Photo above shows the AJF Board (Peter Greste, Olivia Pirie-Griffiths, Chris Flynn, Louisa Graham, Colin Tate and Peter Wilkinson).
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF) has appointed Olivia Pirie-Griffiths as fulltime Executive Director.
Olivia will lead the AJF in its promotion of press freedom and a healthy media.
Founded by journalist Peter Greste, Chris Flynn, a partner with the legal firm Gilbert + Tobin, and strategic communications consultant Peter Wilkinson (also a former journalist), the AJF seeks to address the ongoing threats to the freedom of journalists and of the media in Australia and more broadly across the Asia-Pacific.
In her role, Olivia will:
• Manage Australian campaigns for legislative change to protect journalists’ freedom;
• Assist with campaigns to ensure press freedom and the release of jailed journalists in the Asia-Pacific;
• Develop sustainable funding sources and relationships;
• Grow and shape the AJF community.
Olivia says: “The AJF’s task is one that will help define the future of journalism and, on a broader level, aid the public’s ability to trust and be truly informed. I am immediately concerned about the jailed Myanmar Thomson Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.”
Professor Peter Greste, whose 400-day incarceration in Egypt led to the inception of the AJF, and who is now the UNESCO Chair in Journalism & Communication at the University of Queensland says: “The free press is a cornerstone of our democracy. When it is restricted or silenced, human rights suffer, and our ability to live in a healthy society suffers. With Olivia’s appointment we can build a strong AJF dedicated to protecting journalists so they can hold government and business to account, and in the process keep democracy strong.”
Peter Wilkinson, Chair of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, says: “We welcome Olivia to the AJF. She brings energy in campaigning, fundraising and a creative mind. We look forward to the AJF’s development in 2019 and beyond.”
Media: Peter Wilkinson +61414383433, [email protected]
Strategic Partners
- Gilbert + Tobin
- University of Queensland
- Conexus Financial
- Media Super
- Wilkinson Butler