The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce a photo and video contest in honor of expert journalist Bill Gentile’s visit to Suriname and World Press Freedom Day. Bill Gentile is an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker teaching at American University in Washington, DC. His career spans three decades, five continents and nearly every facet of journalism and mass communication, most especially visual communication, or visual storytelling.
The U.S. Embassy invited Mr. Gentile to Suriname May 5-9, 2014 to conduct workshops and lectures with journalists, students, civil society and the general public. Topics will include citizen journalism, telling your story, ethics in journalism and freedom of the press and freedom of expression
The contest is open to amateur photographers, students, and the general public of all age and should reflect the theme: Swit’ Sranan. The deadline for submissions is May 5, 2014. The winner will receive a brand-new, Canon Vixia HFM52 camcorder. Details about the contest are available on the U.S. Embassy Paramaribo Facebook page.
Freedom of speech and expression, especially about political and other public issues, is the lifeblood of any democracy. New technology facilitates the average citizen’s contribution to reporting on news around him or her and allows information to be accessed more freely. The goal of our contest is to encourage freedom of expression and to raise public awareness about the benefits for society at large when freedom of the press and freedom of speech are protected.
Please see our Facebook page for detailed information about the contest.
