TNG-CWA's Lunzer Speaks in Iraq on Importance of Free Press and Media Unions

TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer and joins Iraqi and other journalists at a conference on press freedom.

TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer and TNG-CWA member Rob Davila, a copy editor at the Seattle Times, joined hundreds of international journalists at a conference in Baghdad last weekend to promote a free press in Iraq's emerging democracy.

Speakers also included Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Aiden White, secretary-general of the International Federation of Journalists.

"I discussed how it's really strong, independent trade unions that can protect a free press," Lunzer said.

The conference was sponsored by the Iraqi Journalist Syndicate and the IFJ. Participants also discussed ways to better protect the safety of media workers in Iraq.

Nearly 300 media workers, most of them working for news organizations in other countries, have been killed in Iraq since 2003. As western media companies close their news bureaus, they are growing more dependent on Iraqi journalists and interpreters to tell the story there.

"It's important to understand the key role professional journalism plays in democracy and civil society," Lunzer said. "We can learn a lot from the courage of the Iraqi journalists. They know that the fate of their country is tied to credible, honest information, and they put everything on the line."