YouTube wants your input on barriers to Internet freedom
In an age of widespread online journalism, Internet users worldwide are exposed to stories, footage, and leaks that probably would have gone unpublished in the print age. In response, YouTube has opened up the floor to commentary on the current condition of online freedom of expression. They’re calling on all Internet users, bloggers, and activists to submit…
YouTube: How would you advance online free expression?
Google is asking for video clips that explore this question for their conference on free expression in Budapest in September. I have a feeling this initiative might be swamped with protests about Google’s recent proposed compromise on network neutrality.
In South Africa, a new struggle for press freedom
The South African media is facing its fiercest battle yet with the country’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), over the boundaries of freedom of expression in the 16-year-old democracy. On August 8, 37 senior members of the media issued a declaration decrying recent moves on the part of the ANC to potentially restrict…
French officer proves ‘allergic’ to photos in Togo
It has been a week since Togolese photojournalist Komi Agbedivlo, better known as “Didier Ledoux,” was verbally abused by a military officer from France as he covered a political demonstration in the capital, Lome. The incident might have gone unnoticed, if not for social media and a year charged with historical symbolism for Togo, which is celebrating 50 years of independence from France. So the…
‘Litmus test’ begins in Maguindanao prosecution
A judge’s decision today to set a September 1 trial date for several defendants in the Maguindanao massacre highlights a positive development in what has been a very ugly story. The judge appeared determined to move the case forward and, for now, seemed able to keep the large legal teams in line. Quezon City Regional Trial…
In Honduran murders, a flawed government response
In a letter to the editor published Sunday in The New York Times, Honduran minister on human rights Ana Pineda took issue with the findings of CPJ’s recent special report on the murders of seven local reporters this year. Our report, which the Times detailed in a July 27 story, found a pattern of botched…
Africa’s path to press freedom goes online
Fifty years ago, development journalism helped to silence dissenting voices: One had to rally to the fathers of the nation for the sake of national unity. Accordingly, the legacy of these 50 years of Francophone media in Africa is freedom of the press and opinion. Journalists prod the elites, who are allergic to criticism, and…
China Media Project – Microblogs are crucial in China
Hu Yong’s writes on the rise of microblogs (like Twitter, which is blocked) on the Chinese Internet. Recently, when a newspaper reporter exposed related-party transactions by a listed company, local police authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Tens of thousands of microblog posts were sent out about this incident. Users expressed their views and…
In Swaziland, local press subdues royal sex scandal coverage
An alleged sex scandal involving one of the wives of Africa’s last absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Swaziland, has made worldwide headlines. Yet, in the southern African mountain kingdom, media coverage has been subdued, shying away from questioning the silence of the monarchy over the reports.So, while City Press, a newspaper in neighboring South Africa, went as far…
Gabon’s press blossoms, faces financial challenges
I will never forget that morning of August 17, 1960, in Port-Gentil when I was awakened with a jolt by the screams: “Long live independence, long live freedom!” Yet Gabon would not see the emergence of an independent and pluralistic press until the democratization process of 1990.