News

New York, May 17, 2007—Two radio reporters covering a provincial governor in south-central Somalia were gunned down on Wednesday after the official’s motorcade was ambushed by clan militia. News editor Abshir Ali Gabre and reporter Ahmed Hassan Mahad of Radio Jowhar were killed when the motorcade of Mohammed Omar Deele, governor of the Middle Shabelle province, came under attack from gunmen of a...

After more than 50 years American Heritage, the magazine that furnished not just the minds but, in its original hardcover format, the dens of generations of American history buffs, is suspending publication, its editor, Richard F. Snow, said last week. The bimonthly magazine, which is owned by Forbes Inc., has been for sale since January, and in the absence of a buyer, Mr. Snow said, the...

A court in the Azerbaijani capital Baku has sentenced two journalists to 30 months in prison apiece on charges of defaming President Ilham Aliyev’s uncle. Yasamal District Court Judge Malahat Abdulmanafova Wednesday convicted Editor-in-Chief Rovshan Kebirli and reporter Yashar Agazadeh of the Baku-based opposition daily Muhalifet on charges of defaming Jalal Aliyev under articles 147 and 148 of...

(IAPA/IFEX) - Miami (17 May 2007) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) called upon all print media readers in the hemisphere to sign a public letter to the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, urging him to ensure justice in the 10 March 1998 murder of journalist José Carlos Mesquita. Mesquita was killed with two shots to the head as he exited a television station he owned in...

(IFJ/IFEX) - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today supported its member unions' call that a Reuters' trust ensure that its editorial independence and quality of reporting is not damaged if the proposed merger deal with Thomson Corp. is finalized. "We are concerned that this deal could lead to changes in editorial policy that could damage Reuters' reputation for independent and...

(IPA/IFEX) - Geneva, 16/05/2007 - Publisher Ncube of Zimbabwe receives 2007 IPA Freedom Prize for his exemplary courage in upholding freedom of expression. IPA also awards a special posthumous prize to Hrant Dink of Turkey and Anna Politkovskaya of Russia. During the opening ceremony of the 2nd Cape Town Book Fair on 15 June 2007, Zimbabwean publisher Trevor Ncube will be receiving the 2007 IPA...

The audience for US newspaper websites is growing at nearly twice the rate of the overall online audience. An average of more than 59 million people (37.6 per cent of all active Internet users) visited newspaper websites each month during the first quarter this year, a record number that represents a 5.3 per cent increase over the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen//NetRatings NetView...

Dubai, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Times and The Sunday Times, two of the most respected and influential newspapers in the world, will publish their international editions in the Middle East starting on May 21. The move marks the first time a leading international daily is printed and distributed widely in the region on the day of publication, and the arrival of the UK papers is expected to have a...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AOL plans an aggressive global expansion this year and will introduce a new version of its popular e-mail service this summer to include its AIM instant messaging platform, the chief executive of Time Warner Inc.'s online division said on Wednesday. The company plans to refresh its Web portal and launch new ones in 14 countries over the next 18 months in a renewed focus on...

Four newspaper groups today agreed to pay substantial damages to a Birmingham man they falsely claimed was suspected of being involved in a plot to blow up transatlantic passenger aircraft using "liquid bombs". A series of articles in six different newspapers claimed that Abdul Rauf, the proprietor of a bakery and cake distribution business in Birmingham, was suspected of funding or of having some...