Press Freedom

RIGHTS: Proposals on Right to Information Kept Hidden

By Sanjay Suri
New concerns have arisen over the weakness of model legislation being drafted by the Council of Europe on the right of access to information.

EUROPE: Criticising Bush, And Copying Him

By Julio Godoy
Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush has been unpopular in Europe, but his policies in fighting the 'war on terror' have found many takers.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Alarm at Move to Regulate Media

By Baradan Kuppusamy
A government proposal to set up a media council to ‘regulate’ news reporting has alarmed journalists who see it as an attempt to add yet another layer of control over their profession.

MEDIA-SRI LANKA: Under Fire Journos Learn Survival Skills

By IPS Correspondents
For journalists on the job in Sri Lanka - considered by international media rights bodies to be the third most dangerous place to work in, after Iraq and Somalia - staying safe is a prime concern.
A baby in Shifa hospital in Gaza struggles against illness and lack of medicines and electricity. Credit: Cherrie Heywood

MIDEAST: On Top of Humanitarian Disaster, A News Blackout

By IPS Correspondents
Israel has imposed a virtual news blackout on the Gaza Strip. For the last ten days no foreign journalists have been able to enter the besieged territory to report on the escalating humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's complete closure of Gaza's borders for the last two weeks.

MEDIA-PHILIPPINES: ‘Jeepney’ Street Paper Delivers Jobs Too

By IPS Correspondents
"We share with people our stories, rich stories that can be found in the streets," Cheran Banaria says of her work selling ‘The Jeepney Magazine’, the Philippines’ first street paper. "Before, I was really shy in facing and talking to rich people. I felt like an ant before them. But now, I can say I am a bit confident facing them."

INDONESIA: Media Turns Bali Bombers Into Martyrs

By Marwaan Macan-Markar
In a crowded neighbourhood in this sprawling city families sat glued to their television sets late into the night of Nov. 8 watching updates on the execution of three men convicted for the 2002 nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people.

TRINIDAD: PM’s Visit to Radio Station Irks Journalists

By IPS Correspondents
When he "dropped in" on the Power 102 radio station last weekend to complain about the "unprofessional conduct" of two local broadcasters, Prime Minister Patrick Manning insisted that he was exercising his right as an ordinary citizen.

ARGENTINA: Newspaper Brings to Light Abuses against Poor Farmers

By Marcela Valente
Small farmers in the northern Argentine province of Santiago del Estero are publishing their own newspaper in an attempt to raise awareness about the constant abuses they suffer at the hands of wealthy landowners, who are encroaching on their small plots of land.

EGYPT: Islamists Hounded, On Campus and Off

By Adam Morrow
Candidates associated with opposition movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, were reportedly barred from participating in last month's student union elections in universities across Egypt. Recent weeks have seen dozens of Brotherhood members detained.

MEDIA-US: Massive Iraqi Death Toll Ignored by Tabloid Culture

By IPS Correspondents
The year is 1994. Pictures of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley cover the pages of prominent U.S. newspapers and magazines. Yet hidden from national view is the attempted elimination of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.

SRI LANKA: Media Groups to Challenge New Restrictions

By Feizal Samath
Media groups in Sri Lanka, already restricted from covering the war against Tamil rebels in the north, are bracing to challenge new regulations that seek to control television broadcasting and new media.

MEDIA-SOUTH SUDAN: Battle on Two Fronts

By Skye Wheeler
A recent presentation at parliament by the South's Finance Minister gave a few cursory details of how the South's army managed to spend 99.6 percent of its budget by June. At the end of the public session, the South's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Martin Elia told journalists not to write about the presentation for security reasons.

AFGHANISTAN: Journalist Serving 20 Years for “Blasphemy”

By IPS Correspondents
International human rights groups have called on Afghan authorities and President Hamid Karzai to free 24-year-old Afghani journalist Perwiz Kambakhsh, who has been sentenced to 20 years of prison after being convicted of blasphemy.

MEDIA-TURKEY: Messenger Comes Under Attack

By IPS Correspondents
Many sections of Turkish media critical of the government say Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is bent on silencing them through intimidation - or controlling them through purchase.

CUBA: Emerging Community of Bloggers?

By Dalia Acosta
Blogging has finally hit Cuba, despite the challenge of gaining access to the Internet and the limited number of home computers on the island, and the emergence of a Cuban community of bloggers may soon be more than just wishful thinking.
Mohammed Omer Credit:

RIGHTS: U.N. Report Castigates Israel for Harassing Journalists

By Thalif Deen
A new United Nations report on the human rights situation in Palestinian territories blasts the Israeli government for its heavy-handed treatment of journalists reporting on the military occupation.

HONDURAS: Government Advertising Allocation as “Subtle Censorship”

By Thelma Mejía
Government practices for allocating official advertising to the Honduran media include reward and punishment policies, payments to individual journalists, and even denial of access to public information - mechanisms that interfere with freedom of expression and the right to information, according to experts.
Media workers and supporters march in Santo Domingo on Sep. 23, 2008. Credit: Elizabeth Eames Roebling/IPS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Media Targeted for Threats, Lawsuits

By Elizabeth Eames Roebling
Media rights groups in the Dominican Republic are protesting what they say is a climate of legal and physical intimidation of journalists throughout the country.

TUNISIA: Ally of the U.S., Not of Journalists

By IPS Correspondents
Journalists and human rights activists in Tunisia are regularly imprisoned and harassed for criticising the government of President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali's policies, according to a new report released this week by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based watchdog.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves the 63rd U.N. General Assembly. Credit: Omid Memarian/IPS

IRAN: Ahmadinejad Open to U.S. Talks, Denounces Threats

By Omid Memarian
At a press conference following his speech to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would welcome discussions with the U.S. presidential candidates, but added that "the condition is that our meeting should be open so that all media know what happens."
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