Voice of America English news ignores Nobel Peace laureates appeal to free Liu Xiaobo, posts news on finishing schools in Switzerland and British royal christening

BBG Watch Commentary

While posting a Reuters report on finishing schools in Switzerland and five reports on the British royal christening, the Voice of America (VOA) English website ignored an appeal from Nobel Peace laureates to the Chinese government to free dissident writer Liu Xiaobo, also a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Last Swiss Finishing School Admits Men for First Time, VOA – Reuters, Oct. 25, 2013.

VOA English news did not report on the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, held at about the same time in Warsaw, Poland. It also did not report that American actress Sharon Stone received from them the Nobel Peace Award for her activism on behalf of AIDS victims. The Dalai Lama and Solidarity leader, Poland’s former president Lech Walesa, and Iranian human rights lawyer Dr. Shirin Ebadi participated in the summit meeting.

The public Facebook page of Voice of America director David Ensor shows under “Recent Activity” that he had checked the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates Facebook page, but it did not result in any VOA English news coverage.

Special Statement on Liu Xiaobo

We deeply regret that our fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo cannot be here with us in Warsaw, Poland to celebrate human solidarity and peace. This distinguished writer and professor is a prisoner of conscience incarcerated in Jinzhou, Liaoning, China.

We respectfully call upon the government of China to release our fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Lui Xiaobo. He, like us, is an advocate for nonviolence, debate and dialogue. He has called for progress in democracy and citizen participation in governance. These are benefits not threats to any society.

China is a great nation with a growing dynamic economy. In recent years it has uplifted millions of its citizens from material poverty. It is time for China to demonstrate its full confidence in universal human rights and thus freedom of expression.

Human rights are inherent in our humanity; they are universal, not western or eastern. Our commitment to human solidarity compels us to call for the release of all prisoners of conscience everywhere.

We, As Nobel Peace Prize recipients, remind our Chinese friends that freedom of non-violent expression, freedom of speech and conscience, strengthen society and enhance culture, wellbeing, and the quality of life. Freeing our colleague Lui Xiaobo and other prisoners of conscience will be abenefit to China and the world.

President Walesa
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Amnesty International
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Shirin Ebadi
International Peace Bureau/ Colin Archer
Betty Williams
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
Jody Williams

Warsaw, October 23, 2013

Sharon Stone has received the Peace Summit Award in Warsaw

Three days of debates, Nobel Peace Laureates from around the world, twenty youth workshops, several thousand participants and the winner of the Peace Summit Award – Sharon Stone. On Wednesday the 13th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates officially came to an end.

This year’s Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates took place in Warsaw on 21-23 October and was attended by such prominent guests as former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama, former President of South Africa Frederik Willem de Klerk, Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Irish peace activists Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan-Maugire, the originator of microcredit Muhammad Yunus, as well as representatives of Nobel Peace Prize awarded organisations. A special guest of the Summit was Samia Nkrumah, social activist and daughter of the first Ghana’s President.

During the Summit debates Nobel Peace Laureates talked about the most topical issues related to peace, democracy and human rights. The themes raised at official meetings were followed up during the afternoon youth workshops held as part of the Civic Academy, a recurring project of the Lech Wałęsa Institute.

The last day of the Summit featured an official ceremony presenting the Peace Summit Award. Since 1999, the Award has been annually bestowed to high-profile cultural or entertainment personalities who act to address problems of the modern world. This year’s Peace Summit Award was presented to the actress Sharon Stone for her “activities that brought solidarity and new hope to the millions of people who have fought and are fighting against the tragedy of HIV/AIDS”. Accepting the prize from Nobel Peace Laureates, the actress called the audience to support her charitable work.

On the final day of the three days of debates, Presidents De Klerk and Wałęsa announced that the next year’s World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates will be held in Capetown, South Africa.

 

The VOA English website had five separate news reports on the royal christening in Great Britain while the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates was taking place. None of these reports received more than 20 Facebook “Likes” on the VOA site as of Monday evening, October 28, 2013. One had zero “Likes.” Another one had only three. At least two of these reports were from Reuters.

Reuters did have a video report on Sharon Stone receiving her Peace Summit Award. VOA English news did not use it.

Britain’s Future Monarch Christened in Low-Key London Ceremony

October 23, 2013 12:19 PM

and friends, and named only one member of the royal family as a godparent to George – William’s cousin Zara Philips. The other six godparents are friends of the royal couple. All seven godparents were among the attendees of the christening, along with Prince William’s father Prince Charles and step-mother Camilla, and his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The low-key nature of the ceremony appeared to reflect a desire by Prince William and Kate to protect the privacy of their son, while the naming of friends as his godparents showed their willingness to update royal customs.

Among five reports on the VOA website on the royal christening in Britain, none has more than 20 Facebook “Likes” as of Monday afternoon, October 28, 2013, one has zero Facebook “Likes” and another one has three.

Zones: Breaking News , Europe