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About US

Workpress is a group of journalists, newspaper editors, lawyers, engineers and specialists cryptologists rights of the press and communication technologies. Under the auspices of the WKP Foundation, Workpress respects the commitments of the Busan Partnership agreement on transparency and responsibility shared with its members, partners or sponsors. Private individual, association, union, media organization or company, our partners or sponsors share the know-how, technology and logistics platforms in order to share and reduce costs of services provided to our members.

 

Financing and independence

Workpress is funded exclusively by contributions from media outlets, businesses and the contributions of its Members. To guarantee full political and financial independence Workpress does not accept grants or contribution in cash of an annual combined amount above US $ 2,500. The contribution of our sponsors essentially consists of goods or services: IT licenses, workforce affected, storage areas, technical and legal support, computer equipment, program editing, publishing and training modules trades the press.

 

Our mission

1 – Provide journalist or press workers  an international press status not subject to national regulation that facilitates and protects his journalistic activities (1).

2 – Journalist status in line with Article 19 of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), ratified by 168 countries (3). This status of journalist and our tools limit for governments, companies and organizations using internal regulations (license, local press card …) or means of pressure in order to control or restrict the action or work journalists.

3 – Members offer legal or technical tools for :

Circumvent regulatory barriers, materials or technology that hinder or prevent the exercise of the journalistic profession in many countries;

Formalize the « Press status » of its investigations, press reports, shots, analyzes… through letters of mission or accreditation requests come from international news agencies;

Secure communications, its email and internet activities to put them out of reach of authoritarian governments or powerful organizations;

Locate the storage of its files, sensitive records and archives; its alternative telephone operator; e-mail server that it uses in a country whose Constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure prohibit the searches in a newspaper company;

Simplify and automate the filing of its work under copyright – ongoing or publishable – to protect its copyrights and trade without risk.

 

Press Credenial and Press Card

Circumventing the granting of authorization, licensing or a « national » press card issued by a State.

In many countries, licenses are required to publish in print, web or audio. A citizen of these countries are obliged to obtain a license, a press pass or authorization to exercise the profession of journalism.

Some governments require individuals to get a licence or « national » press card before working in the media, using the justification that this will ensure their integrity. In most cases such licensing is used as a political or tool for governments to suppress alternative, critical or diverse voices.

By offering the protection of a journalist status to Members Workpress meets an international obligation circumvented or ignored by many states.

« The general systems of compulsory registration or licensing of journalists by the state or services of a State are incompatible with paragraph 3 of Article 19 of the ICCPR adopted on 16 December 1966 by the General Assembly UN resolution 2200A (XXI), and entered into force on 23 March 1976. »

 

Protection of journalistic sources, communications and documents

The media and journalists depend on the protection of sources to ensure the anonymity of persons who disclose information in the public interest.
Workpress offers the reporter communications tools and storage of information outside brought powerful forces as authoritarian governments, businesses or organizations that are willing to do anything to complicate the work of journalists or prevent the publication of certain information.

Servers and communication services covered by the protections of press organs (hosting, messaging, telecom …) press agencies or media partners are physically located in countries ensuring the best protection of journalistic sources: Austria, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, USA (DC, TX, CA). Depending on nationality and geographical location, we will advise the Member in the country that will best meet their needs.

Examples of protective locations:

Germany : In Germany the Criminal Procedure Code prohibits unreasonable searches in a newspaper company. The jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court has specified that the constitutional principle of freedom of the press also included the confidentiality of the work of all members of an editorial in the broadest sense.
Thus, holders of the right to confidentiality of sources protection are also largely defined by Article 51, § 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as « those who contribute or have contributed professionally to the preparation, implementation or dissemination of written works, radio programs, filmed reports, or information or communication services and operations for education or formation of opinion. »

United States: In one of the 38 states and the District of Colombia (DC) that have adopted laws screens (« Shield Law« ) to protect journalists and media against the requisitions of justice.

 

Ask for an application form

 

                                     (1) See The Right to collect information and protection of journalistic sources

                                     (2) You are free to apply or not your registration in one or more World Media Directory : Mediatlas, ISNI, Benn’s Media , IRP Press…

                                     (3) « Journalism is a function performed by people of all walks of life including professional analysts and reporters on a full- or part-time as well as bloggers and other individuals who publish themselves the product of their work, in print, on the Internet or otherwise. The general systems of compulsory registration or licensing of journalists by the state or services of a State are incompatible with paragraph 3 of Article 19 of the ICCPR Adopted on 16 December 1966, entered into force on 23 March 1976 and ratified by 168 States »