News

VNU, THE PARENT OF NIELSEN Media Research, ACNielsen and a variety of trade publications, Friday began part of a massive layoff that is expected to reduce its total workforce by about 4,100 jobs, or nearly 10% of its 42,000 worldwide organization during 2007. The cuts were first made known via pink slips handed out among some top editors of its trade publications. On Friday, entertainment industry...

Perhaps the history of the world would have turned out differently if, in the beginning, there had been that remarkable little invention—the mobile telephone. Imagine Prophet Mohammed chatting with his loyal men before making the historic journey from Mecca to Medina. Imagine the crusaders halting halfway to the gates of Jerusalem because of an SMS message. The course of world events would have...

New Delhi --- Mid-Day Multimedia, publishers of Mid-Day in Mumbai and Bangalore, and the Bennett, Coleman Group, publishers of The Times of India and The Economic Times, have signed a business cooperation agreement to jointly approach various markets in the country to mutual benefit. This alliance will benefit both organizations through cooperation in printing, circulation and advertising sales...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a decision by the Croatian state radio and TV broadcaster HRT to suspend two of its journalists, Danko Druzijanic and Goran Rotim, for broadcasting comments by President Stepan Mesic in which he spoke approvingly of Croatia's fascist past during the Second World War. HRT director general Mirko Galic suspended them for "lack of professionalism."...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders paid homage today to the 68 media personnel - including editors, reporters, photographers, cameramen and printing press workers - who were among the 4,000 people murdered or disappeared during Gen. Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. Pinochet's death yesterday prevents justice being fully rendered to his victims and their families but does not mean these crimes...

(12-10) 04:00 PDT Mexico City -- It was another grisly death. On Nov. 21, Roberto Marcos Garcia, a 50-year-old crime reporter in the eastern state of Veracruz, was shot dead after being knocked off his motorcycle by a Chrysler PT Cruiser in full view of lunchtime diners at a roadside seafood restaurant on the outskirts of Veracruz city. "He had received threats, mostly anonymous calls," said Luis...

MUMBAI: The Social Service Branch of the Mumbai Police has booked the editor and publisher of a magazine on the charge of hurting the religious sentiments of a community by publishing an allegedly derogatory advertisement about Dr BR Ambedkar in its current issue. An SSB officer said the editor and publisher of JAM, a fortnightly magazine, had been booked under Section 295-A of Indian Penal Code...

The chief minister of a major state is a mass murderer. The Prime Minister of India is a small-time manipulator who masquerades as a statesman. The Information & Broadcasting Minister should find better things to do than set up a nipple police. The president of the Congress party is a sleazeball. The chief minister of one of south India’s most important states is a fruitcake. Shocking stuff...

China and other authoritarian countries trying to control information on the Web have driven a record increase in the number of journalists jailed, with a third either bloggers or Web-based editors or reporters, a free press group said. The number of journalists imprisoned increased this year for the second consecutive year, up to 134 as of Dec. 1, nine more than in 2005, the New York-based...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on media and information minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa to act quickly to ensure that all Tamil newspapers can circulate freely in areas controlled by the government. A pro-government militia led by Tamil warlord Karuna has re-imposed a ban on the Sunday edition of the newspaper "Virakesari", with the result that the last two issues were unable...