Making a courtroom drama out of a media crisis

July 10th, 2011

News International’s Hackergate scandal does not justify state press regulation, argues Rohan Jayasekera
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Mexico’s regional press falls silent

November 18th, 2010

A new report shows Mexico’s regional newspapers keep quiet on cartel killings. Ana Arana reports
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Sri Lanka: Police porn-star hunt meets media resistance

November 10th, 2010

Sri Lankan newspapers have refused to participate in a police campaign to track down people who have starred in pornographic films. The crackdown is part of a broader crusade against “moral crimes”, including “indecent” advertising on film billboards. The police want newspapers to run mugshots of over 80 people but all the national daily newspapers bar one have refused to print the photographs. Those actors caught face six months in prison and a 90 dollar fine.

Bolivia: Newspapers Protest Proposed Anti-racism Law

October 8th, 2010

Several Bolivian newspapers are protesting a proposed law which would allow the government to shut down any media outlets it deems guilty of racism.  The protest is motivated by concerns that the law could be used to curtail political criticism or against newspapers which publish the discriminatory opinions of others.  President Evo Morales has stated he will not modify this aspect of the bill which is intended to combat racism against the indigenous people of Bolivia.  The bill has passed through the Chamber of Deputies but will not become law unless it is also passed by the Senate.

Pakistan: Editor beaten for flood allegations

September 21st, 2010

Abdul Rehman Afridi, editor of the local newspaper Daily Sitara in Jacobabad, Sindh province and vice president of the Jacobabad Press Club was attacked on 8 September. He was attacked by a gang angered at his publication of news stories about the district government’s mismanagement of relief material intended for flood victims. Afridi was threatened at the newspaper’s office and then beaten with wooden sticks.

UK: Wayne Rooney sues the Daily Mirror

September 21st, 2010

Footballer Wayne Rooney has launched legal action against the Daily Mirror for breach of privacy. Rooney is suing the newspaper after it published articles making fresh allegations about his sex life. He is claiming for invasion of privacy and breach of the Data Protection Act. Last month the England player sued the Sun for libel over the suggestion that he booked a holiday before his team were knocked out of the World Cup.

Nepal: Hindu restoration group burns newspapers

April 22nd, 2010

Hindu Yuva Sangh burnt copies of the leading Nepali newspapers, Kantipur and Annapurna Post on 18 April in the southern city of Birgunj. The newly formed group —- which advocates the restoration of Nepal’s Hindu nation status — torched hundreds of copies of the dailies, claiming they did not cover relevant issues pertaining to the HYS.

Documentary’s legal battles reveal ugly truth

April 8th, 2010

In a self-preserving news blackout, the mainstream media proved the central point of the Starsuckers documentary: their “behaviour is monstrously hypocritical”. Judith Townend reports
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