CPJ condemns harsh prison sentences for journalists in Egypt
On
June 23, 2014, three journalists from Al-Jazeera were sentenced to long
term prison sentences on charges pertaining to terrorism. The Committee
to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the Egyptian government for
these charges, and a spokesperson called these sentences “a disturbing
sign for the future of the Egyptian press.” The CPJ also reveal that
they have repeatedly insisted on the freedom of 14 currently imprisoned
journalists in Egypt. CPJ research reports that at least 65 journalists
have been detained since former President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown
in a military coup.
Source
5 Burmese Journalists Sentenced to 10 Years Hard Labour
On
July 10th, 2014, The Burmese government sentenced Unity Journal’s CEO,
Tin Hsan, 52, and journalists Lu Maw Naing, 28; Sithu Soe, 22; The Yazar
Oo, 28, and Aung Thura, 25, to 10 years hard labour for reporting that a
military facility in the country was manufacturing chemical weapons.
The
move was condemned by a variety of groups including The Southeast Asian
Press Alliance and The National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines. It was hoped that the Journalists would be protected under
Burma’s Press Law that had been passed three months before and
guaranteed a measure of protection for media workers.
However,
that particular law was ignored in favour of a 90 year old States
Secret Law that allows the government to sentence anyone for up to 14
years for disclosing was is deemed state secrets. The international
community is alarmed by Burma's return to draconian restrictions after
it claimed to have lifted press censorship only two year prior.
Source
Some deaths really matter – The disproportionate coverage of Israeli and Palestinian killings
Media
Lens has published an alert expressing concern over the
disproportionate coverage over Israeli versus Palestinian deaths,
claiming that “Israeli deaths matter much more than Palestinian deaths”
in western media. They highlight several examples where Israeli victims
received extended coverage that was not observed with Palestinian
victims, such as a nine hour live funeral segment. Media Lens emphasizes
that this coverage is rightly expressed, but raises concerns that this
biased coverage may be “humanizing Israelis for the public and
dehumanizing Palestinians,” the consequences of which affect human
suffering. Media Lens summarizes by stating that “every violent death is
a tragedy,” but that Israel-favoring US and UK interests is resulting
in a pro-Israel bias, and creating disproportionate coverage on Israeli
and Palestinian deaths.
Source
Press freedom takes a hit in the Land of Football
Reporters
without borders used the World Cup to bring awareness to the violence
and threats aimed at Journalists in Brazil. The campaign features the
Brazilian flag with Christ the redeemer grasping his face, at the centre
with the words “In Brazil, football has taken a hit, but not as much as
press freedom,”
Since
2004, a total of 21 journalists have been murdered in Brazil – twelve
in the last three years. The reasons for their deaths are often tied to
their investigations into corruption, drug trafficking and conflicts of
in interest. In addition, there have been 54 physical attacks against
journalist since the beginning of 2014. In February alone, three
journalist were killed. Two of the victims – Pedro Palma and José
Lacerda da Silva – were gunned down and one – Santiago Ilídio Andrade –
sustained fatal injuries covering the Rio Riots.
Brazil is currently ranked 111 out of 180 countries in the Reporters without boarders press freedom index.
Source
Are we journalists first?
Alexa
Fitts and Nicola Pring of the Columbia Journalism Review released and
article entitled “Are we journalists first?” illustrating the ethics
behind whether and when journalists can draw the ethical line and
intervene in a story they are covering ...
Major Canadian Cities Lose Daily Source of News
Star
Media Group, publisher of many news publications including the Toronto
Star, has recently announced that it will be shutting down commuter
newspaper, Metro, in three major Canadian cities ...
Millennials and Smartphones: Match Made in Digital Media Heaven
Monetizing
digital media can prove to be difficult but one market that has been
hugely successful is the realm of digital magazines ...
Which is more important – what to sell or where to sell it?
Jim
Fleigner, a managing partner at Impact Consultancy (Santa Monica, CA)
has recently conducted research on variables affecting newspaper
revenues for the Satisfying Audiences blog on INMA.org ...
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