In a 6 June 2000 letter to Home Affairs Minister Lal Krishna Advani, RSF expressed concern about the adoption by the Lower House of Parliament of a law on Internet use, and the presentation of a bill concerning terrorist activities. According to Robert Ménard, the organisation's secretary-general, "these two laws contain some clauses which are in contradiction with India's international...
IT'S NOT EASY getting into the Pentagon, even if you've got a row of medals on your chest. So Military.com reporter Stephen Trimble shouldn't be so surprised at the hearty congratulations he's been getting for being the first online journalist granted a press pass there. "We definitely had to jump through hoops," says Trimble, who applied for the pass before the military news site had launched on...
SOMEDAY SOON, writes Time Inc. Editor at Large Daniel Okrent, the jig will be up for news on paper. The combined magic of digital, satellite and cellular technology will enable journalists to beam text and images to readers and viewers anytime, anywhere, via portable personal information appliances, he wrote last December in a commentary widely circulated on the Internet. Readers will like it, but...
THERE IS SOMETHING THAT'S still overwhelming about jumping on the Internet and opening up the enormous library that's online. Everyone has a personal site favorite. Mine is thetrip.com, which allows you to track every commercial airplane flight that's in the sky, in real time, on a map with altitude, air speed and estimated time of arrival. If that's not a gee-whiz, what is? Or how about the one-...
Thomson Corp. is essentially getting out of the newspaper business altogether. The New York Times Co. has put four of its dailies up for sale. Journal Register Co. is selling five. Early last year, Donrey Media spun off 10 of its papers to a partnership controlled by another company. Gannett Co. has sold off 11 dailies over the last three years, and Hollinger International sold 92 over the last...
In a 20 April 2000 letter to Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh, CPJ noted that it is deeply disturbed by the imprisonment of Nongthonbam Biren, chief editor of the Manipuri-language daily "Naharolgi Thoudang", and Thounaojam Iboyaima, the author of a speech recently published in the newspaper. Biren and Iboyaima were arrested on 14 April in Imphal, the capital of Manipur State, and detained...
In a 19 April 2000 letter to the chief minister of India's Manipur state, W. Nipamacha Singh, RSF protested the arrest of N. Biren Singh, editor of the daily "Naharlogi Thoudang". The organisation called on the minister to "ensure the immediate release of the journalist". RSF believes that a jail sentence would constitute a serious violation of press freedom. In a document dated 18 January 2000...
In a 17 April 2000 letter to the governor of Jammu and Kashmir state, Girish Chander Saxena, RSF expressed concern about the climate of violence facing the public and private press, especially after the explosion of a landmine near the building that houses the government station Radio Kashmir. RSF asked Girish Chander Saxena to order an inquiry into the incident, in order to identify those...
EVER SINCE THE New York Times Co. announced in late January it would attempt to cash in on the Web investment craze by offering stock in Times Digital Media in an initial public offering, it has been the talk of the industry. The Times, according to Reuters, could raise up to $100 million from new stockholders by creating a "tracking stock" for Times Digital Media. A tracking stock is one that...
IT BEGINS SLOWLY IN October and November and picks up steam in December. At newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations across the country, a designated person begins tracking down answers to a series of questions. Are the rules the same as last year? Is the deadline the same? Any new categories? Is the prize still $1,000, or has it gone up? By January, life becomes insane. Twelve-hour...
