BBG Urges Stronger UN Action On Protecting Journalists

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is urging the United Nations to act to protect journalists from growing threats and attacks.

BBG is the independent federal Agency that oversees U.S. civilian international broadcasting, which includes Voice of America and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

BBG teamed with seven other government-supported international media organizations to ask the UN Security Council to help "bring justice" to those who hurt journalists and media workers.

Among other issues, BBG points out that journalists in Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Syria and Vietnam have been imprisoned for challenging media restrictions.

"In a world that is increasingly integrated and interdependent, attacks on journalists are attacks on civil society and the entire international system," said BBG Chair Jeff Shell in a statement. "The BBG urges the Security Council to take more aggressive steps to hold member states accountable…"

Shell is also chairman of NBCUniversal International.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.