2005-2014

The media coverage of the US presidential elections concentrated more on opinion polls than actual issues, says a report by a media analysis firm. The American media had been even clear on stating that Republican candidate John McCain would loose his own state Arizona, which he won by a 9 per cent margin. "We need to change the way how the media publishes and interprets polls," said Roland Schatz...

Algerian newspaper El Khabar has topped Arab newspapers in distribution rates. The newspaper's distribution estimations exceeded 600.000 copies a day, despite its short life (the paper has only been published for eighteen years), and the huge number of lawsuits which have been aimed at its editors and reporters over the years, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has said. The...

Readership of most newspapers across the country has declined compared to last year's figures, according to the latest data (round 2) of the Indian Readership Survey 2008. The survey, conducted by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC), was released Tuesday in Mumbai. The Times of India still leads English dailies with a total readership of 133.4 lakh, dropping from 134.8 lakh readers last year...

It has been called one of the most serious attacks on press freedom in years in the entire South East European region, one that could seriously damage Croatia’s bid to join the European Union: two journalists were killed in a car bombing in Croatia. Ivo Pukanic, journalist and owner of the NCL Media Group in Zagreb, and Niko Franjic, marketing director of the leading investigative weekly newspaper

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has urged the state security court to withdraw its case against Fayez al-Ajrashi, editor-in-chief of privately-owned weekly El-Ekhbariya. Al-Ajrashi, who was released from Al-Juweida prison (15 km south of Amman) on November 2 after paying 3,000 dinars (approx 3,300 euros) in bail. Al-Ajrashi is still facing charges of "inflaming sectarian strife" and "sowing...

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has denounced the prosecution of Nizar Al-Abadi, an Iraqi journalist who has been living in Yemen since 1991. ANHRI has also condemned the actions of the public prosecutor, the press and publishers who are acting on behalf of the state security forces against journalists working within the law and the regulations of their profession. Al-Abadi...

A suicide bomb attack on October 29 outside the Ethiopian consulate in Hargeisa, Somaliland, injured three journalists who were walking in front of the consular premises, according to delayed reports. The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said in a statement that journalist Mohamed Harun Ahmed of the Somaliland Space Channel, was severely injured as both of his legs were broken by the...

Civil society groups have urged the Council of Europe not to ignore calls by its Parliamentary Assembly to send the draft Convention on Access to Official Documents back for redrafting so that it provides strong recognition of the right of access to information. The Parliamentary Assembly's opinion is due to be considered on November 12 by representatives of the 47 European governments that make...

A Damascus appeal court judge on Sunday overturned a criminal court's refusal in August to release imprisoned writer and journalist Michel Kilo on completion of three-quarters of a three-year sentence, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. However, Kilo has not been freed and the attorney general of the Damascus prosecutor's office on Tuesday appealed against the decision "in the interests...

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) and the Burma Media Association have obtained a copy of a directive (attached file) which the military government’s censorship office recently sent to the Burmese media spelling out 10 rules for editors and the sanctions they will incur for not respecting them. "The directive is a paragon of news control inasmuch as editors are threatened with punishments ranging up...