How journalists from a French magazine gave jailed reporters an outlet for their words, with the support of BETC and Reporters Without Borders.
For many journalists, writing and reporting are things they simply have to do. Especially if they work under an authoritarian regime, they feel instilled with a mission. Even imprisonment can’t blunt their passion. Yet many journalists around the world are behind bars simply for doing their job.
The Paris-based agency BETC, along with Reporters Without Borders and the French magazine Society, found a way of enabling them to express themselves. Not just beyond borders, but beyond prison walls.
The project involved teaming “free” journalists from Society with jailed journalists. The pair then collaborated on articles which appeared in a “freedom edition” of the magazine (initially launched in September).
Olivier Aumard, executive creative director at BETC, explains how it came about.
“In the beginning, the project came 100% from the agency. We came across an article that said there were more than 500 journalists in detention at that time. That was already a year ago – the number has risen since then.”
Olivier and his colleagues began to wonder if they could give these journalists a voice again. “How could they express themselves? How could we get people talking about them?”
They concluded that a newsroom of journalists might agree to put themselves at the service of reporters who were unable to write. “The idea was compelling, but then you have to make it a reality. So the first thing we did was go to see Society.”
Why not another famous French publication, like Libération? “Because I think we’re from ‘the Society generation’. We were all impacted by their investigations. And as we’re readers of Society we felt this would appeal to them.”
At the heart of the issue
Their instinct turned out to be correct, because the editorial team were hooked right away. “They said, ‘We love it, but we need a partner on the ground. We need people who are really at the heart of these issues.’ And so together we went to see Reporters Without Borders and pitched the idea to them.”
Once again, they embraced the idea immediately. “We were still nervous because we didn’t know if it was even possible to contact the imprisoned journalists. And they told us, ‘That’s our job. It will be difficult, because sometimes contacts break down.’ But they believed they could do it.”
In the end, how did the journalists from Society liaise with their imprisoned peers? “That’s why this took us over a year – because each case was different. For example, in Guatemala, the journalist from Society was able to visit José Rubén Zamora in his cell. They could talk for two hours at a time about the subject and how it should be treated. They were even able to discuss the final text.”
In Cameroon, Amadou Vamoulké had a mobile phone in his cell. “There were other examples where the prisoners couldn’t speak directly to the journalist, but they could exchange messages and ideas through family members or their lawyers.”
In the most extreme examples – such as Eritrea and Belarus – there’s no certainty that the incarcerated journalists are still alive. “We have zero news, nothing. In those cases, we liaised with those closest to them, either their family or former colleagues, to determine what they would have liked to write about, what their concerns were.”
Always the right time
Why was the project unveiled now, when it might have been better suited to World Press Freedom Day on May 3? “It was difficult to determine because this was an ongoing investigation: a contact with one journalist would be progressing while another was at a standstill. So the launch kept getting pushed back.”
With the US elections looming, it may be an ideal time to promote freedom of speech and the rigour of professional journalism, as opposed to “fake news”. (The project also has a special resonance for AdForum, whose independent prize for creativity, The Epica Awards, is judged by journalists and takes place in November.)
Olivier adds: “As Reporters Without Borders reminded us, it’s always the right time to talk about this cause. Because journalists are not more in jail one day than the next. They are there all the time, and we have to remind people about that. Talking of the American elections, at the heart of this project is the importance of information. Some individuals are paying dearly for seeking the truth and trying share it with as many people as possible.”
The value of information
I wonder whether the public has much sympathy for journalists? After all, it was never considered an entirely trustworthy profession, particularly in markets where tabloid newspapers are strong, such as the UK. The rise of “fake news” has surely further eroded confidence in the press?
Olivier says: “One of the important factors for me is that today we’re buried in information. And so we may not appreciate the value of it. Because it feels like everything comes to us effortlessly. But real news, real journalistic work, takes time, it requires going into the field, taking risks. And sometimes the price of information is people in prison.”
In the new era of AI, it’s important to emphasize that there are people behind trusted news sources, he adds. “There are humans who provide us with genuine news that has been cross-checked, not just propaganda.”
Olivier himself studied at the Institut d’études politiques, commonly referred to as Sciences Po: the birthplace of many French journalists. Did he once dream of being a reporter?
A passion for journalism
“Actually you hit the nail on the head, because I wanted to be a journalist throughout my studies. In particular I wanted to follow a political campaign. So I did several internships in newsrooms. But then one day I did an internship at an advertising agency and I discovered that the words I loved could be used in different ways. Fun ways.”
Some of his friends followed the journalism route, however. “When I see how much they are invested in it, how much they take it to heart, I think it’s a difficult job and that in order to do it, you have to love it more than anything.”
Fortunately, advertising agencies and their clients are today far more open to supporting important causes. “When there’s something that concerns us, we say to ourselves, ‘How do we put our creative energy at the service of this?’ The next generation, the one after me, is even more aware of how each brief can make a difference in society.”
Advertising and journalism: trying to change minds with words.