Apr-16-2012
What sets William apart, is that he covers the world as a whole, rather than concentrating on one specific region or country.
Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador, William Gomes |
(SALEM / DHAKA) - We are pleased to announce the appointment of our writer William Gomes of Bangladesh, to the position of Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador. In this rapidly changing world, we believe this newly-created position and program, are large steps in raising our effectiveness as a news agency that has now expanded to include coverage from 100 reporters, in 22 countries worldwide.
William Gomes concentrates on humanity; his advocacy of human beings in dangerous, preventable circumstances does in fact, lead to some of our most vital reports, because they give a voice to the otherwise voiceless.
This of course is a mission of Salem-News.com, a tireless band of writers, many of whom constantly explore the stinging issues surrounding human rights violations all over the world. We have long been a voice for the downtrodden, the people who fight for human independence, and resistance movements in the world that battle fascism and state terrorism.
What sets William apart, is that he covers the world as a whole, rather than concentrating on one specific region or country.
The appointment of William Gomes to this post is a result of his understanding of the broad spectrum of world human rights injustices, and his grasp on the issues that lead to the opportunity to drive intervention. Sometimes he writes letters about people held as political prisoners on the verge of death. Again I stress that human rights reporting is our centerpiece; and in that respect our reporters are all incredible ambassadors for humanity.
Suffering is something that almost always takes place in near-silence. We strongly object to this because the Internet is the key communication tool in freeing people from the bonds of inhumanity.
William has spent years building inroads with officials that have the power to politically intervene. His accomplishments are admirable. He has nurtured all of his relationships with intense professionalism and he is regarded as a patient, factual reporter.
Perhaps most importantly, he has also become a magnet for those who are suffering.
His contacts and resources regularly supply him with an updated list of enterprising stories that reveal human suffering in places like India, Vietnam, Peru, the United States, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, the UK and a long list of other countries.
Harnessing Effectiveness
Most journalists only write stories; William Gomes works at a higher level, by directly contacting officials responsible for the suffering and informing them of the fact that the case is known and publicized, and that they must enact change, following laws designated by their own governments, and higher world bodies like the United Nations.
What good are we in electronic journalism, when we only talk and write about issues? This is where established ways of thinking conflict with the new. The old adage, 'The reporter is not part of the story' holds true; however there are new tools and we have to use these as journalists if we are doing this job for the right reason.
We can hope and pray that elected officials catch our reports, and that the reports cause a change in their thinking, and inevitably their behavior. We and our advocates can forward those reports to the appropriate officials, however nothing has shown to be more effective than writing personal letters to them, as William Gomes' success has proven.
Another powerful aspect of Internet reporting is the fact that our many readers can actively engage in the process when it is designed this way.
The single most important aspect may be encouraging the public to join by individually contacting officials and their handlers. All this requires on our part, is a small amount of groundwork in producing telephone numbers and email address of officials.
New Kind of Journalist
Born in Dhaka, William Nicholas Gomes has a rich background as a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from 2009 to 2011, and was accredited as a freelance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh.
He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth.
During this time he produced many notable reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by credible news outlets all over the world.
William Gomes took his reporting experience in a different direction, working for the Asian Human Rights Commission, a group whose reports are often carried by Salem-News.com. This regional non-governmental organization monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
One thing a human rights reporter quickly learns, is that nearly every incident or case involves one or more violations of national or international law. While we are often disappointed in the way governments and their agencies fail to follow these laws, we are cognizant of these facts:
- Violators of human rights strongly detest having their activities published by credible online media;
- Human rights agencies can bring much pressure on governments;
- International courts and legal systems do maintain a level of integrity;
- And, that in a general sense, there are always new ways new media can bring pressure on officials, causing them to amend behaviors and enforce rights and laws.
With his background as both a journalist and human rights activist, William defines the emerging role of the higher functioning world reporter.
"We are very excited about the inclusion of this new role for William, he is already seeing progress from his letters to high level officials who are capable of resolving serious issues. There are people in really tough circumstances in need of intervention, this will be an increasingly powerful method in helping draw public attention to the ordeals they face," Tim King, News Editor for Salem-News.com said.
People from different parts of the world can send a congratulations letter to:
New Delhi:
Dr. Paul Newman is a Professor of Human Rights at the University of Bangalore, India. He participated at the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions held in March 2012 in Geneva. He shares his thoughts as to what really happened with regard to the U.S sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka which was supported by Canada, analyses the background that led to the current situation and suggests where the Tamils should go from here.
We will get them out of the camp, but resettling people in high security zone is a policy decision that I have no control over
