CHILE: Guaranteeing that Public Documents Are Indeed Public

Civil society groups are pushing for a broader, more effective law guaranteeing public access to official documents in Chile, a country that performs well in surveys on corruption, but fared poorly in a recent study on transparency, due to what activists describe as a "culture of secrecy".

POLITICS-TUNISIA: Little Room for Taking Government to Task

The plight of Tunisian attorney Mohamed Abbou has been in the spotlight for several weeks now, with U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher being quoted earlier this month as saying Washington was "very concerned" about Abbou’s imprisonment.

MEDIA-BALKANS: Uproar over Mystery Note

A recently circulated note attacking media in tiny Montenegro that are seen as opposed to independence has set off an unprecedented public debate.

RIGHTS: Tunisia Failing To Do Enough

A group of human rights organisations have expressed grave concern over continuing denial of freedom for media groups and civil society in Tunisia.

MEDIA: Public Broadcasting Faces Political Pressure

State-owned television is facing increasing political pressure in several Western states.

MEDIA-CARIBBEAN: Trinidad Broadcast Code Raises Hackles

Trinidad and Tobago's attempt to establish a national broadcasting code designed to keep a lid on simmering ethnic tensions has run into accusations of censorship from the industry it would govern.

MALAYSIA: Freedom of Information Still Under Gov’t Prerogative

In a society where even the number of chairs and tables in a ministry is classified as official secrets, a U.S.-style Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) might seem to be the best way to force Malaysia's government to share information with the public.

MALAYSIA: They Still Ban Books and Shackle Minds?

-When Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi took over the reins of power in Malaysia in late 2003, he was widely expected to usher in a new era of openness and tolerance of differing views. But, of late, a slew of books offering alternative or critical views on a range of subjects have been banned, confiscated or monitored while their authors have come under fire or indirect pressure.

MEDIA: U.N. Highlights World’s Under-Reported News Stories

The late Tarzie Vittachi, a former deputy executive director of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, once recounted the story of an African official who walked into his office for friendly advice on how to get Western media to cover stories having a profound effect on the continent.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Sierra Leone’s Libel Laws Under Fire

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), Sierra Leonean journalists aren't so much celebrating media freedom as girding themselves for a legal battle over press rights.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Murder Capitals for Journalists Named

The Philippines, Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Russia are the world's ''most murderous'' countries in which to be a journalist, New York-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Monday.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Secrecy, Propaganda Seen Sweeping U.S.

Freedom of the press is in decline in the United States amid increased government secrecy and propaganda, say media veterans, analysts, and advocates.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY-ZIMBABWE: Less Press, Little Freedom

Last year, Zimbabwe earned itself a place on a list of the ‘World’s Worst Places to Be a Journalist’, published by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Twelve months on, little has changed.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Thai On-Line Crusader Fights Silent Battle

Every May 3 is dedicated to world press freedom, a day to remember and stress the importance of a free press in a free society. Yet, Somkiat Juntursima is a name that barely registers on the radar of Thailand's media world. Nor the publication he edits, 'Prachatai', an on-line news website in Thai.

MEDIA: U.N. Seeks to Blunt U.S. Attacks

The United Nations is grappling with ways to revamp its press relations and fend off attacks by Washington launched through U.S. media.

DEVELOPMENT: Putting Community Radio on the Map in Africa

Few would dispute that community radio stations play a valuable role in informing people about events in their neighbourhood - and giving a voice to those who might be denied a platform by larger media organisations. It's a shame, then, that governments often hamper the development of community radio.

POLITICS: "Global Glasnost" Sought on Nuke Proliferation

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev gave philanthropist and media mogul Ted Turner the 2005 Alan Cranston Peace award Wednesday for his work on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, but neither man spent much time discussing Turner's contributions.

MEDIA-NEPAL: District Reporters ‘Jobless in Their Jobs’

Before King Gyananedra's Feb.1 declaration of emergency- rule, journalist Rameshwor Bohora was a frequent traveller to the Himalayan kingdom's rural areas - where large swathes of Nepal are under Maoist rebel-control.

POLITICS-US: Houston, We Have An Image Problem…

In March 2003, Dr. John Brown resigned from the U.S. State Department after 20 years as a senior Foreign Service officer, telling then Secretary of State Colin Powell he could not "in good conscience" support President George W. Bush's war plans against Iraq.

MEDIA: Censorship by the Bullet

Neither of the two journalists who fearlessly crusaded for human rights and free speech despite violent threats will be accepting their 2005 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards in person next week.

DEVELOPMENT: Food Aid Comes to a Small Screen Near You

You are in the cockpit of a plane circling over a drought-hit zone. Hungry thousands are waiting below. Their lives are in your hands.