Thailand: Journalist reporting on corruption killed in Suphanburi province

IFEX ::

(TJA/IFEX) - The TJA condemns the barbaric killing of "Matichon" newspaper reporter Jaruek Rangcharoen, 46, in Suphanburi province on 27 September 2008. The organisation also condemns those behind the murder.

Jaruek was shot several times in the head while he was buying food at a market on the way to his home at No. 1491 Moo 5, in the Don Chedi Subdistrict of Don Chedi District. The shooting is believed to be linked to his reporting on corruption within the local administrative organization.

Russia: British freelance journalist stopped at border, CPJ asks government to stop denying entry to international journalists

IFEX ::

British freelance journalist stopped at border, CPJ asks government to stop denying entry to international journalists

Country/Topic: Russia
Date: 29 September 2008
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Person(s): Simon Pirani
Target(s): journalist(s)
Type(s) of violation(s):
Urgency: Threat

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 September 2008 CPJ letter to President Dmitry Medvedev:

Peru: Radio station owner suspends broadcasting of news programme after being pressured by mayor

IFEX ::

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 24 September 2008, the owner of La Existosa radio station, Higinio Capuñay Zerpán, ordered the cancellation of the "El Látigo" news programme after its hosts, Víctor Manuel Vidaurre Ñopo and Jorge Pizarro García, criticised the local mayor, Anselmo Lozano Centurión, on issues regarding public security. The incident took place in Chiclayo, Lambayeque region, northern Peru.

Turkey: Alternatif newspaper accused of violating press law, shut down for one month

IFEX ::

(Antenna-TR/IFEX) - The Istanbul High Criminal Court No. 9 has seized copies of "Alternatif" newspaper and has suspended its publication for one month. The paper, which began publishing in May 2008, is accused of violating Article 25/2 of the Press Law for "publishing the statements of the PKK/KONGRA-GEL organisation".

Israel: Authorities remain silent about imprisonment of Syrian journalist Ata Farahat

Reporters sans frontières - Israel

Israel 29 September 2008

Authorities remain silent about imprisonment of Syrian journalist Ata Farahat

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the “unacceptable silence” of the Israeli authorities about Syrian journalist Ata Farahat, who has been held in custody for more than a year without any explanation.

The Israeli media has been banned by court order from publishing news about the trial of the journalist, correspondent for Syrian daily al-Watan and Syrian public television, who has been held in prison since 30 July 2007.

Azerbaijan: First four days of monitoring shows government hogging election campaign coverage

Reporters sans frontières - Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan29 September 2008

First four days of monitoring shows government hogging election campaign coverage

The government is over-represented in the Azerbaijani media’s coverage of the campaign for the 15 October presidential elections, Reporters Without Borders found in its first four days of monitoring the campaign coverage, the results of which it released today. The monitoring is part of a comprehensive “Media pluralism in the electoral period” project that is co-financed by the European Commission.

Bulgaria: Threats against Frognews stepped up. Censored website Opasnite.net reappears on Opasnite.eu

Reporters sans frontières - Bulgaria

Bulgaria29 September 2008

Threats against Frognews stepped up. Censored website Opasnite.net reappears on Opasnite.eu

Deputy editor of Frognews, Alexander Ivanov has told Nova Televizia television that his editor Ognyan Stefanov, victim of a murder attempt on 23 September, had received insistent calls from the National Security Agency (DANS) a few days before the attack. Ivanov also said on 26 September programme that he had recently received anonymous telephoned threats in which he was told : “We are not going to kill you but the same thing could happen to you as happened to your boss.”

Australia: second raid on home by police investigating leaks to media

Reporters Without Borders

30.09 - Australia : second raid on home by police investigating leaks to media

Six federal police officers from Canberra searched the home of a resident of Gold Coast, Queensland, on 25 September in an attempt to identify the source of a leak for a report in The Australian daily newspaper about the impact for the public of a cut in the budget of a governmental agency responsible for broadcasting. "What we have here is a report about a budget cut and one that has not been denied," the Australia’s Right to Know media coalition said. "What we get appears to be the intervention of the police simply because the report was embarrassing politically."

Burma: Role of Internet in Saffron Revolution

The Role of the Internet in Burma’s Saffron Revolution | Berkman Center

Published September 28, 2008. Authored by Mridul Chowdhury, Internet and Democracy

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Abstract

The 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma was in many ways an unprecedented event in the intersection between politics and technology. There is, of course, the obvious: the event marks a rare instance in which a government leveraged control of nationalized ISPs to entirely black out Internet access to prevent images and information about the protests from reaching the outside world. At another level, it is an example of an Internet driven protest which did not lead to tangible political change. On deeper reflection it is also of interest because of the complex interaction between eyewitnesses within the country and a networked public sphere of bloggers, student activists, and governments around the globe. To that end, this case study examines the root causes, progress, and outcomes of the Saffron Revolution and attempts to parse out the extent to which technology may have played a useful or detrimental role in the unfolding of events. The case concludes with some initial hypotheses about the long-term impact of the protests and the role of the Internet in highly authoritarian states.

Tonga: MPs and media hold a workshop on media freedom

Tonga MPs and media hold a workshop on media freedom

Tonga MPs and media hold a workshop on media freedom

Posted at 06:05 on 30 September, 2008 UTC

The editor of a newspaper in Tonga says he hopes parliament can gain a better understanding of the role of the media so there is greater press freedom in Tonga.

A workshop is being hosted by the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, with the aim of bringing the media and government together to figure out ways it can work better together.

The editor of the Kele’a newspaper, Po’oi Pohiva, says his newspaper is facing seven defamation lawsuits because goverment feels the paper has been too critical.

He says as a result, self-consorship is creeping into the media.

“They always pick on our paper, the Kele’a, because we are the ones that are more critical about the government activities. Other papers I see are slowly refraining from publishing materials that are very much critical of government activities I think for the fear of embarrassing government.”

Po’oi Pohiva says the workshop is a positive step towards a better relationship with the government.