2005-2014

The hype about MySpace, YouTube, and Internet campaigning is turning out to be just that — hype. Social networking, blogs and political parties' websites are affecting voter opinion in the United States far less than the recent buzz would suggest. Few people use them for political information, and even fewer trust them. According to a recent Nucleus survey, traditional print media is far more...

As Azerbaijan prepares to marks National Press Day on 22 July 2007, Reporters Without Borders today condemned its repeated violations of the opposition media’s rights, especially the use of jail terms to silence journalists, of whom a total of seven are currently in prison. “Four criminal code articles with provision for long sentences are above all being used to imprison journalists - articles...

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 14 July 2007, the Chief of Defence Staff of Niger's Armed Forces (FAN), General Moumouni Boureima, threatened to kill Moussa Kaka, a correspondent for Radio France International (RFI) in Niger, over his coverage of the rebellion in the Northern part of the country. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) correspondent reported that General Boureima threatened the journalist...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has hailed the 19 July 2007 release of Abdirahman Mohammed Habane of "Jamhuuriya", a daily based in Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway state of Somaliland. He had been held since 12 July because of a controversial article about the swearing-in of a traditional leader. He was freed after the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA), "Jamhuuriya"'s...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES welcomes the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill by the Legislature-Parliament, unanimously approved on 18 July 2007. The new law ensures: the right of every Nepali citizen to obtain any information from government bodies as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are operating with the support of the government, a foreign country or international...

(PPF/IFEX) - On 18 July 2007, police stopped two senior journalists and a cameraman from entering the North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan that border Afghanistan. Dr. Shahid Masood, the host of a locally popular TV show, and Rahimullah Yusufzai, the executive editor of "The News" in Peshawar, were en route to Miranshah, the administrative...

(FXI/IFEX) - After two attempts by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to obtain court interdicts this week, the SABC's legal head Mafika Sihlali succeeded where his employer failed. Last night's gag order was granted against the Mail & Guardian (M&G), Media 24 "or any other person", which appears both vague and overbroad. The order by Pretoria High Court Judge Lettie Molopa is an...

Reporters Without Borders voiced relief on learning that, on 20 July 2007, the Ethiopian government heeded international pleas and pardoned 38 opposition members, including four journalists, who had been given jail terms ranging from six months to life on 16 July. The four journalists to receive pardons were: "Ethiop" editor Andualem Ayele, "Abay" editor Mesfin Tesfaye, "Asqual" editor Wonakseged...

Dieter von Holtzbrinck, an heir to a German publishing empire, resigned from Dow Jones & Co.’s board of directors to protest the board’s decision to endorse a $5 billion offer from News Corp. “Although I’m convinced that News Corp. offer is very generous in financial terms,” he wrote in a letter to directors Thursday, “I’m very worried that Dow Jones unique journalistic values will long-term...

On 19 July 2007, police in Lusaka prevented Q-FM, a private radio station, from mounting their Outside Broadcasting (OB) equipment to cover live a demonstration organised by the OASIS forum and Collaborative Group on the Constitution, outside the gates of Parliament. Police said that the permit issued to the conveners of the demonstration did not include mounting the OB unit for live coverage of...