Press Freedom

Media Discover the Limits of Freedom in Somalia

By Abdurrahman Warsameh
Media advocates in Somalia worry that a recent case against a journalists who exposed the story of a gang rape involving members of the national security forces will serve as a deterrent to journalists countrywide.

Artists Face the Gag in India

By Sujoy Dhar
“I am godless. I am an artist. I will find another country that is secular and will take me…” These are the emotional words of one of India's most famous and critically acclaimed actors, Kamal Haasan, who ran from one court to another to get his 17 million dollar trilingual film Vishwaroopam (Universe) released in his home state Tamil Nadu in south India last month.

“Censorship by Murder Will Not Silence Truth”

By Kanya D'Almeida
It was almost four o’clock in the morning on Feb. 18, 1990, when Dr. Manorani Saravanamuththu pulled into the driveway of No. 42 Castle Street, an old Portuguese-style home located in a suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.

Kenyan Media Magnifies Hate Speech – Again

By Miriam Gathigah
With Kenyans set to go to the polls in just over two weeks, on Mar. 4, civil society has been closely monitoring the media’s coverage of the political campaigns in this East African nation – and they have found them wanting.

Virtually At Sea in the Pacific

By Catherine Wilson
The Pacific Islands have some of the lowest rates of Internet penetration in the world, yet tech-savvy urbanites are behind the emergence of a number of social media sites dedicated to generating public debate and demanding government accountability. However, without real action, online forums speaking truth to power are constrained in impacting political and social reforms in the region.

Female Journalists Walk on Eggshells in Sri Lanka

By Amantha Perera
The year was 1998 and porters at the wholesale vegetable market in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo had gone on strike, virtually suspending vegetable distribution in the city and its suburbs.

Q&A: Community Radio Reflects Levels of Democracy

By George Gao
In 1983, producers of popular radio, alternative radio and educational radio convened in Montreal to define a new genre of radio: community radio. Those dialogues led to the formation of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

Gaza Gags Civil Liberties

By Mel Frykberg
Gaza is becoming increasingly radicalised as Hamas continues its crackdown on civil liberties, press freedom and the rights of women. In the last few weeks a number of journalists have been arrested and accused of being involved in “suspicious activities”, several detainees shot dead by police during arrest attempts, and female students asked to abide by a strict Islamic dress code.

Turkey’s EU Hopes Could Free Media

By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
As negotiations in Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union remain stalled, many worry that the Turkish government has little incentive to curb its ongoing crackdown on media freedoms and freedom of expression.

Exorcising the Ghosts of Brazil’s Dictatorship

By Clarinha Glock
At 8 a.m. on Oct. 25, 1975, Brazilian journalist Vladimir Herzog voluntarily reported to the São Paulo headquarters of the government's intelligence agency and was never seen alive again.

Reformists Ambivalent about Participation in Iranian Election

By Yasaman Baji
With the June 2013 presidential election drawing closer, Iran’s reformists are debating what they should do in the face of the severe restrictions to which their leaders and political parties have been subject since the popular protests that roiled the country after the last election four years ago.

Egypt Faces ‘Mubarak-Like’ Morsi

By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
Concerns are mounting over Egypt’s future after the outbreaks of violence that marked the second anniversary of Egypt's January 25 Revolution. Massive anti-government rallies led to ongoing clashes between protesters and security forces that have left at least 40 people dead. Cities along Egypt's Suez Canal faced a government-declared state of emergency.

New Revolution Against New Constitution

By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
Hundreds of thousands hit the streets countrywide on and after the second anniversary of Egypt's Tahrir Square uprising Jan. 25 to protest the policies of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from which he hails. A chief demand was the abrogation – or modification at least – of Egypt's newly-approved constitution.
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Q&A: It’s the Beginning of the End for FGM

By Rousbeh Legatis
Journalists can play a crucial role in helping to shift traditional attitudes within societies where the cruel practice of female genital mutilation is an everyday reality.

Criticising the President no Laughing Matter

By Cam McGrath
Egyptians love to have a good laugh. At every opportunity they rattle off jokes and take jabs at themselves, their society, and – where they dare – their ruler.

Challenges Dog Community Radio, Finally on Air in El Salvador

By Edgardo Ayala
For the first time in El Salvador, a community radio is broadcasting under its own licence. The struggle continues, however, for legislative change that will give these kinds of broadcasters more airspace.
The sign above the magazine rack reads: “To read is to know”. Credit: Dvortygirl/CC-BY-SA-2.0

Alternative Media Fights Back in Argentina

By Marcela Valente
Sustained by editors and readers convinced that another kind of communication is possible, independent magazines are growing and strengthening in Argentina, offering a view different from the mainstream media coverage of political, cultural and advocacy issues.

Morphine Kills Pain but its Price Kills Patients

By Busani Bafana
It took Gily Ncube’s daughters two weeks to sell enough chickens to raise the 18 dollars needed to buy the morphine tablets their mother takes every four hours.

Closing Europe’s Borders Becomes Big Business

By Apostolis Fotiadis and Claudia Ciobanu
The European Union is implementing a new border management system with tougher migration control the core aim. Major security and weapons companies are already reaping the benefits.

OP-ED: The Arab Spring at Two: What Lessons Should We Learn?

By Emile Nakhleh
As the Arab Spring enters its third year, new Arab democracies and the international community should reflect on several critical lessons from the past two years.
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Banned Kazakh Opposition Press Vows to Continue Online

By Christopher Pala
Kazakhstan, an oil-rich ex-Soviet nation in Central Asia best known for voluntarily forsaking the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, is carrying out an unprecedented media crackdown that will leave it virtually without any opposition newspapers for the first time in its 21-year history as an independent nation.
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