The WPFC’S George Beebe Fund Provides Practical Assistance to News Media
Since 1977 the World Press Freedom Committee has made nearly 200 grants in its cooperative program to help news media and journalism schools of the developing world and, more recently, Central and Eastern Europe.
It also serves as a clearinghouse for equipment donated by print and broadcast media of the United States and Canada.
Each request is well screened, and the success of the program to date has been most heartening.
Major grants and programs as of Oct. 13, 1998 include:
University of Nairobi School of Journalism for equipment or laboratory newspaper.
University of Nairobi School of Journalism to co-sponsor a week-long seminar for newspaper editors from 18 African countries. This was held May 28-31, 1979, and was extremely successful, with two resource persons from the U.S.
International Press Institute to help underwrite an African seminar on economic and financial reporting in Nairobi, in 1977.
International Press Institute for air fares for five Portuguese journalists to spend a month at five U.S. newspapers.
For organizing and conducting a training school for print and broadcast reporters in Trinidad. Two resource persons split the assignment for three months each.
Partners of the Americas journalistic exchange program - 1977 and 1978.
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy toward a media conference at the University of Cairo, April 2-5, 1978.
Inter American Press Association for five seminars conducted in Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela (2) and Miami during 1978. The IAPA also sponsored a session at the ANPA Research Institute’s Production Management Conference in St. Louis for more than 30 Latin Americans.
Inter-American Association of Broadcasters for a feasibility study for a proposed Latin American Communications Center for print and broadcast students and professionals. Grant used for conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, June 15-18, 1978, for leading print and broadcast persons.
Nigerian Institute of Journalism for overhead projectors and transparency maker for use in training program.
Press Foundation of Asia toward a seminar for Asian-Pacific business writers in Kuala Lumpur.
To Wilbur Schramm, Centre for Communication Studies, Hong Kong, to continue his studies of international wire service coverage of Third World.
To Leonard Sussman of Freedom House for producing WPFC pamphlet to be distributed prior to Paris UNESCO General Conference in 1978.
Caribbean News Agency for seminar for its correspondents and stringers, November 21-24, 1978, in Barbados.
Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development at Kuala Lumpur, for training seminar for Asian broadcasters.
Inter American Press Association for help in monitoring UNESCO General Conference in Paris.
The Associated Press for producing a Spanish version of its film “Good News, Bad News...No News.” This included shipping to Latin distributors.
Caribbeana Council of Washington and Barbados for a study on how to improve telephone communications between the islands of the Caribbean.
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to help underwrite conference to consider coordination of news agencies.
Inter American Press Association to help underwrite Latin American seminars planned for 1979.
ACAN, the Central American News Agency, for a workshop held in San Jose in May 1979 for its bureau chiefs, correspondents and stringers.
International Federation of Newspaper Publishers for a seminar in Nairobi in 1979 on providing help for the rural press.
Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association for series of in-plant seminars for Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.
International Communications Council to help underwrite its Ottawa conference in September 1980.
For 1980 training program for reporters in Trinidad.
Inter American Press Association toward fund to re-equip La Prensa in Nicaragua after plant was destroyed by Somoza forces.
Second grant to Caribbeana Council for finalization of communication study and arranging for regional conference on the subject.
International Press Telecommunications Council in London to assist its fight for lower communication rates.
University of Nairobi for a three-day seminar in January 1980 on rural press of Kenya.
Inter American Press Association to help underwrite Caribbean and Latin American seminars in 1980.
International Press Institute for printing and distribution of Professor Warren Agee’s report on “The Drying Streams of International News.”
For a two-week print and broadcast seminar at the University of Khartoum in Sudan in September 1980. WPFC provided two resource persons.
Inter American Press Association for seminar at CIESPAL in Quito, October 1980.
University of Nigeria for a collection of books on journalism.
Grant to send Robert Gill, Seattle broadcaster and vice president of minority affairs of Bonneville International, for two-week visitation to Caribbean islands to assess media needs.
To Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in Kuala Lumpur for regional seminar in Poona, India.
Grant to William Harley to conduct California media discussions on the MacBride Commission Report and other challenges coming out of UNESCO.
International Communications Committee for Strasbourg meeting.
Second training program for reporters in Trinidad in 1981.
United States Commission for UNESCO to help defray expenses of meeting to brief members on Belgrade and other challenges, 1980.
To Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to arrange conference of leaders of the independent news media in Talloires, France, in May 1981.
To American Press Institute for one-week conference of Third World and U.S. editors to explore Third World news flow and news usage.
For third seminar at Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development, held in 1981.
For series of seminars in Caribbean at request of the Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association. First three held on Investigative Reporting in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica. Other subjects: Newspaper Design, Business and Financial Reporting, Production.
Five-month training program for reporters in Barbados, which started February 1, 1981, with two resource persons splitting the period of instruction.
For sending 26 books on journalism from Editor & Publisher Bookshelf, requested by Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy for study on Communist efforts to promote the Soviet flow of press functions.
International Press Institute toward survey of what Western and other developed nations are doing to assist Third World media.
To send expert to Barbados and Trinidad to advise on mechanical and production problems, November 1980.
To Associated Press toward expenses of training program in Malaysia for news agency workers, September 1982.
To Inter-American Association of Broadcasters for nation-by-nation study in Latin America on laws that would regulate the industry.
To American Society of Newspaper Editors to help bring journalists to U.S. for newspaper internships.
To FIPP (International Federation of Periodical Press) toward printing of report on UNESCO and media issues.
For six-week training program for mid-career newsmen in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, conducted by WPFC resource person during September-October 1982.
To FIEJ to help underwrite rural press seminar in Bangalore, India, February 1983.
To Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York, for monitoring abuses against news people.
To send two WPFC resource persons (print and broadcast) to colloquium sponsored by American University in Cairo, April 1983, on how to improve news flow.
Expenses of Alan Anderson, Miami radio station program director, to Barbados as consultant to Radio Rediffusion.
For regional workshop on radio news at Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in 1983.
To Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to arrange second Talloires, France, world conference of independent media news leaders held September 30-October 2, 1983.
Sending weekly publisher to Dominica as consultant to the New Chronicle.
Provision of graphics and photo expert for week-long seminars in Bangladesh and Nepal, October-November 1983.
To purchase British Council radio kits for Radio Workshop on St. Lucia.
To send veteran newsman Albert Fitzpatrick to Senegal, Liberia, Kenya and Tanzania to assess media needs and describe WPFC programs, leading to future projects.
Publication of Handbook for Caribbean Journalists, written entirely by leading journalists of that region, for use in training programs. This was a joint effort with Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association.
To Inter American Press Association for booklet to help newsmen on dangerous assignments work more safely.
To provide books on print and broadcast journalism for journalism schools in Liberia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Jordan.
Provision of print and broadcast instructional material to University of Liberia.
For printing FIEJ/IPDC Kenaf newsprint production report.
To Committee to Protect Journalists for work in documenting instances in which news people are abused.
To Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development for regional course on radio and television news held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1984.
Provision of expert for training course for mid-career journalists on Fiji newspapers.
Second grant to American Society of Newspaper Editors for newspaper internships for Third World journalists.
To provide printing press donated by ANPA Foundation to The Vincentian on St. Vincent.
Arranged sending of printing equipment to newspapers on Grenada and Dominica.
For seminar on rural journalism by University of Nairobi. The WPFC also provided a resource person for this seminar.
To Center for Foreign Journalists to update the List of Talloires, detailing several hundred training programs available to Third World journalists.
To Inter American Press Association Technical Center for two seminars for journalists in Panama and Argentina.
To Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development for 1985 news workshop in New Delhi, India.
Joint sponsorship with Inter American Press Association and Ecuadorean Association of Newspaper Editors of seminar on journalistic techniques held in Quito, February 1986.
Assistance with three-month 1986 training course for Barbados journalists.
Assistance with three-month training program at BERNAMA, the Malaysian news agency.
Arranged for Bahamas editor to receive training at Boca Raton News.
To ADEPA (Argentine Newspaper Publishers Association) to assist member newspapers in attending IAPA seminar on management techniques.
To provide books on journalism requested by the University of Liberia Communications Department.
Met the request of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation for books to be used in training and for recent employees.
To produce a Handbook for African Journalists, written by 16 leaders of African journalism -- a book designed for trainees and early career journalists.
To equip an office in Barbados for a trainer of Caribbean journalists, especially in the smaller islands.
For a two-week seminar in Port-au-Prince in July 1986 for Haitian journalists, which attracted 80 participants.
Third grant to ASNE for exchange internships for Third World journalists.
Grant to Index on Censorship to assist its press freedom monitoring work.
For 1987 edition of the CFJ Directory, detailing training, exchange and assistance programs for journalists from developing countries.
Support for three seminars on development journalism sponsored by the Sri Lanka Mass Communications Association.
Provided journalism textbooks for the University of Liberia; University of Maidiguri, Nigeria; the Mauritius Union of Journalists; Sri Lanka broadcasters; and the Indonesian Journalists Association.
Provided experts for June 1987 training seminar for Trinidad journalists held at the Trinidad Express.
Provided expert and helped support February 1988 seminar on basic newspaper journalism sponsored by the Andean colegio of periodicals (FACOP) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Provided support and expert for 1988 course in basic journalism in Barbados with the Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association for news people from smaller Caribbean islands (Eastern States).
Arranged distribution of Handbook for African Journalists to news media and journalism school in 47 African countries.
Assistance to the Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association to reprint (2,735 copies) of a WPFC-produced Handbook for Caribbean Journalists.
Support for the Inter American Press Association’s August 1988 seminar in Brazil for staff members from newspapers of circulation under 5,000.
Assistance to the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in Kuala Lumpur for a July-August 1988 program in Malaysia to train radio broadcasting trainers.
Support for the African Council on Communication Education’s October 1988 conference in Nigeria on “Communication and the Democratic Process in Africa.”
For a second printing of WPFC’s Handbook for African Journalists (3,000 copies) for further distribution in African countries and elsewhere.
Provided manual typewriters donated by the American Press Institute to newspapers, news agencies and schools and institutes of journalism in Burundi, Liberia, Ghana, Dominica, St. Lucia, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Philippines and Nigeria.
Provided journalism textbooks for CARIMAC, the Caribbean Institute of Mass Communication, Jamaica.
Provided journalism textbooks for the Institute of Mass Communication and Technology, Jos, Nigeria, and the Philippines Press Institute, Manila.
Support and co-sponsorship for IAPA training course for newspaper and radio journalists held in Asuncion, Paraguay, March 1989.
Support to Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development for a radio news course held in June 1989 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for participants from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Supported joint WPFC/IAPA Handbook for Latin American Journalists written by Spanish-language journalists.
Provided equipment for desk-top publishing training project for provincial newspapers in the Philippines.
Assistance to Caribbean Publishing and Broadcasting Association to hold a seminar in Barbados on “Journalism, the Law and the Public’s Interest.”
Provided equipment for new headquarters for the independent Polish Journalists Association (SDP).
Published and has given wide distribution to a Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe. First published in English, the handbook now also has been published in Polish. This was a joint WPFC project with the Polish Journalists Association (SDP) and the new Central and Eastern Europe Center for Communication in Warsaw. Editions are planned in other languages.
Gave financial support for establishing the regional Central and Eastern Europe Center for Communication in Warsaw.
Held in Warsaw a four-day seminar for journalists on newspaper operations. This was the inaugural activity at SDP’s new headquarters.
Conducted an early, comprehensive regional survey of needs of the emerging news media. This has been updated and is a basic document in the field.
Provided support for an inaugural FIEJ newspaper management seminar in Budapest.
Shipped crates of textbooks on accounting, data processing and management to the Polish Journalists Association.
Administered a joint Central and Eastern Europe News Media Aid Project for six international organizations. This helped to provide a press for Gazeta Wyborcza in Warsaw and start-up support for Lidove Noviny in Prague.
Convened Voices of Freedom ‘90, which brought 85 organizations together in Washington, D.C., to assess what was being done to help news media in Central and Eastern Europe and how to do it better.
Provided office equipment for the new, independent Czech Journalists Syndicate.
Supplied a desktop publishing kit for demonstration and production use by Tigodnik Powszechney newspaper in Krakow, Poland.
Provided demonstration desktop publishing equipment for the Central and Eastern Europe Center for Communication in Warsaw.
Supplied a similar desktop publishing kit for Nap weekly newspaper and sister publications in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.
Coordinated efforts to provide introductory AP service to newspapers in the region presently served by government news agencies, with an initial project supported by Ottaway Newspapers for Lidove Noviny in Prague.
Conducted a three-man, three-week training and consultation mission in June-July, 1991 at Brno, Czechoslovakia; Timisoara, Romania; and Sofia, Bulgaria.
Provided funds to Lidove Noviny in Prague, Czechoslovakia, to complete purchase of needed image-setting equipment.
Provided U.S. expert and co-sponsored a seminar at the Central and Eastern European Center for Communication in Warsaw on legislation to strengthen press freedom.
Provided 200 copies of WPFC’s Handbook for African Journalists to the Center for Foreign Journalists for distribution during a series of seminars for African journalists.
Helped coordinate for ASNE requests for services of more than 150 American editors who volunteered to help.
Chaired a two-day symposium in Moscow in September 1991 on the role of a free press in democratic societies.
Held, with five other international press organizations, a colloquium in Warsaw in October 1991 on the state of the press in Poland.
WPFC’s European Representative, Ronald Koven, conducted a survey of needs and project possibilities in the three Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Held training course in Barbados with the Caribbean Publishing & Broadcasting Association for Caribbean journalists.
Provided Associated Press Service to eastern European newspaper including: Democratsija, Sofia, Bulgaria; Zycie Warszaw, Warsaw, Poland; Diena, Riga, Latvia; Lietuvos Rytas, Vilnius, Lithuania; Postimees, Tartu, Estonia; Smena, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; Timosoara, Romania; Czas Krakowski, Krakow, Poland; Expres, Bucharest, Romania; Mlada Fronta, Prague, Czechoslovakia; Lidove Noviny, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Co-sponsored with Inter American Press Association a training seminar in Honduras for smaller newspapers of Central America.
Provided desktop publishing software for training center in Warsaw, Poland and for newspapers in Krakow, Poland, and Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.
Published 2nd Edition of Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in English.
Translated and printed Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Hungarian.
Published and distributed Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Czech.
Conducted workshop for journalists of Baltic countries in Riga, Latvia.
Grants to continue Associated Press Service to Lidove Noviny, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Translated and printed Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Russian.
Translated and printed Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Bulgarian.
Translated and printed Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Romanian.
Grant for core book collection for the American Journalism Center Library in Budapest, Hungary.
Co-sponsored and provided speaker to Russian Union of Journalists for 1993 World Press Freedom Day.
Grant for camera equipment for New Chronicle on Dominica.
Support for workshop for journalists of Baltic countries in Riga, Latvia.
Shipped journalism texts to Dore Numa College in Nigeria.
Completed and published 1990 survey of news media needs in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Provided resource person for IDEE seminar in Romania.
Co-sponsored and helped conduct seminar for journalists in Moscow on election coverage in December 1993.
Second printing of Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Czech.
Provided Associated Press Service to the eastern European newspaper, Timosoara, Romania.
Shipped donated journalism texts to University of Liberia.
Seminar with IAPA on Business Reporting for Caribbean Project in Barbados in May 1995.
Support for new Cameroon Press Freedom Organization (OCALIP).
Assistance to newspaper Nasa Borba, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Shipped donated texts to journalism school in Liberia.
Grant for Buro de Prensa Independiente de Cuba.
Seminar in Nicaragua for Latin journalists with IAPA.
Printed and distributed revised, updated 2nd edition of Handbook for African Journalists.
Support for printing Freedom House ‘96 Map of Press Freedom.
Grant for The Right to Pictures & Words, Belgrade.
Shipped journalism books to Nigeria, Cameroon.
Grant to Express Chronicle, Moscow, to hold human rights reporting seminar.
Provide press to print Tatar-language newspapers in Crimea.
Support for seminar on management, printing and distribution techniques for 10 publishers and editors from Belarus at Warsaw’s Central and Eastern European Media Center.
Funding for follow-on internships organized by the Center and the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe for these journalists with Polish news media.
Assistance in maintaining administrator’s position at regional Pacific Islands News Association.
Co-sponsorship, with Freedom House, of its 1997 global Map of World Press Freedom.
Provide 1-year subscription to Reuter news service for new Albanian-language daily Koha, in Prishtina, Kosovo, Serbia.
Co-sponsor with IAPA a April 1997 seminar for newsroom executives in the English-speaking Caribbean in Barbados.
Provision of periodicals for Leonard H. Marks Library at the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.
Emergency assistance to the Montserrat Times, destroyed by volcanoes, for training staff of replacement newspaper, The Leeward Messenger.
Provide 10 fax machines and modems for use by correspondents of Express Chronicle, a Russian human rights weekly.
Extension of Reuter wire service subscription for Koha, Kosovo, Serbia.
Provision of expert to conduct 1997 workshop on current press freedom issues and challenges, Centers for Pluralism, Tuzla, Bosnia.
Funding for training course in use of Internet for journalists of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Co-sponsor with IAPA a Spring 1998 training program for regional journalists of the Caribbean, Kingston, Jamaica.
Provide funding to Glastnost Defense Foundation in Russia for a lawyer to monitor legislative initiatives relating to news media.
Fund internships in June 1998 for 15 Bulgarian Roma journalists to receive journalism training at Bulgarian newspapers upon completion of training workshop at American University in Bulgaria.
Co-sponsor with Committee to Protect Journalists a conference of regional journalists in Bangkok to form a needed press freedom alliance for Southeast Asia.
Publish, with Freedom House, its color Map of Press Freedom 1998.
Reprint 10,000 copies of 152-page Handbook for Journalists of Central and Eastern Europe in Russian to meet continuing demand.
New edition of this handbook (2,500 copies) in English, retitled Handbook for Journalists for broader distribution.
The World Press Freedom Committee, serving as a clearinghouse for equipment donated by U.S. newspapers and broadcasters, also has sent machines to news media in a number of countries, and coordinated other shipments.
