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ICF MISSION STATEMENT

The International Communications Forum (ICF), founded in 1991, recognizes that the media is one of the world’s most powerful forces for good or ill. The media does not just report and reflect society but often shapes its direction. The ICF aims to:

  • strengthen public confidence in the media;
  • promote the bonds of trust within democratic societies;
  • inspire a commitment to service on the part of those who work in the media.

The ICF is committed to media ethics and the freedoms of expression and information. These need to be accompanied by a high sense of responsibility and respect for every audience. The ICF expects of media practitioners the same standards of integrity that they wish to see in all public servants. Through conferences and training programmes, ICF demonstrates its ethos on the basis of people-to-people and conscience-to-conscience dialogue.

We are delighted to announce the imminent publication of Media Values

 

Shortly before his death in 2009 Bill Porter suggested the publication of a book in which colleagues could highlight in many different ways the fundamental principles of the ICF. Media Values is that book, drawing together 29 chapters inspired by Bill Porter - a timely celebration of his life and his inspirational campaign.

 

Commenting on the book, Sir David Bell, recently retired chairman of theFinancial Times writes: “This is an impressive book inspired by a remarkable man who was devoted to the simple idea that the media can have high standards and prepared to campaign tirelessly to make this idea come alive. As this book shows, his impact was considerable and the torch which he lit is burning stronger than ever.”

 

Media Values is edited by Professor Richard Keeble, University of Lincoln, and published by Troubador Publishing in their Communication Ethics series.  The book will be available from September 2010. Click here for more details.

 

 

For Sri Lankan journalist Sonali Samarasinghe, it was a night to remember when she accepted on 21 April on behalf of her late husband, Lasantha Wickramatunga, the 2009 Freedom of the Press award from the National Press Club in Washington. He was murdered on 8 January 2009 after predicting he would be in a now-famous editorial to run, as it was, after his death. He had been relentless in exposing wrongdoing in the government as editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader in Colombo.

 

The ICF will be actively represented in three of this year’s Caux conferences, to be held at the Initiatives of Change centre in the Alpine village of Caux, Switzerland in July and August.

Never before has Poland lived through such an emotional time. Even the trauma following Pope John Paul II’s death was not so intense. Thousands and thousands of people have come to the presidential palace, bringing, in tears and prayers, flowers and candles. It takes an estimated 13 hours of waiting in line to pay tribute for a few seconds in front of the coffins of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria. People are still flowing in from all over Poland.

Bernard Margueritte, President of the International Communications Forum and well-known broadcaster in Poland, delivered a speech on ‘Family - Media - Development’ during an international conference entitled ‘Poland for the Family, the Family for Poland’ in the Polish Parliament, held 9-10 March.