Australasian Update, Autumn 2007

WHEN someone in the news business dies because of their work, the shock waves begin in the newsroom but reverberate well beyond it, slamming into families who have not only lost a loved one, but often also their main breadwinner.

Two organisations, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Vintu Foundation for Excellency in Education and Journalism, have jointly launched a program to provide much-needed support to some of those families.

News of the project was released on May 3 to coincide with World Press Freedom Day and IFJ General Secretary Aiden White said the special-assistance fund would provide a year’s support “to some of the neediest families’’.

“The grants issued under this special program will help ease some of the terrible financial strain that families are under,” Mr White said.

“We can never compensate for the hurt and injustice, but it is intolerable that the families left behind after targeted assassinations should suffer economically as well. This co-operation we hope will expand into a network of support which will reach out to assist the thousands who suffer when journalists are killed.”

He said the fund would provide monthly payments for a year to 10 journalists’ families who lost a relative to violence related to that person’s work as a journalist.

The selected recipients come from all parts of the world: Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Delegated-administrator of the Vintu Foundation, Cristian Unteanu, said the collaboration with IFJ would allow the families in most need to be identified.

“We see this fund as a way to help families get back on their feet after devastating loss,” Mr Unteanu said.