2005-2014

Chinese prosecutors have filed a new indictment against a researcher for The New York Times, but it is unclear if they have introduced new charges or simply restated the case that was withdrawn in March, his lawyer said Monday. The new indictment against Zhao Yan was filed last Friday in a Beijing court. Mo Shaoping, the lawyer who has represented Mr. Zhao, said he had not yet been able to see the...

The World Association of Newspapers is launching a unique media development programme in the Arab world in which selected newspapers will work together to share new commercial and editorial strategies with publishers and editors throughout the region. A team from the Paris-based WAN is visiting potential partners in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia this week in the first phase of the WAN Arab...

Kenyan Security Minister John Michuki has warned he may order new raids against the media just days after a deadly attack on a radio station. Mr Michuki warned that the government would not hesitate to use force against any news group that demeans the state. "No body will be allowed to harm the government and if they do that we will teach them a lesson," he said. Last Friday, eight hooded gunmen...

This week marks the start of the television "up-front," when advertisers traditionally buy much of their commercial time for the upcoming season. No one’s quite sure how it will go this year: advertisers are worried about the rapid proliferation of the digital video recorders that let viewers zap their commercials, so they may see television as less valuable. Marketers are also reserving more of...

The organisation regretted that "China was marking the 40th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution by censoring the Internet and cracking down on democrats", pointing to a 12-year jail term against a cyberdissident and closure of a pollster website. Yang Tianshui was sentenced on 16 May 2006 to 12 years in prison for posting anti-government articles online. Elsewhere a website, Polls (Zhongguo...

New York, May 15, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indonesian authorities to fully investigate the recent killing of Indonesian journalist Herliyanto, a freelance reporter with the Radar Surabaya, Delta Post, and Jimber News newspapers. Herliyanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was found dead with numerous stab wounds on April 29 in a wooded area near the town of...

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (IPS) - Every year, the U.N.'s Department of Public Information (DPI) unveils its list of the world's 10 most under-reported stories, implying that politics, murder and sex scandals still take precedence over poverty, peace-building or economic development. The list, released by the United Nations Monday, covers a wide range of stories -- from the plight of asylum seekers...

Amid calls for clarification, the German government Monday ordered its Federal Intelligence Service to stop spying on journalists following allegations that it tailed and recruited reporters for years. Government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said Berlin had taken action after the damaging revelations that the Federal Intelligence Service, the BND, had kept tabs on journalists and even paid reporters...

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has recently issued a report on "a global counter-terrorism strategy" in which he appears to speak approvingly of "bans on interviewing terrorists." The Secretary General's 32-page report to the UN General Assembly contains his recommendations for the international community to fight back against terrorism. Amongst his recommendations is an offer to convene an...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – These are tough times for journalism. The newspaper industry cut more than 2,000 jobs last year as it continued to lose readers and advertisers to the Internet. Network newscasts are being propped up by older viewers and continue to lose market share to cable. Regular reports of ethical breaches are undermining public trust in all news organizations, bloggers accuse the mainstream...