Tuesday May 3,2006
News update- Iran-Emroozonline reporting from ILNA :

In celebrating the International Press Freedom Day ( May 3rd) in Tehran :
Five outstanding journalists of the country have been awarded !

In a special celebration for the International Press Freedom Day five journalists of the country namely Mr. Akbar Ganji, Mr. Mohammad Bluri , Mr. Masud Behnud , Ms. Leila Rastgar and Mr. Amid Naeini were awarded .

In an interview with ILNA , Mr. Mohammad Bluri one of the experienced journalist have said : Unfortunately in Iran's media , still we haven't find ways to compete with the large media in the world .He also said that :The reason why the newspapers publication is low is because the managers of the newspapers without having any information about journalism have intered into this field.He added again that : It isn't journalism for the managers that they are looking but instead they are using it to protect their position or to gain into higher position.
Ms. Leila Rastgar Have said : Journalist is a watchdog , but if a journalist doesn't have job security for himself , he can't protect the security of others and act as a watchdog.
She said : Journalism in Iran does not have social security, job security, income security and doesn't have any rights and these journalists are not journalists any more .
Akbar Ganji in this celebration said : The golden pen should be given to Mr. Hajarian and not me !
While criticizing the situation of Iran's newspapers said : I have heared many time that people are saying ; we have crossed from political and party journalism to professional journalism, as if the newspapers that have been closed were all political and warring newspapers and the present newspapers are the professional newspapers. It is been said that the work of intellectuals are to discover the truth and look at things critically. It is been said that there should be a division of works meaning the political activist will do his job and journalist do his, but in the history there was nothing like this and in Iran too .He said journalism is what journalists did all over the world during the course of history .
He said : Journalists are the people who does look critically into the power and are created to inform people meaning to bring those information that the people do not know.
He said : Journalists in undemocratic societies must show the angles of hidden politics to people.The history of journalism is the history of struggle and journalists around the world always have fought for democracy and human rights. The freedom won't be achieved without struggle.
He said : But i have to say that if we challenge the power they will bann the newspapers , so we must not say that; by paying all the price in order to be a professional journalist or being independent does'nt worth.
He added: Unfortunately today our journalists are speaking with the language of " Hafez " they write with ambiguity so what they say has thousands of meaning .
Ganji said : In a democratic society when early in the morning someone knocks our door we are sure someone have brought milk for us but in an undemocratic societies it is not known that they have brought milk or an agent have come to take us away.
He said : Today the media in Iran are crossing the most difficult part of their history but "rights are to be taken not to be given " and we have no other choice than critically look into the power.
Ganji also said : In a country where the state does not recognize the area of privacy and there are no civil society therefore everything becomes political .

End/
Link to this news in Farsi :
http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/news/more/8236/