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The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest
global union federation A global union federation (GUF) is an international federation of national trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups. Historically, such federations in the social democratic tradition described as international t ...
of
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
s'
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
s in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate member of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
and has represented journalists at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
since 1953 (UN/
ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
). It works with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD. The IFJ President is the Moroccan journalist and trade unionist Younes Mjahed. Anthony Bellanger, a French journalist and trade unionist, is the organisation's General Secretary. Upon request, the IFJ delivers the International Press Card to members of its affiliated organisations, the only press pass endorsed by national journalists' organisations in more than 130 countries. The Federation's headquarters are located in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
(155, rue de la Loi).


History

The International Federation of Journalists was founded in 1926 in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, on the initiative of the French Syndicat national des journalistes (SNJ). At the time, it represented about 25 000 media workers from about twenty countries and had its headquarters in Paris. Its first President was the French reporter Georges Bourdon. With the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
put an end to the IFJ's activities in Paris. A few union then decided to form in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
the International Federation of Journalists of the Allies or free countries (IFJAFC), whose first Congress took place in 1941. IFJAFC dissolved in 1946, once the war over, becoming the International Organisation of Journalists (IOJ). As a result of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
, the International Federation of Journalists was relaunched in 1952 at a World Congress in Brussels attended by 49 delegates. It will be competed by the IOJ, based in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and composed mainly of national journalists' unions from Central and Eastern Europe and developing countries, until the 1990s. The IFJ was officially recognised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) and
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
. At IFJ Second World Congress in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
in 1954, delegates representing more than 43 000 media workers from 21 unions in 18 countries adopted the IFJ Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists, the first widely recognised text on journalistic ethics. The gradual disappearance of the IOJ in the 1990s gave a new impetus to the IFJ, with the membership of national trade unions from non-aligned states or from the former Soviet bloc. At the same time, IFJ encouraged the regionalisation of its activities and regional offices appeared in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe. In 2019, IFJ 30th World Congress took place for the first time in Africa and in an Arab Country, in
Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...
,
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. The Congress proved historical also because the 300 delegates from more than 100 countries adopted the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists, which reinforced the ethical standards laid down by the 1954 IFJ Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists.


Priorities and campaigns

The International Federation of Journalists supports and organises union of journalists’ activities in defending their rights and press freedom worldwide. It fights for the improvement of journalists' working conditions and rights:
freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
, fair remuneration, stable employment and decent pay,
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
and the fight against all forms of discrimination, copyright protection,
freedom of association Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline mem ...
, safety.... In this regard, it campaigns for the adoption of standards aimed at protecting the journalists’ rights and strengthening collective agreements. Freelance journalists’ rights are a priority concern for the IFJ, which encourages its affiliates to integrate them in their structures. The IFJ deals with various threats to press freedom: media concentration, repressive laws, censorship, intimidations, impunity for crimes against media workers...


Gender equality

The Federation promotes equality between women and men journalists in editorial offices and the workplace, in trade unions and in the content of information. IFJ Gender Council was founded in 2001 and is composed of representatives of organisations affiliated to the IFJ. It is an advisory body that sets the organisation's priorities in terms of gender equality and LGBTI representation. The IFJ's objectives for achieving equality include: equal pay, women's access to positions of responsibility in both the media and trade unions, conciliation of private and professional life, combating all forms of harassment, discrimination and violence against women journalists, balanced and unbiased representation of women and men in information content and at all levels of the media industry.


Safety

Since 1990, the IFJ has published an annual report (the "Killed list") which documents cases of journalists and media staff killed during the course of each year. It uses the information to campaign for greater safety for journalists, particularly local and freelance reporters and support staff who lack the resources to protect themselves in conflict zones. The annual reports are archived on the website. Since 1992, the Federation has also had a Safety Fund to support journalists (and their families) when faced with persecution. It has become internationally recognised as an important and crucial source of support for journalists under threat. It is the only international assistance fund for journalists established by journalists. The Safety Fund is an integral part of the IFJ Safety Programme which includes casework, protests, campaigns, provision of information and production of various publications. Besides, the IFJ organises safety trainings for journalists working in dangerous areas.


Organization

The IFJ Head Office is located in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
. The Federation has regional organisations in Africa (Federation of African Journalists – FAJ), Europe ( European Federation of Journalists) and Latin America (Federación de Periodistas de América Latina y el Caribe -FEPALC). Regional offices are located in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
(
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
),
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
(
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
),
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
(
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
). The Congress is the supreme organ of the Federation. Every three years, it brings together delegates from all its member unions. Moroccan journalist and trade unionist Younes Mjahed was elected IFJ President during IFJ Congress in Tunis in 2019. He succeeded the Belgian journalist Philippe Leruth, elected at the Angers Congress in 2016. French journalist and trade unionist Anthony Bellanger has been the IFJ General Secretary since 2015. He was First General Secretary of the French Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ) from 2011 to 2014.


List of IFJ Presidents


List of General Secretaries


See also

* National Union of Journalists *
Global union federation A global union federation (GUF) is an international federation of national trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups. Historically, such federations in the social democratic tradition described as international t ...
*
International Freedom of Expression Exchange IFEX, formerly International Freedom of Expression Exchange, is a global network of 124 independent non-governmental organisations that work at a local, national, regional, or international level to defend and promote freedom of expression as a ...
*
National Writers Union National Writers Union (NWU), founded on 19 November 1981, is the trade union in the United States for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book and short fiction authors, business and technical writers, web content providers and poets. ...
* Association of Iranian Journalists *
Tunisia Monitoring Group The Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG) is a coalition of 21 free-expression organisations that belong to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the righ ...
* National Union of Somali Journalists


References


Membership info at IFJ website


External links

*
International News Safety Institute
{{Authority control Freedom of expression organizations International organisations based in Belgium Journalists' trade unions Organisations based in Brussels Trade unions established in 1926