Archive for November, 2009

Straw commits to libel reform

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

libel reform
The Justice Secretary is reported to have pledged to make English defamation laws fairer. Index on Censorship reports
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Digital bankruptcy

Friday, November 20th, 2009

mandelson
Lord Mandelson seems hellbent on stifling online creativity, says Bill Thompson
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Cuban government denies journalists visas

Friday, November 20th, 2009

On 12 November, Cuban authorities refused to issue visas for 15 international journalists hoping to report on the Global Forum for Health Research in Havana from 16-20 November. International journalism organisation Media 21, based in Switzerland, had selected 15 journalists from countries including Guatemala, Brazil, Spain, Uganda, France and the United States to cover the event and participate in a series of workshops. According to the Cuban Embassy in Berne, the Foreign Ministry in Havana decided not to issue visas to journalists wishing to participate in the Media 21 programme, which seeks to promote quality reporting of key global issues through specially tailored workshops and field trips. ( World Federation of Science Journalists) Read more

Obama’s “town hall” meeting blocked in China

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

On 16 November, US President Barack Obama’s first serious engagement with the Chinese people ran afoul of China’s restrictions on broadcasting. He addressed the youth of Shanghai in a so-called “town hall” meeting, but it was not shown on national television and relayed only in poor quality on the internet. Obama’s call for China to adopt what he termed “universal rights” also went unreported in the Chinese media. China maintained its block on Facebook, but the meeting was available for viewing on the White House website. (BBC, Financial Times) Read more

Obama’s “town hall” meeting blocked

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

On 16 November, US president Barack Obama’s first serious engagement with the Chinese people ran afoul of China’s restrictions on broadcasting. Obama addressed the youth of Shanghai in a so-called “town hall” meeting, but it was not shown on national television and relayed only in poor quality on the Internet. Obama’s call for China to adopt what he termed “universal rights” also went unreported in the Chinese media. China maintained its block on Facebook, but the meeting was available for viewing on the White House website. (Financial Times)

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Turkey: Journalist detained whilst reporting on dummy soldiers

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Bariş Sözal, a journalist at Sabah newspaper, and his driver Ali Kocatepe were detained for 8 hours after taking photographs at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Sözal had been gathering information for a story which revealed that airport security was partly manned by dummy soldiers in watchtowers, equipped with fake weapons hung around their necks. Although the pair were arrested for “secretly taking pictures in a military area”, Sabah newspaper argued that Sözal and Kocatepe were arrested in an area open to the public. Read more here

Morocco newspaper banned for articles about king’s health

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Moroccan newspaper Al-Michaal was banned on 13 November after editor in chief Driss Chahtan was sentenced to one year in prison and a 10,000 dirham fine as punishment for his articles about the health of King Mohamed VI. Two other journalists on the paper, Rasheed Mahameed and Mostafa Hiran, were sentenced to three months in prison and fines of 5000 dirham for writing similar articles.

The Velvet Revolutionary

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

time for a revolution
On 17 November 1989, the police crushed a peaceful student demonstration in Prague. The crackdown led to national protests, culminating in a general strike. Within 11 days, the mass demonstrations had overthrown the communist regime. Václav Havel was elected president on 29 December. Jan Bubeník became the youngest politician in the new government. He spoke to Jo Glanville
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