2005-2014

Nouakchott - The military junta in Mauritania has adopted a new media law, scrapping previous requirements for newspapers to obtain government permits before publishing, according to reports on Thursday. Government spokesperson Cheik Ould Ebb, cited by the official Agence Mauritanienne d'Information (AMI) news agency, said the new law "puts to an end the censorship system". "The law aims at...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. newspaper industry is likely to face a "somber" second half of the year, with circulation and advertising revenue remaining under pressure, according to an analyst's report released on Friday. The report casts doubt on any hopes of a major recovery for an industry that has seen share prices fall by 15 percent in the last 12 months amid declining readership and a...

NEW YORK, June 8 (Reuters) - The boardroom battle at Tribune Co. over a share buyback plan underscores pressures facing the newspaper industry, including sinking share prices, declining readership and competition from the Internet. Some in the industry have responded by batting around ideas such as shutting down newspapers and focusing on online news and advertising. Others suggest cutting...

NEW YORK: Ann Cooper, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, is leaving the organization to run the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism's broadcast department, according to a memo from CPJ chair Paul Steiger. The memo, first posted on the Romenesko Web site Wednesday, says Cooper will keep the CPJ post she has held for eight years until the end of June. "CPJ...

New York, June 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled that two journalists are to go on trial in Uganda, charged with “promoting sectarianism” in an article criticizing government persecution of opposition leader Kizza Besigye. Editor James Tumusiime and reporter Semujju Ibrahim Nganda of the independent Weekly Observer face up to five years in jail if convicted. Their...

Gavin O'Reilly, the Chief Operating Officer of Ireland-based Independent News & Media PLC, has been re-elected President of the World Association of Newspapers for a second two-year term. Fred Arp, Chief Financial Officer of the Telegraaf Media Group in the Netherlands, was re-elected Treasurer of WAN. MAN ON TOP: Gavin O'Reilly was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer of Independent News &...

(FMM/IFEX) - The Free Media Movement is extremely concerned about the arbitrary decision taken by the authorities to seal the private satellite broadcasting station CBN Sat on the night of Tuesday June 6 2006. This company has been broadcasting in Sri Lanka for over one year and has publicly advertised their services. Many Sri Lankans who wish to watch satellite broadcast programmes including...

(FLIP/IFEX) - The Prosecutor General's Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación) has pressed charges against two members of right-wing paramilitary groups for the 6 April 2003 murder of journalist José Emeterio Rivas Rivas in Barrancabermeja, the capital of Santander department, and against the city's former mayor, Julio César Ardila Torres, for facilitating paramilitary groups' actions in the region...

NEW YORK: Ann Cooper, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, is leaving the organization to run the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism’s broadcast department, according to a memo from CPJ chair Paul Steiger. The memo, first posted on the Romenesko Web site Wednesday, says Cooper will keep the CPJ post she has held for eight years until the end of June. “CPJ...

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has released six new strategy reports on some of the most important recent developments in the newspaper industry globally – -- new revenue models, outsourcing, digital classifieds, new editorial concepts advertising science and pricing strategies. SHAPING THE FUTURE: WAN is a leading provider of industry research and analysis through its Shaping the...