The IEPA (International Electronic Press Association), an organisation for journalists, authors and publishers working in the fields of electronics and communications, was founded on 1st March 2012. Based in Habsburg, Switzerland, the IEPA id the successor to the “Union Internationale de la Presse Radio-Electronique” or UIPRE, a union of journalists that was founded in Frankfurt, Germany, on 13th April 1959 by a panel of 22 trade journalists from six European countries.
The UIPRE was founded because of requests from industry and German trade fair organisations to increase the number of technically proficient journalists. It’s great to see that this work will carry on with the launch of the IEPA: there has never been a more challenging time for publications, and surely the best way to ensure long-term success is by delivering great content written by technical journalists. I’m delighted to hear of the formation of the more modern IEPA, and look forward to them contributing to an increase in the overall standard of technical journalism, as well as benefiting the organisation’s members.