The public outcry over the arrest and humiliation of the former managing editor of leftwing daily Libération, Vittorio de Filippis, may lead to the modification of libel laws in France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, giving in to the simmering discontent, over the journalist’s arrest, has said that he wants to change the law and decriminalise defamation, thereby removing the threat of arrest
The Council of Europe’s decision to adopt a treaty on access to information has created more ire than evoking support because of its "incomplete" and "unsupportive" status. Without discussing issues pointed out by members of parliament, over 250 civil society groups, a dozen European information commissioners and several governments—the secretive approach of Council of Europe (CoE) has raised
The ‘war on terror’ in Europe has seriously affected freedom of expression while providing little benefit in fighting terrorism. The last seven years have seen many policy and legislative changes in several nations which have threatened journalists' ability to gather and disseminate information. Since 2001, nearly all European countries have revised their legislation and policies relating to
Within minutes of the first shots being fired at the CST railway station, commenced a non-stop television coverage of the 62-hour high voltage drama in Mumbai that shocked the world. Reporters flooded the four conflict zones, and developments were telecast as they unfolded. As people stayed glued to television sets, the gunbattles, the deaths, the widespread public anger made the Mumbai terror
The Kazakh government's human rights record, including free speech issues, is inconsistent with standards embraced by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whose chairmanship the former is to take over in 2010. This, says Human rights Watch, risks undermining the integrity of the institution's human rights principles. One of the key problem areas is the government's rigid
More Internet journalists are jailed worldwide today than journalists working in any other medium. In its annual census of imprisoned journalists, released Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists found that 45 per cent of all media workers jailed worldwide are bloggers, Web-based reporters, or online editors. Online journalists represent the largest professional category for the first time
A new law that, if passed, will allow the Kenyan government to determine the content, style, manner and schedule of broadcasting, has drawn fierce resistance from the media industry. The Kenya Communications Amendment Bill 2008, which is now in its final stages of the legislative process in Kenya's Parliament, proposes to set up a communications commission appointed by the government to issue
Do you remember the BiTV lockout? Something worse than that happened on November 30, 2008. Sakaal Times, the English daily brought out in May (renaming the existing Maharashtra Herald) by the Sakaal group of Pune (of the Marathi daily Sakaal fame) and helmed by wannabe media baron Abhijit Pawar (nephew of Nationalist Congress Party-NCP leader, Union Minister and former Broard for Control of Criket
There has been a string of threats issued against journalists in Southeast Europe, rendered particularly ominous by violent attacks on journalists throughout 2008. Last week, Drago Hedl, a columnist for the Croatian Jutarnji List, received an SMS threatening to "massacre" him, just as a parliament member accused of war crimes was holding a press conference during which he singled out for criticism
Serious concerned have been raised about the constricting environment the government of Swaziland is imposing on freedom of expression. Under a Suppression of Terrorism Act that has been passed by the Parliament in May 2008, Swazi journalists, political activists and human rights defenders have apparently become persona non-grata, battered and/or arrested. The Swaziland Act is the latest in a
