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Showing posts with label Freedom of the Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom of the Press. Show all posts

3/29/22

Ukraine Invasion by Russia: Novaya Gazeta: Leading Russian independent newspaper shuts down after warnings

One of the last independent news outlets in Russia has announced it's closing down while the war in Ukraine is ongoing.

Novaya Gazeta said in a statement that they had received two warnings from Russian press watchdog Roskomnadzor, which put their operating license at risk, so they had decided to suspend activities.

The move comes at a time when Russian authorities are stepping up their pressure against critical and independent voices.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com/2022/03/28/leading-russian-independent-newspaper-shuts-down-after-warnings-over-war-in-ukraine

2/9/21

Hungary: Fresh blow to press freedom in Hungary as Klubrádió forced off the airwaves - by Emma Beswick

Hungary's first independent radio station, Klubrádió, will go off the airwaves on Sunday at midnight after a court upheld a decision by media authorities not to extend its broadcasting licence.

The news marks yet another setback for the independent media in the country, which has been under pressure since Prime Minister Viktor Orban's return to power in 2010.

Read more at: Fresh blow to press freedom in Hungary as Klubrádió forced off the airwaves | Euronews

11/15/20

Freedom of expression: Environmental justice reporters face deadly threats, intimidation

In many parts of the world, journalists who report acts of environmental destruction risk threats, violence and even murder. These crimes, which frequently target Indigenous reporters, often go unpunished.

Environmental journalists in Europe also face intimidation and harassment, said RSF spokesperson Christoph Dreyer, pointing to cases connected to the destruction of the Hambach Forest in northwestern Germany or unsustainable agriculture practices in Brittany, France. But most of these attacks, more than 65%, are recorded in Asia and the Americas.

read more at: Environmental justice reporters face deadly threats, intimidation | Environment| All topics from climate change to conservation | DW | 13.11.2020

4/21/20

Turkey′s Erdogan clamps down further on media amid corononavirus crises

The Turkish president seems to be using the coronavirus crisis as a pretext to get rid of the few critical media outlets left in his country. Opposition politicians and journalists fear a new spate of censorship.

Read more at;
https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-erdogan-clamps-down-further-on-media-amid-coronavirus-crisis/a-53192898

11/26/19

Turkey - Freedom of the Press Continues Under Assault: Kurdish journalist arrested after raid on her home in Ankara - by Steve Sweeney

Journalists in Turkey today vowed to continue to “write the truth” and expose to the world the scale of state oppression after journalist Berivan Altan was detained following a raid on her Ankara home.

Special forces, “holding long-barrelled guns” and with their faces covered by black ski-masks, broke into the Mesopotamia Agency reporter’s apartment, which she shares with journalist colleagues.

Jin News editor Habibe Eren, who was present during the raid, told the Star: “They seized our notes, books and technical equipment illegally while they were threatening us and insulting us.

“The extortionist mentality that has been going on for a long time is spreading to every aspect of our lives.”

Along with notebooks and computers, police also took copies of books by Idris Baluken and jailed former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-leader Selahattin Demirtas as evidence.

Ms Eren said that, amid the clampdown on democracy in Turkey, people wake up every day to detention operations with “not even a crumb of freedom of thought or expression left.”

But she remained defiant and vowed that journalists would continue writing the truth “no matter the price we have to pay,” and despite describing the whole country as a prison with pressure increasing every day.

“As a matter of fact, this is why they fear us. We write the facts with no fear whatsoever. Journalists who do not swear allegiance to [the Turkish state] and defend freedom will always exist.”

Mesopotamia Agency editor Deniz Nazlim condemned the detention of Ms Altan and said: “No form of pressure is strong enough to prevent a journalist from writing the truth.”

He told the Star: “We believe that the Turkish state’s policy of silencing journalists and hiding the facts cannot succeed. On the contrary, it will bring them closer to their end.”

Ms Beritan had been blocked from seeing her lawyers, while the charges against her are unknown.

Turkey under Erdogan's leadership has become the world’s biggest jailer of journalists, with a third of the world’s total.

Read more at: Kurdish journalist arrested after raid on her home | Morning Star

9/1/19

USA - Freedom of the Press: Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House - by Kenneth P. Vogel and Jeremy W. Peters

A loose network of conservative operatives allied with the White House is pursuing what they say will be an aggressive operation to discredit news organizations deemed hostile to President Trump by publicizing damaging information about journalists.

It is the latest step in a long-running effort by Mr. Trump and his allies to undercut the influence of legitimate news reporting. Four people familiar with the operation described how it works, asserting that it has compiled dossiers of potentially embarrassing social media posts and other public statements by hundreds of people who work at some of the country’s most prominent news organizations.

The group has already released information about journalists at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times — three outlets that have aggressively investigated Mr. Trump — in response to reporting or commentary that the White House’s allies consider unfair to Mr. Trump and his team or harmful to his re-election prospects.

Operatives have closely examined more than a decade’s worth of public posts and statements by journalists, the people familiar with the operation said. Only a fraction of what the network claims to have uncovered has been made public, the people said, with more to be disclosed as the 2020 election heats up. The research is said to extend to members of journalists’ families who are active in politics, as well as liberal activists and other political opponents of the president.

It is not possible to independently assess the claims about the quantity or potential significance of the material the pro-Trump network has assembled. Some involved in the operation have histories of bluster and exaggeration. And those willing to describe its techniques and goals may be trying to intimidate journalists or their employers.

It is clear from the cases to date that among the central players in the operation is Arthur Schwartz, a combative 47-year-old conservative consultant who is a friend and informal adviser to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son. Mr. Schwartz has worked with some of the right’s most aggressive operatives, including the former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon.

Read more at: Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House - The New York Times

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6/1/19

Freedom of press in Eastern EU States no longer self-evident – by Claire Stam

Up until recently, freedom of press was considered as a self-evidence in Europe. That is no longer the case, especially in several eastern European countries, where journalists have come under severe political pressure.

“Twenty years ago, if one would have said we have to protect freedom of press in Europe, that person would have been considered crazy. But today, we realise that freedom of press is on top of the political agenda again, here, in Europe. Suddenly we have to acknowledge that press freedom is under threat again,” Minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet (CDU) said on Wednesday (28 May).

Read more: Freedom of press in Europe no longer self-evident – EURACTIV.com

4/25/19

European Union: Press freedom and the EU elections - by Christophe Deloire

Almost one person in two in the world does not have access to freely reported news and information.

As Europeans, we can count ourselves lucky that we enjoy "this freedom that allows us to verify respect for all the other freedoms".

In the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), our continent is by far the one where freedom of the press is the most widely observed.
But let us not turn a blind eye on the fact that, in recent years, a dam has burst and this cornerstone of our democracy has been seriously damaged.

The murder of the Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul made us aware of the sometimes-horrifying violence inflicted by some countries on journalists.

However, Europe is not immune.

In Malta, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered because of her investigations into a money laundering scam.

In Slovakia, Jan Kuciak was killed because he was investigating a large-scale tax evasion scheme. These murders are among the most serious attacks on press freedom. They are also the symptom of a deep-rooted problem.

Journalism in Europe has been weakened by relentless, and often hyped-up, anti-media rhetoric by some political leaders, either in power or hoping to get there.

Coverage of the 'yellow vest' protests in France has provoked a profound dislike of journalists, sometimes going as far as rape threats directed at reporters.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has used similar distrust to his advantage when he recites the "fake news" argument to justify his refusal to speak to media outlets that do not support his own party.

We cannot resign ourselves to this situation.

Read more: Press freedom and the EU elections

4/19/19

Freedom of the press: hatred whipped up by populists and authoritarian leaders is fueling violence against Reporters

Hatred fuels violence against journalists, warns Reporters Without Borders Hatred of journalists whipped up by populist and authoritarian leaders is degenerating into violence across the world, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned Thursday.

Read more at : 

4/11/19

Freedom of the Press: You Don’t Have to Like Julian Assange to Defend Him - by James Ball

You do not have to spend a long time in a room with Julian Assange to realize that he will be difficult. It takes a little longer, though, to realize just how difficult dealing with him can be. This was the lesson I learned in 2010, working first with Assange, and then for him at WikiLeaks, as we published tranche after tranche of bombshell material, leaked by Chelsea Manning.

That was the year Assange—and the whistleblowing website he runs—came to the world’s attention. First it published the dynamite “Collateral Murder” video, showing an attack on a group of people, including two Reuters journalists, by American military helicopters in Iraq.

Though few knew it at the time, this was the first in a series of ever-larger and more dramatic leaks of classified documents, shedding unprecedented light on how the United States conducted its wars, its diplomacy, and its detentions: the Afghan and Iraq war logs, the American diplomatic cables, and the Guantanamo Bay files. These were published in partnership with some of the world’s biggest news outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Le Monde. These organizations quickly learned Assange was not the kind of person they were used to dealing with.

On a personal level, the editors and reporters did not warm to him. He would turn up in their newsrooms wearing a stab vest and no shirt, tell lewd jokes, and make high-handed demands.

They complained—sometimes in public. Yet these irritants were the least of their problems: News outlets quickly ran into serious ideological issues with Assange, primarily over handling of material and how it would be redacted.

Read more: You Don’t Have to Like Julian Assange to Defend Him

WIKILEAKS: Julian Assange arrested, as Trump claims he knows nothing about him

4/3/19

Turkish elections: Erdogan and his AKP are sore losers and not conceding lost elections

Turkish officials order Istanbul recount after Erdogan party appeal Turkish electoral authorities on Wednesday began a vote recount of Istanbul districts after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling  AKP challenged tallies showing an opposition candidate won a weekend local election.

Read more at: 

3/6/19

USA Freedom of the Press under threat: Trump threatens to block networks from hosting debates after Dems reject Fox - by Tal Axelrod

President Trump on Wednesday responded to the Democratic National Committee refusing to let Fox News host a Democratic primary debate by threatening to "do the same thing" with other networks during the general election.

"Democrats just blocked @FoxNews from holding a debate. Good, then I think I'll do the same thing with the Fake News Networks and the Radical Left Democrats in the General Election debates!" Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Trump has maintained a bitter relationship with the press since the campaign trail, often painting mainstream media outlets as "fake news" following critical coverage of himself or his administration.

The president alone would not have the power to prevent outlets from hosting a general election debate.

Note EU-Digest: Be it the Republicans, the Democrats or the President, neither one should meddle in how the news media  wants to do their reporting - that is all part of freedom of the press

Read moreTrump threatens to block networks from hosting debates after Dems reject Fox

11/16/18

USA - First Amendment: Washington, D.C. Judge has ordered the White House to immediately restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials

A victory for Freedom of Speech

A judge in Washington, D.C. has ordered the White House to immediately restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials.

US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, an appointee of President Donald Trump, announced the decision Friday.
The White House revoked Acosta’s credentials after he and Trump tangled during a press conference last week.

First Amendment of the US Constituation - Religion and Expression. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. 

 

EU-Digest

11/10/18

Freedom of the Press: Should Reporters Boycott White House Press Briefings After CNN Press Badge Revoked? - by Mary Louise Kelly

KELLY: And to this question of whether the White House press corps should stand with CNN, should boycott future briefings, what do you think?

KNOX: CNN has not asked other outlets to do that. You know, in this kind of situation, I'll take a lot of my cues from what the network itself is doing in response. Right now I'm making a public and private case to the administration to reconsider this decision. But we'll see what CNN decides to do.

KELLY: So at the moment it's business as usual, reporters who are with hard passes coming and going from the White House, filing from there as they would on any other day.

KNOX: With the exception of frenetic email traffic about what happened yesterday, yes.

KELLY: Your email box is overflowing?

KNOX: It is overflowing.

KELLY: I was going to ask. Are - you must also be hearing from people who are siding with the White House position on this, saying his questioning was crossing a line into being obnoxious, and they have a right to revoke a hard pass if they want to.

KNOX: I am of course hearing from those people. I will simply say, though, that it's a pretty basic principle that a president does not get to decide who covers them. And one of the things that I've heard from many colleagues nationally and internationally is essentially if they can do this today to Jim, they can do it tomorrow to somebody else.

Note EU-Digest: There should not even be a question about boycotting the White House Press Conferences, since most of the stuff coming out of Mr.Trumps mouth is just hot air anyway. The answer to the question should be ABSOLUTELY. Unfortunately the media is not really independent anymore as they are all controlled by large corporations and it has all got to do with hype and profits.

Read more: Should Reporters Boycott White House Press Briefings After CNN Press Badge Revoked? : NPR

11/8/18

USA - Freedom of the Press: Jim Acosta should sue Trump, and Americans should shun Sanders - Jennifer Rubin Opinion writer should shun Sarah Sanders - by Jennifer Rubin

The White House revoked the press pass of and defamed CNN’s Jim Acosta, falsely accusing him of  putting his hands on an intern. Press secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta of “placing his hands” on the intern. In fact, video shows conclusively that the woman tried to grab the microphone from his hands, and he held onto it:

Slowed down the @Acosta encounter to show the FOUR times the White House staffer touched HIM... not the other way around. Unclear if she's been suspended. pic.twitter.com/gBhlR2r5P1

President Trump’s conduct (Sanders surely didn’t do this on her own) violates every democratic norm one can think of — and what’s more, is illegal.

The First Amendment protects the press’s right to report the news and the public’s right to receive that news. The government cannot punish or threaten the press or individuals based on the content of what is reported. In fact, in a public forum, which Twitter was deemed to be, a federal court already ordered Trump to unblock Twitter users who were critical of him.

There is actually a lawsuit pending alleging that Trump is violating the First Amendment of members of the press by using the powers of his office to curtail criticism. As I reported last month, “PEN’s lawsuit is not brought on behalf of those whom Trump threatened (e.g., The Post, Time Warner). Instead, it alleges: ‘Defendant’s use of the power and machinery of government to punish his media critics creates an atmosphere in which journalists must work under the threat of government retaliation. This environment, underscored by Defendant Trump’s campaign of intimidation against critical reporting, casts a chill on speech that — even if braved and overcome by diligent and courageous reporters — constitutes an ongoing First Amendment violation.'”

Read more: Jim Acosta should sue Trump, and Americans should shun Sarah Sanders - The Washington Post

8/20/18

German -Turkey Relations: German journalist says Turkey court lifts travel ban

A German journalist and translator who is on trial in Turkey on terror-related charges said Monday that Turkish authorities had lifted her overseas travel ban.

"The reports about the lifting of my exit ban are correct," Mesale Tolu wrote on Twitter.
"I would like to thank my supporters and all those who sympathised with me and stood by my side to win my freedom."

An Istanbul court in December had conditionally released Tolu, 34, who was held for over half a year on charges of membership of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), which is banned in Turkey as a terror organisation.

Under that ruling, she had to report to the authorities every week and could not leave Turkey.

With the latest verdict, she will be allowed to leave the country.

However Tolu wrote on Twitter that the next hearing in her trial is scheduled for October 16. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.

In February, an Istanbul court ordered the conditional release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel after receiving an indictment from prosecutors seeking a prison sentence of up to 18 years.

The latest court ruling on Tolu comes amid a thaw in Turkish-German relations after months of sharp tensions.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he was relieved by the "good news" that Tolu would be allowed to travel and called it "a step forward in improving our relationship with Turkey".

But he added in a statement that more steps must follow and said that "we continue to view critically many rule-of-law issues in Turkey and are addressing these openly with our Turkish counterparts".

Read more: Flash - German journalist says Turkey court lifts travel ban - France 24