2005-2014

The present crisis for the BBC is far worse that at the time of the Hutton Report. Then it was widely believed that the report came down too harshly on the BBC for a minor editorial indiscretion – a live broadcast loosely phrased – in response to complaints made by the government's press officer, revealed in his recent diaries to be an explosively unstable and erratic personality. The BBC, which...

Has the debate about trust in the British media ever had so much resonance? Last week's revelations about deceptions in broadcasting only contributed to a debate that has been simmering for some time, and which encompasses all media – including new media as well as television and print. Yet, in terms of the press, there are some reasons to be positive about what can be done to maintain and enhance...

The National Foundation for India (NFI) has announced ten fellowships to facilitate a more informed development policy dialogue and to encourage publication of well researched articles on development issues. Eight are under the print media category and two under the photojournalist category. The fellowships amount to Rs 1 lakh each. Themes: A wide range of issues of importance to ordinary Indians...

The working condition of journalists in Azerbaijan is changing for the worse, where they are being targeted by the State to set an example against free expression. The country, ironically, scooped up a Freedom of Expression prize this year, given jointly by the Norwegian Freedom of Expression Foundation (Fritt Ord) and German ZEIT Foundation. RSF has said, “If President Ilham Aliev wants to

Armenian Parliament has decided against adopting two draft laws that would have banned future broadcasts of foreign media, specifically Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). This step, welcomed by free speech organisations, is said to be a step towards safeguarding media freedom in a democratic setup. A demonstration in Yerevan on July 2. After the voting, an RFE/RL report quoted Victor...

Many Moroccan journalists are facing continued persecution by the State which is having an adverse impact on the country’s free press. Any hope of the monarch’s intervention in safeguarding the freedom of the press has also dimmed as journalists investigate the role of the royal family in running the country. This picture taken in Casablanca in May 2007 shows 'El Watan' weekly's editor

RSF condemns the 20 July 2007 seizure order by Judge Juan del Olmo of an issue of the satirical weekly magazine "El Jueves". The issue carries a cartoon on the cover of Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia having sex. The judge said the cartoon may have violated Article 490.3 of the Criminal Code, which punishes "insults" to the royal family by up to two years imprisonment, and also Article...

Malaysia has banned the mainstream media from reporting on an explosive issue concerning the very nature of the country's constitution that points to the problematic relationship between law and religion. Following the Internal Security Ministry's directive on July 19, several journalists and editors have already retracted some commentaries on the topic scheduled for publishing that day, according

Compliance with international standards of freedom of expression is still a long way away in Tajikistan, ARTICLE 19 hass revealed in a new report. A decade since the end of the civil war, Tajikistan is still recovering economically and psychologically. Emomali Rakhmonov speaks to the public in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, November 6, 2006. The last presidential elections took place in November

As a science journalist I know of several important science stories that will soon make headlines but I can't tell you about them. Just like thousands of science journalists all over the world I have agreed to put aside my instincts to get the story out as soon as possible, preferably before anyone else, and sit on them, sometimes for over a week. This is because many, though not all, journals...