2005-2014

Sokratis Giolias, 37, director of the private radio station Thema 98.9 and contributor to the popular online news blog Troktiko was murdered Saturday in Athens. At least two men reportedly dressed in police or security uniforms shot Giolias, after luring him out of his apartment in the Ilioupolis suburb of Athens at around 5 a.m., claiming his car was being stolen, according to regional and...

Al-Mawkif, an opposition weekly belonging to the Progressive Democratic Party in Tunisia has apparently been censored, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Rachid Khechana, Al-Mawkif editor-in-chief, told CPJ that 10,000 copies of the newspaper’s Friday edition disappeared from newsstands, apparently confiscated by security agents. Although a small number of...

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to place Kazakhstan’s poor press freedom record on the agenda for its summit planned for later this year. Kazakhstan, the OSCE chair, is scheduled to host the summit in its capital, Astana. A meeting of the foreign ministers of the 56 OSCE member states at the Ak-Bulak resort...

Nigerian gunmen who abducted four journalists in the country's oil-rich south a week ago released the group Sunday from an ordeal that one of them described later as "traumatic". The captors dumped the four unhurt in a forest in a remote area of Abia State, a government official said, as police and a journalists' union said no ransom was paid. "They dragged us about in the bush and blindfolded us...

Broadcasters and advertisers have joined hands to set up the Broadcast Audience Research Council , an independent body to commission market research and provide accurate TV ratings in a transparent and objective manner in India. The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), the primary members of Broadcast Audience Research Council, will own equity stakes in...

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has alleged that the office of the Headlines Today news channel, which was attacked by suspected Sangh workers in New Delhi, had violated "norms of decent journalism" and regretted the damage to "some small property" during the protest against the media house. "It was a peaceful demonstration. We are sorry that flower pots and some small property were damaged...

The Press Council of India (PCI) is readying guidelines to check the "paid news" trend in the country. PCI Chairperson Justice G N Ray told The Indian Express that on the anvil could be proposals that suggest that if the Council adjudicates over a complaint and censures a newspaper, the same would have to be carried on the front page of the newspaper. That apart, if a newspaper is censured twice...

Media giants Network 18 Media & Investments and Sun Network Ltd have announced a strategic alliance to launch one of the country's biggest distribution entities by name Sun18. The alliance also marks the entry of Network 18 Group into the Indian television distribution space. Sun18 was the first pan-India distribution company and aims to become one of the dominant players in the around Rs 16,000...

The Indian media industry has seen a few sporadic deals recently and industry players expect further consolidation across all segments. Here are some recent acquisitions and mergers in the Indian media space over the last one year: Network18 to consider selling its stake in London-listed Indian Film Company Ltd(JS6.L) to Viacom 18, a joint venture between its unit IBN18 Broadcast(IBN.BO) and U.S...

Burundi police arrested a journalist for alleged "treason" Saturday over an article questioning whether the security forces could deal with an attack like one that hit Uganda a week ago, an official said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The July 11 bombings in Kampala claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired rebels killed at least 73 people watching the World Cup final in what the insurgents said was...