Balibo victims to be honoured with new journalism scholarship
On the 40th anniversary of their deaths at the hands of Indonesian troops, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) will commemorate the Balibo Five by establishing a permanent scholarship in their name to develop journalism skills in East Timor.
Five young journalists working for Australia’s Seven and Nine networks – reporter Greg Shackleton, camera operator Gary Cunningham, sound recordist Tony Stewart (all from Seven), reporter Malcolm Rennie and camera operator Brian Peters (both from Nine) – were killed in the village of Balibo after witnessing an incursion by Indonesian soldiers on October 16 1975. Their killers have never been brought to justice.
MEAA chief executive officer Paul Murphy said: “We join with the families of the five young journalists in remembering them today, and renew calls for a full and proper war crimes investigation.
“The five journalists were upholding their profession’s finest traditions in reporting to the rest of the world the threat of invasion of East Timor.
“The 2007 coronial inquest found that the five journalists were deliberately murdered by members of the Indonesian special forces under instructions from high command, but four decades later no-one has faced justice – an appalling example of impunity over the killing of journalists. Quite literally, those responsible have got away with murder for 40 years.”
MEAA will establish the new scholarship in the memory of the Balibo Five and also Roger East, an Australian freelance journalist working for AAP and Reuters who was executed in Dili on 8 December 1975.
To be known as the ‘Balibo Five-Roger East Scholarship’, it will sponsor travel, study expenses and living costs for East Timorese journalists to develop skills and training in Australia.
It is anticipated that their studies would be short courses at major Australian journalism schools. We would also seek to facilitate short work placements in print or broadcast newsrooms.
MEAA will provide seed funding for the scholarship. The International Federation of Journalists will assist in identifying suitable recipients among journalists in East Timor. The families of the Balibo Five and Roger East have been consulted in putting together the scholarship.
“We believe a practical program like this is the most appropriate way for our union to honour and commemorate the Balibo Five and Roger East,” Murphy said.
“A little over a decade since East Timor became an independent sovereign state, press freedom is still fragile and there are few formal structures to develop journalism skills.
“By providing a scholarship for journalists from East Timor to study and spend time with experienced Australian journalists, we hope that we can help build a strong free press there.”
Balibo victims to be honoured with new journalism scholarship
On the 40th anniversary of their deaths at the hands of Indonesian troops, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) will commemorate the Balibo Five by establishing a permanent scholarship in their name to develop journalism skills in East Timor.
Last update: October 22, 2015
