News

IT WAS the journalistic equivalent of a drive-by shooting. The targets of Washington Post reporters Jonathan Finer and Doug Struck were two of journalism's favorites: Web loggers and the U.S. military. "Bloggers, Money, Now Weapons in Information War," read the headline over their story, which appeared Monday. "U.S. Recruits Advocates to the Front, Pays Iraqi TV Stations for Coverage," the subhead...

As the U.S. mutates the rationale for its preemptive invasion of Iraq, the mainstream media continues to pander to xenophobic and partisan denominators vis-à-vis Iran. Despite massive government intelligence failures concerning the September 11th tragedy, the heartbreaking devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the perversely flawed intelligence on non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction...

The Russe Regional Court confirmed the acquittal of a Romanian journalist sued for illegal possession and use of special surveillance devices (SSD). On September 15 the court acquitted George Buhnici. The Russe Regional Court sued George Buhnici for illegal possession and use of special surveillance devices (SSD) and sentenced him to BGN 1,000 fine. However, a higher district court acquitted the...

KHARTOUM, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Sudanese security forces jailed without charge a journalist accused of slandering President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in a move some parliamentarians called unconstitutional. Zuheir Sirraj, a columnist for the al-Sahafa daily paper, was detained on Friday night. A source in state security said he had violated the law by writing an article saying the president did not care...

This year's series of controversies about high-profile reporters and their government sources led me to think about the condition of journalism instruction that I have observed while teaching potential future journalists at a half-dozen colleges and universities. I began teaching as a part-time adjunct because my perception during occasional guest lectures had been that my areas of expertise --...

LOS ANGELES (AP) – They lurk in bushes, camp out in cars and hover in helicopters. Some are brazen enough to openly brandish their cameras, like old Western gunslingers. They may be hated, but their work – candid pictures of celebs in unguarded moments – is coveted. They are the paparazzi, purveyors of pix that are the lifeblood of the weekly star-tracking mags and tabs. Their photos demand huge...

MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti)-The selection of a jury to hear one of the most high-profile court cases of 2006, the trial of three ethnic Chechen accused of murdering Forbes magazine editor Paul Klebnikov, has received a mixed reaction, a leading Russian business daily said Friday. According to Kommersant, the selection of eight women in the 12-member panel, who were picked behind closed doors...

At least 100 Beijing News reporters have walked out, after Chinese authorities removed three editors of the unusually outspoken newspaper on Thursday. The two-year-old Beijing News tabloid newspaper has enjoyed rising circulation, and become known for stories that are more critical of authorities than those typical of China's tightly-controlled, state-owned media. Stories the paper published...

NEW DELHI, DEC 29: The year 2005 will be remembered as one in which India’s Rs 20,000 crore media and entertainment sector saw vibrant activity in regulation and policy implementation. Expansion of private FM radio in 91 cities led the list of major steps taken by the ministry of information and broadcasting. Cabinet’s approval of the downlinking and uplinking guidelines came amidst voices of...

Journalists across the country staged demonstrations on Friday, demanding press freedom and early end to the fresh curb on independent media. Hundreds of journalists, human rights activists and representatives of professional organisations joined a rally organised by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in the capital in the afternoon. Addressing a gathering at Indra Chowk after a rally...