” comprises women and men of almost all ages (25 to 75) and 65 nations. The full list of 100 Information Heroes can be seen here.