President Obama is to sign the Daniel Pearl Freedom of Press Act today. The bill is designed to identify countries where press freedom is being violated, as well as promoting, protecting and “strengthening the independence of journalists and media organizations”. It is also committing $2m into publishing an “Annual Report on the Status of Freedom of the Press Worldwide”.
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)
Bloomberg news is reporting that US President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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The UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution condemning “stereotyping of religion”. It’s a move that flouts freedom of expression – and it was sponsored by the United States. Roy W Brown reports
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