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Category: Media

  • Samoan journalists blast ‘ridiculous’ media restrictions at Commonwealth summit

    By Harry Pearl

    Restrictions on journalists covering an upcoming summit of Commonwealth nations in Samoa are “ridiculous” and at odds with a government that purportedly values democracy, says the Pacific island country’s media association.

    The Samoa Observer newspaper in an editorial also condemned the government’s attempt to limit coverage of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), calling it a “slap across the face of press freedom, democracy and freedom of speech”.

    The Commonwealth association, whose 56 members range from the world’s most populous nation India to Tuvalu in the South Pacific (population 14,000), covers some 2.7 billion people.

    The summit in the Samoan capital Apia in October will be one of the biggest events ever held in Polynesian nation.

    “I find the committee’s stance ridiculous,” Lagi Keresoma, president of the Journalist Association of Samoa (JAWS) told BenarNews. “We have written to the prime minister who is the head of the CHOGM task force regarding these restrictions.

    “We are also trying to get a copy of the Commonwealth guidelines the committee chairperson said the decision is based on.”

    The restrictions were very disappointing for a government that claimed to believe in democracy, transparency and accountability, Keresoma told online news portal Talamua.

    Alarmed over stringent rules
    On Wednesday, local journalists who attended a press briefing by Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti, co-chair of the CHOGM media sub-committee and CEO for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, were alarmed to hear of the stringent media rules.

    The guidelines, endorsed by cabinet, prevent photographers and videographers taking pictures, put restrictions on journalists covering side events unless accredited to a specific pool, and stop reporters from approaching delegates for interviews, Samoan media reported.

    Two state-owned media outlets, in partnership with New Zealand-based company MMG Communications, have been awarded exclusive rights to cover the event in film and video, according to the Samoa Observer. All other media, including foreign press, will have to request access to pooled photos and footage.

    The Samoa Observer said the restrictions were incongruous with international practices and set a dangerous precedent for future events.

    “It is a farce and an attempt by a dysfunctional government unit to gag local and overseas media,” the newspaper editorial said.

    “We are not living under a dictatorship, neither are the media organisations coming to cover the event.”

    CHOGM did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the media guidelines.

    Unstable Pacific media freedom
    The incident highlights the unstable state of press freedom in some Pacific island countries. Fiji in 2023 repealed a draconian media law that mandated prison sentences for content deemed against the national interest, while Papua New Guinea’s government has been considering proposals for greater control over the media.

    Last month, Papua New Guinea’s media council condemned the exclusion of a BenarNews journalist during a visit by Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto as “concerning” and “shameful.”

    Samoa’s ranking in Reporters Without Borders’ global press freedom index slipped to 22nd this year out of 180 countries, from 19th in 2022. But it is the only Pacific island nation in the top 25.

    The restrictions at CHOGM were not an accurate reflection of the country’s solid ranking, the Samoa Observer editorial said.

    State-controlled or influenced media has a prominent role in many Pacific island countries, partly due to small populations and cultural norms that emphasize deference to authority and tradition.

    Some Pacific island nations, such as Tuvalu and Nauru, have only government media because they have the populations of a small town. In others, such as Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Fiji, private media has established a greater role despite episodes of government hostility.

    Copyright ©2015-2024, BenarNews. Republished with the permission of BenarNews.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Samoa Observer: A slap across the face of media freedom

    EDITORIAL: The Samoa Observer editorial board

    The Samoan government’s attempt to control the media for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is a slap across the face of press freedom, democracy and freedom of speech.

    It is a farce and an attempt by a dysfunctional government unit to gag local and overseas media.

    No international forum of such importance does this. The United Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum or other CHOGMs never had to deal with such dictatorial policies for journalism. What is the sub-committee thinking?

    Samoa Observer
    SAMOA OBSERVER

    We are not living under a dictatorship, neither are the media organisations coming to cover the event. The message to media organisations like the BBC, ABC, AFP and others is you will only publish and broadcast what we tell you to.

    To the people who came up with these policies, what were you thinking? This goes to show the inexperience of the press secretariat and the media sub-committee. It would have been good if you had involved experienced journalists who have covered international events.

    There is never a restriction on media to cover side events, there is never a restriction for photographers and cameramen to take pictures, and there are never restrictions for media to approach delegates for interviews or what content they can get their hands on.

    In any international forum, the state or the organisation’s media uploads their content, interviews, pictures and videos and makes it accessible for all to use. It is at the discretion of the media to choose to use it. In most cases, the media come with their issues and angles. To say that this will be dictated, makes it sound like this is not Samoa but China.

    Next thing, the sub-committee will announce prison terms for not following the policies set by them. The CHOGM is the biggest international event Samoa has ever hosted and this decision is going to cause an international nightmare. The media in Samoa is furious because this is choking media freedom.

    The hiring of a New Zealand company will not solve the matter. They can help the government as they have done sporting bodies for the Pacific Games but who are you to dictate to the media what to publish and what to report?

    Each of the heads of delegations will be followed by the media from their country including their state media. All these people will not be allowed at the closing and opening ceremony. ABC, Nine News and other Australian media will follow Anthony Albanese, RNZ, New Zealand Herald, and Stuff will be behind Christopher Luxon and the British media with the King.

    This is surely not a move proposed by the Commonwealth Secretariat. If anyone at the press secretariat or any of the state-owned media has covered international events like the COP, CHOGM, UN meetings or even the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting, you will know that this is not how things work. To even recommend that overseas and local media work together to cover the event is absurd.

    Imagine the press secretariat journalist following Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa is told at an international event, no stay away from the events she goes to because we will tell where you are allowed to go. That also begs the question, will state media from other countries be treated differently from media who are independent?

    Each media outlet has its priorities. They will cover what is relevant to their audience.

    Media are given access and the option to choose whichever side event they would want to be part of. Does this also mean that the itinerary or schedule of events will also be not made public?

    The prime minister needs to intervene as quickly as possible before this situation escalates into an international incident. Stifling the media is never a good thing and trying to control them is even worse. Let us hope that this is not the legacy of this government. The one that managed to control media from 54 countries. It would be an achievement marked on the international stage.

    This year, Samoa jumped into the top 20 in the latest press freedom index released by the global group Reporters Without Borders out of 180 countries and territories assessed.

    It is one of only two Pacific nations in the top 20 of the index with New Zealand the other state and ahead of Samoa in 13th position. The other Pacific states below Aotearoa and Samoa include Australia (27), Tonga (44), Papua New Guinea (59), and Fiji (89).

    This is not a reflection of that.

    To justify this action by saying it is being done for security reasons either shows that you expect journalists to kill delegates with their questions or the lack of security arrangements surrounding the event. Is this an attempt to hide the inadequacies of the preparation from the eyes of the world?

    The sub-committee even said this was done to safeguard information that cannot be released. If you have covered an event like this before, you would know how it works. The least you could have done was consult with the Commonwealth media team or Rwanda, the previous hosts. The media know which meetings are public.

    The CHOGM is not a private event. It concerns governments from 54 nations and a government is its people. Do not be responsible for breaking the communication between governments and their people. Do not be the people to go down in history as the ones who killed media freedom at CHOGM, because that is what has happened here.

    If this is allowed to happen for CHOGM, a dangerous precedence will be set for future local events.

    The Samoa Observer editorial on 12 September 2024. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • New Russiagate indictments drop, raising media furor


    This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Open letters on Gaza that The Press shunned – the Handala protest

    Pacific Media Watch

    Two open letters on the genocidal Israeli war against Palestinian sent to The Press for publication that have been ignored in the continued Aotearoa New Zealand media silence over 11 months of atrocities.

    Both letters have been sent to the Christchurch morning daily newspaper by the co-presenter of the Plains FM radio programme Earthwise, Lois Griffiths.

    The first letter, had been “sent . . .  in time for it to be published on 29 August 2024. the anniversary of the Palestinian political cartoonist Naji al-Ali‘s murder”, Griffiths said.

    A protest boat aimed at breaking the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza, Handala, is named after a cartoon boy created by the cartoonist.

    On board the Handala, currently in the Mediterranean ready to break the siege with humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, are two New Zealand-Palestinian crew, Rana Hamida and Youssef Sammour.

    Yet even this fact doesn’t make the letter newsworthy enough for publication.

    Griffiths sent Naji al-Ali’s cartoon figure Handala with the letter to The Press. The open letter:

    Dear Editor,

    The situation in Gaza is so very very disturbing . . .  those poor people . . . those poor men, women and CHILDREN.

    How many readers are aware that 2 New Zealanders are on a boat that hopes to take aid to Gaza. Maybe the brave actions of those 2 Kiwis, joined by other international volunteers, of trying to break the siege of Gaza, will rally the rest of the world to finally stop looking away.

    Handala, the cartoon character
    Handala, the cartoon character . . . a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Image: Naji al-Ali

    They are on a very special boat, a boat with a name chosen to fit the occasion, the Handala.

    Handala is the name chosen by the Palestinian political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, for a cartoon refugee boy who stands with his back to the reader, in the corner of his political cartoons.

    Handala witnesses the suffering inflicted on his people.

    We have a book of al-Ali’s drawings, A Child in Palestine.

    Naji al-Ali was well-loved by the Palestinians for using his skills to share, with the world, stories of what the people had to endure.

    On 29 August 1987, the cartoonist died after being shot in London by an unknown assailant.

    Yet the memory of Naji al-Ali survives.

    The memory of Handala survives. He represents the Palestinian children. And the boat named Handala is sailing for the children of Gaza.

    Yours
    Lois Griffiths

    South Africa then, why not Israel now?
    In the other letter sent to The Press a week ago, Lois Griffiths, in time for the opening of the UN General Assembly on September 8, she urged the New Zealand government to call for the suspension of Israel.

    Not published, yet another example of New Zealand mainstream newspapers’ blind responses and hypocrisy over community views on the Gaza genocide?

    Dear Editor,

    Tuesday of this week, 08 September, is the date for the opening of UNGA, the UN General Assembly.

    In 1974, South Africa was suspended from the UN General Assembly after being successfully charged by the ICJ, International Court of Justice, of apartheid. This move isolated South Africa and was very effective in leading to the collapse of the apartheid regime.

    Now, the democratic regime of South Africa has taken a case to the ICJ [International Criminal Court] charging Israel with genocide. In an interim judgment, the ICJ has broadly supported South Africa’s case.

    The situation in Gaza is so vile now: the bombing, the targeting of residences, schools and hospitals, the lack of protection from disease, the huge numbers of bodies lying under rubble. And now, violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank is on the increase.

    Where is humanity? What does it mean to be human?

    A step that would certainly help to slow down the genocide, would be for Israel to be suspended from the UN General Assembly.

    Please New Zealand. Call for the suspension of Israel from the UNGA.

    NOW!!

    Yours,
    Lois Griffiths

    Palestinian resistance artwork on the humanitarian boat Handala
    Palestinian resistance artwork on the humanitarian boat Handala . . . hoping to break the Gaza blockade. Image: Screenshot PushPull

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Vietnamese journalist sentenced to 7 years on propaganda charges

    Bangkok, September 10, 2024—A Hanoi court sentenced journalist Nguyen Vu Binh to seven years in prison on Tuesday on charges of propaganda against the state.

    Binh was convicted in connection to comments he made in videos on political, economic, and social topics posted on YouTube channel TNT Media Live in January and March 2022. The channel is owned by U.S.-based broadcasting outlet Tieng Nuoc Toi, or “My Country’s Language.”

    “Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested and sentenced to seven years for airing independent views, which Vietnamese authorities continue to treat as a criminal offense,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Binh should be released now, along with all the other journalists wrongfully held behind bars in Vietnam.”

    Since 2015, Binh has written regularly for U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Asia’s Vietnamese language service about corruption, land rights, police abuse, the environment, and human rights. Binh’s last article before his arrest criticized the government’s persistent crackdown on pro-democracy activists.

    Binh is a two-time recipient of Human Rights Watch’s Hellman-Hammett Award given to politically persecuted writers and has been in pre-trial detention since he was arrested at his home in the capital, Hanoi, in February.

    CPJ’s email to Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security about Binh’s conviction did not immediately receive a response. 

    Vietnam is the world’s fifth-worst jailer of journalists, with at least 19 reporters behind bars on December 1, 2023, at the time of CPJ’s latest prison census. 


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Netanyahu and the Israeli protesters are on the same genocidal page

    COMMENTARY: By Belén Fernández

    In July 2014, shortly after the kickoff of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” in the Gaza Strip — a 51-day affair that ultimately killed 2251 Palestinians, including 551 children — Danish journalist Nikolaj Krak penned a dispatch from Israel for the Copenhagen-based Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper.

    Describing the scene on a hill on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Sderot near the Gaza border, Krak noted that the area had been “transformed into something that most closely resembles the front row of a reality war theatre”.

    Israelis had “dragged camping chairs and sofas” to the hilltop, where some spectators sat “with crackling bags of popcorn”, while others partook of hookahs and cheerful banter.

    Fiery, earth-shaking air strikes on Gaza across the way were met with cheers and “solid applause”.

    To be sure, Israelis have always enjoyed a good murderous spectacle — which is hardly surprising for a nation whose very existence is predicated on mass slaughter. But as it turns out, the applause is not quite so solid when Israeli lives are caught up in the explosive apocalyptic display.

    For the past 11 months, Israel’s “reality war theatre” has offered a view of all-out genocide in the Gaza Strip, where the official death toll has reached nearly 41,000.

    A July Lancet study found that the true number of deaths may well top 186,000 — and that is only if the killing ends soon.

    Protests for hostage deal
    Now, massive protests have broken out across Israel demanding that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enact a ceasefire and hostage deal to free the remaining 100 or so Israeli captives held in Gaza.

    Last week, when the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six captives, CNN reported that some 700,000 protesters had taken to the streets across the country. And on Monday, a general strike spearheaded by Israel’s primary labour union succeeded in shutting much of the economy down for several hours.

    Although certain wannabe peaceniks among the international commentariat have blindly attributed the protests to a desire to end the bloodshed, the fact of the matter is that Palestinian blood is not high on the list of concerns.

    Rather, the only lives that matter in the besieged, pulverised, and genocide-stricken Gaza Strip are the lives of the captives — whose captivity, it bears underscoring, is entirely a result of Israeli policy and Israel’s unceasing sadistic treatment of Palestinians.

    As Israeli analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg recently commented to Al Jazeera regarding the aims of the current protests, “the issue of returning the hostages is centre stage”.

    Acknowledging that “an understanding that a deal would also mean an end to the conflict is there, but rarely stated”, Flaschenberg emphasised that “as far as the protests’ leadership goes, no, it’s all about the hostages”.

    The captives, then, have assumed centre stage in Israel’s latest bout of blood-soaked war theatrics, while for some Israelis the present genocide is evidently not nearly genocidal enough.

    Press a button for ‘wipe out’
    During a recent episode of the popular English-language Israeli podcast “Two Nice Jewish Boys”, the podcasting duo in question suggested that it would be cool to just press a button and wipe out “every single living being in Gaza” as well as in the West Bank.

    Time to break out the popcorn and hookahs.

    At the end of the day, the disproportionate value assigned to the lives of the Israeli captives in Gaza vis-à-vis the lives of the Palestinians who are being annihilated is of a piece with Israel’s trademark chauvinism.

    This outlook casts Israelis as the perennial victims of Palestinian “terrorism” even as Palestinians are consistently massacred at astronomically higher rates by the Israeli military.

    During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, for example, no more than six Israeli civilians were killed. And yet Israel maintained its monopoly on victimisation.

    In June of this year, the Israeli army undertook a rescue operation in Gaza that freed four captives but reportedly killed 210 Palestinians in the process — no doubt par for the disproportionate course.

    Meanwhile, following the recovery of the bodies of the six captives last week, Netanyahu blamed Hamas for their demise, declaring: “Whoever murders hostages doesn’t want a deal.”

    General consensus over Israeli life
    But what about “whoever” continues to preside over a genocide while assassinating the top ceasefire negotiator for Hamas and sabotaging prospects for a deal at every turn?

    As the protests now demonstrate, many Israelis are on to Netanyahu. But the issue with the protests is that genocide is not the issue.

    Even among Netanyahu’s detractors, there persists a general consensus as to the unilateral sacrosanctity of Israeli life, which translates into the assumption of an inalienable right to slaughter Palestinians.

    And as the latest episode of Israel’s “reality war theatre” drags on — with related Israeli killing sprees available for viewing in the West Bank and Lebanon, too — this show is really getting old.

    One would hope Israeli audiences will eventually tire of it all and walk out, but for the time being bloodbaths are a guaranteed blockbuster.

    Belén Fernández is the author of Inside Siglo XXI: Locked Up in Mexico’s Largest Immigration Detention Center (OR Books, 2022), Checkpoint Zipolite: Quarantine in a Small Place (OR Books, 2021), and Martyrs Never Die: Travels through South Lebanon (Warscapes, 2016). She writes for numerous publications and this article was first published by Al Jazeera.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Mediawatch: Kiingi Tuheitia’s tangihanga – epic broadcast marks new epoch for te ao Māori

    RNZ MEDIAWATCH: By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter

    “Anticipation is growing. The warriors are ready. They’re preparing themselves. The paddlers are already on their waka,” Scotty Morrison, alongside veteran journalist Tini Molyneux, told viewers from the banks of the Waikato River.

    It was Thursday, and the body of Kiingi Tuheitia was being escorted to the barge to take him to his resting place on Taupiri maunga.

    That prompted Morrison — the presenter of TVNZ’s Te Karere and Marae — to recall that council permission was required in 2006 for Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu to make the same journey.

    RNZ MEDIAWATCH AND READ MORE:

    Times have changed.

    “In 2008 after the Waikato River settlement … a request was put in by Waikato Tainui that they had more control over the river. This time they could say: ‘We’re taking our King on the awa at this particular time,’” Morrison said.

    “That’s mana motuhake for you,” Molyneux replied.

    Times have changed a lot for the media since 2006 too.

    Whakaata Māori now has two TV channels, which both carried live coverage of the ceremonies over five days.

    The Kiingitanga’s own channel also broadcast live throughout on YouTube and Facebook as well.

    The Kiingitanga’s own channel live broadcast.

    Another broadcaster who joined that epic broadcast on Friday, Matai Smith, reminded viewers that the notion of media is not what it was in 2006 either.

    “We know that we live in a world of TikTok and Instagram. [We know] the relevance of the Kiingitanga to Waikato Tainui, but also to us here in Aotearoa — and many of us could be seen as quite ignorant of the significance of this kaupapa,” Smith said.

    After Kuini Nga wai hono i te po became the eighth Māori monarch — and the second youngest ever anointed — Mihingarangi Forbes also made the point about social media on RNZ’s Morning Report.

    Kuini Nga wai hono i te po is crowned
    Kuini Nga wai hono i te po is crowned . . . “it’s going to be interesting to see how she shapes Kiingitanga into this modern age.” Image: Kiingitanga/RNZ

    “I’ve been checking the socials because she is 27 years old, and the average age of Māori is also 27 years old. This is the way that this generation communicates,” Forbes said, noting that her own social feeds filled up with tributes to the new Kuini.

    While the tangihanga itself was a sombre and highly ceremonial occasion, the live coverage also had moments of levity on the paepae — and between broadcasters and their guests.

    All this played out at Tuurangawaewae marae less than a fortnight after dignitaries and the media gathered for the annual Koroneihana celebration of the coronation of Kiingi Tuheitia.

    The historic moment in te ao Māori and New Zealand history was covered comprehensively over five days thanks to collaboration between Whakaata Māori and the iwi radio network Te Whakaruruhau. It was probably the longest continuous multimedia coverage of any event in our media’s history.

    So how was all this done?

    Paora Maxwell explains his decision to step down as chief executive of Maori Television to presenter Kawe Roes.
    Kawe Roes hosting Kawe Korero on Whakaata Māori. Image: Maori Television screenshot

    One of those in the media pack at Tuurangawaewae throughout was former Whakaata Māori presenter Kawe Roes, who is now a digital media reporter for Waatea News.

    The Auckland-based Waatea also provides news to Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori — the national iwi radio network.

    “Tainui and the Kiingitanga already have systems in place to make it easy for broadcasting. They’ve been doing live streams for nearly 15 years,” Roes told Mediawatch.

    “In my years of broadcasting, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the amount of talent that was put into making sure Kiingi Tuheitia had the best broadcast for his tangihanga for the whole world to watch.

    “Once Tuheitia had taken the throne, he literally became the king of social media. By doing that so early Kiingitanga and Koroneihana events were able to transition from a special broadcast that might have been done in the TVNZ days to a livestream.

    “The hardest part wasn’t getting anyone there. We had so many people to choose from, including journalists like myself who are versed in te reo and English. You also had Māori journalists who were just versed in English and Iwi radio networks were also part of that.”

    The Morning Report team at the tangi for Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII and the naming of the new Māori monarch, 5 September 2024.
    The Morning Report team at the tangi for Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII and the naming of the new Māori monarch, 5 September 2024. Image: Layla Bailey-McDowell/RNZ

    Roes said it was one big collective effort.

    “The kaupapa was that the broadcast was more important than the brands. Even though we’re in different organisations, we all know each other. We’re a very small family, and I think by having that rapport made the job easier.

    “We shared all our knowledge. I was sharing knowledge of Kiingitanga and Tainui whakapapa with a New Zealand Herald reporter.”

    Just last month, Waatea News cut ties with the New Zealand Herald after it published Hobson’s Pledge adverts opposing iwi applications for customary marine titles.

    “We put that to the side. If I, as a Māori journalist, can’t help him then what am I doing on my job, really?

    “At the end of the day, we’re here to put out an amazing story. And for me, that’s what made it beautiful.”

    Were they broadcasting in the service of Kiingitanga and iwi around the country? Or to be the eyes and ears of people who could not be there? To capture it all for history? Or all of the above?

    “From our Māori broadcasting perspective, it was all about quality … because we knew it was going to be historic. The journalists, they took all the knowledge around them, and they put out some amazing content.”

    Back to the future

    Dr Ruakere Hond speaks to Morning Report at the tangi for Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII and the naming of the new Māori monarch.
    Dr Ruakere Hond speaks to Morning Report at the tangi for Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII and the naming of the new Māori monarch. Image: RNZ/Layla Bailey-McDowell

    The Kiingitanga evolved to deal with the Crown over urgent matters such as land sales and alienation. Now there is a young queen who is of the digital generation at a time when Māori/Crown relations are again tense and controversial.

    “So it’s going to be interesting to see how she shapes Kiingitanga into this modern age. She is the boss. She is now the queen of Māoridom and how she wants to roll with tikanga, how she wants to roll in a digital space is up to her,” Roes said.

    “From what I can tell, a lot of the status quo will remain. The only thing I would suggest is be careful who you’re talking to, not because of what you’re going to say, but we don’t want to overuse the majesty, and people end up hōhā listening to her.

    “The reality is — in my Tainui perspective — we look at them with a sense of tapu. That means you don’t naturally go up to them and start talking. But we might see her going to Waitangi for instance.

    “With young people, that might be where she thrives a bit more, and she can connect more with rangatahi — and she’s an easy lady to talk to.”

    Māori media have treated the Kuini’s accession in a reverential way. But when seeking the voice of Māoridom on political or controversial things, that will have to change.

    “I think the King changed the media landscape when throwing out support for the Māori Party. We’ve got an example there on how we can critique and how we can ask questions.

    “But you’ll only ever get to the monarch through spokespersons, and that’s why you have people like Rahi Papa and (Kīngitanga’s chief of staff and adviser) Ngira Simmonds, who bring those thoughts to the media. Tainui are across how to deal with media — an iwi who have been dealing with the Crown for 166 years.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Open letter to TVNZ – stop the bias, report fairly on the Israeli war on Palestine

    OPEN LETTER: Our Action Station

    Dear TVNZ,

    We are deeply concerned with the misleading nature of the journalism presented in your recent coverage of the escalating crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. By focusing on specific language and framing, while leaving out the necessary context of international law, the broadcast misrepresents the reality of the situation faced by Palestinians.

    This has the effect of perpetuating a narrative that could be seen and experienced as biased and dehumanising.

    The International Court of Justice’s ruling on January 26, 2024, mandated that Israel prevent its forces from committing acts of genocide against Palestinians and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

    This ruling highlights the severity of Israel’s actions and the international community’s obligation to hold those responsible accountable. However, TVNZ’s coverage has often failed to reflect this legal and humanitarian perspective.

    Instead it echos biased narratives that obscure these realities. This includes the expansion of genocidal like acts to the West Bank and the serious concerns about the potential for mass ethnic cleansing and further escalation of grave human rights violations.

    Under international law, including the Genocide Convention, media organisations have a crucial responsibility to report accurately and avoid inciting violence or supporting those committing genocidal acts.

    Complicity in genocide can occur when media coverage supports or justifies the actions of perpetrators, contributing to the dehumanisation of victims and the perpetuation of violence. By failing to provide balanced reporting and instead contributing to harmful stereotypes and misinformation, TVNZ risks being complicit in these grave violations of human rights.

    Tragic history of attacks
    New Zealand’s own tragic history of attacks on Muslims, such as the Al Noor Mosque shootings, should serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences of dehumanising narratives. The media plays a pivotal role in shaping public perception, and it is deeply concerning to see TVNZ contributing to the marginalisation and demonisation of Muslims and Palestinians through biased reporting.

    We urge you to review your coverage of the genocide to ensure that it is fair, balanced, and aligned with international law and journalistic ethics. Specific examples of biased reporting include recent stories on Gaza that failed to mention the ICJ ruling or the context of an illegal occupation.

    This includes decades of systematic land confiscation, military control, restrictions on movement, and the suppression of Palestinian voices through media censorship and the shutdown of local newspapers. Accurate and responsible journalism is essential in fostering an informed and empathetic public, especially on matters as sensitive and impactful as this.

    On August 29, 2024, TVNZ aired a news story that exemplifies problematic media framing when reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The story begins by benignly describing Israel’s “entry into the West Bank” as part of a “counter-terrorism strike”— the largest operation in 10 years — implying that the context is solely anti-terrorism.

    Automatically, the use of the word terrorism, sets the narrative of “good Israel” and “bad Palestinian” for the remainder of the news story.  However, the report fails to mention numerous critical aspects, such as the provocations by Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque and threatening to build a synagogue at Islam’s third holiest site, or Israel’s escalations and violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

    The Convention considers the transfer of an occupying power’s civilian population into the territory it occupies a war crime, and under international law, Palestinians have the right to resist such occupation, a right recognised and protected by international legal frameworks.

    The story uses footage, presumably provided by the IDF, that portrays the Israeli military as a calm, moral force entering “terrorist strongholds”, which is at odds with abundant open-source footage showing the IDF destroying infrastructure, terrorising civilians, and protecting armed settlers as they displace Palestinians from their homes.

    Bulldozers used to destroy Palestinian homes
    It portrays the IDF entering the town with bulldozers, but makes no mention of how those bulldozers are used to destroy Palestinian homes and infrastructure to make way for Israeli settlements.

    Furthermore, the report fails to mention that just last month, the Israeli government announced its plans to officially recognise five more illegal settlements in the West Bank and expand existing settlements, understandably exacerbating tensions.

    The narrative is further reinforced by giving airtime to an Israeli spokesperson who frames the operation as a defensive counter-terrorism initiative. The journalist echoes this narrative, positioning Israel as merely responding to threats.

    Although a brief soundbite from a Palestinian Red Crescent worker expresses fears of what might happen in the West Bank, the report fails to provide any counter-narrative to Israel’s self-defence claim.

    The story concludes by listing the number of deaths in the West Bank since October 19, implying that the situation began with Hamas’s actions in Gaza on that date, rather than addressing the illegal Israeli occupation since 1967, as the root cause of the violence.

    Why is this important?
    The news story is a violation of the Accuracy and Impartiality Standard with TVNZ failing to present a balanced view of the situation in Palestine, potentially misleading the audience on critical aspects of the conflict.

    Secondly, the news story violates  the Harm and Offence Standard, being an insufficient and inflammatory portrayal of the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine contributing to public misperception and harm.

    Additionally, there is a concern regarding the Fairness Standard, with individuals and groups affected by the conflict not being given fair opportunity to respond or be represented in the broadcast.

    These breaches are significant as they undermine the integrity of the reporting and fail to uphold the standards of responsible journalism. Holding our media outlets to high journalistic standards is essential, particularly in the context of the genocide in Gaza.

    The media plays a significant part in either exposing or obscuring the realities of such atrocities. When news outlets fail to report accurately or neglect to label the situation in Gaza as genocide, they contribute to a narrative that minimises the severity of the crisis and enables and prolongs Israel’s social license to continue it’s genocidal actions.

    Should there be no substantial changes to address our concerns,  we will escalate this matter to the Broadcasting Standards Authority for further review.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Trump Tells Supporters Rallygoer Who Broke Through Press Fence Is “On Our Side”

    During a campaign rally last week for former President Donald Trump in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump praised a man who jumped over the press barricade moments after he had railed against the media in his speech. The man breached the barricade shortly after Trump referred to the media as the “enemy of the people,” a phrase he has employed for at least half a decade and that critics have noted…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Why Lucas Bravo Wants Gabriel’s ‘Emily in Paris’ Restaurant to Earn a Green Michelin Star

    Spoiler alert: Gabriel from Emily in Paris isn’t getting a Michelin Star anytime soon. The first part of season four saw the chef (and on-again-off-again love interest of main character Emily Cooper) strive to do everything in his power to nail the Michelin seal of approval, but, long story short, it turns out the reviewer he’s been relying on is a fraud. However, Lucas Bravo, the actor who plays Gabriel, hasn’t given up hope. In fact, he recently revealed that he wants his character to keep chasing his Michelin dream, but instead of the standard culinary Michelin star, Bravo has his sights set on the organization’s prestigious, sustainability-focused Green Star.

    Speaking to Sharp Magazine in August, Bravo revealed that while he isn’t in control of the plot of Emily in Paris (that’s all down to writer Darren Star, of course), he wants to see a few big menu changes in Gabriel’s restaurant for the coming seasons.

    “I would love for his restaurant to become a vegan restaurant, and for him to get a Green Michelin Star,” Bravo, who is vegan himself, explained to the publication. “It’s something I’ve been talking about with Darren and producers for two years now, and I hope it’s going to happen.”

    In the past, Bravo has also expressed that he’d like to see Gabriel talk about sustainability more, too. “What I really want for Gabriel—even more than his romantic storyline or friendships—I’d really like to use him as a platform to spread a little awareness about the climate,” he told Grazia. “I’m a vegan and in season three, Gabriel slowly used more vegetables and more organic cuisine at his restaurant.”

    So if Bravo gets his wish, what would it take for Gabriel to actually achieve a Green Michelin Star? Vegetables and organic cuisine are a good start, but it’s going to take quite a lot of work from the fictional Paris-based chef. Let’s take a closer look, starting with: what actually is a Green Michelin Star?

    gabriel cooking emily in parisNetflix

    What is a Green Michelin Star?

    Green Michelin Stars were first introduced by the Michelin Guide in 2020 in order to recognize restaurants that demonstrate outstanding commitments to sustainability. Unlike the regular Michelin Stars, which are awarded for culinary excellence, Green Stars focus on a restaurant’s overall dedication to eco-friendly practices. This includes how ingredients are sourced, waste management, plastic usage, energy efficiency, water conservation, and more.

    “These restaurants offer dining experiences that combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments and are a source of inspiration both for keen foodies and the hospitality industry as a whole,” notes the Michelin guide.

    BellefeuilleBellefeuille

    How could Gabriel earn a Green Michelin Star?

    Right now, there are eight restaurants in Paris with a Green Michelin Star. They include Septime, Anona, Le George, and Bellefeuille. The latter was awarded the accolade, in part, due to its vegetable garden and orchard, where it sources most of its vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The orchard is located in Nonville, Seine-et-Marne, and the produce is brought into the city of Paris via an electric vehicle.

    The Michelin guide for Bellefeulle reads: “The fixed menu follows the seasons and uses the whole of each ingredient, with very little meat.” So, with that in mind, Bravo’s goal for Gabriel’s fictional restaurant to go vegan would certainly help it on its journey to achieving a Green Michelin Star. But the chef would have to do more than just serve plants.

    “Every Green Star restaurant is different and works in its own unique way—but all make a difference to the world around them and act as role models to us all,” notes the Michelin guide. “Many work directly with growers, farmers, and fishermen; forage in hedgerows and woodlands; grow plants and rear animals; and use regenerative methods such as no-dig vegetable gardens and successional cover crop growing.”

    The guide also noted that many restaurants also take things a step further, by contributing to local, national, and global nonprofits and charities related to environmental and ethical issues.

    Whether Bravo’s wishes for Gabriel will come true is yet to be seen. But in a fictional, escapist world like Emily in Paris, where anything seems possible (including the many adventures Emily finds herself on), Gabriel’s Green Star dream might not be too far-fetched after all.

    This post was originally published on VegNews.com.

  • CPJ concerned by Kazakhstan’s restrictive new media accreditation

    New York, September 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that recent changes to Kazakhstan’s domestic media accreditation regulations and proposed changes to foreign media accreditation could be used to silence critical journalists.

    “New and proposed amendments to Kazakhstan’s accreditation regulations are excessive and open too many doors to censorship. Instead of the greater openness promised by President Tokayev’s ‘New Kazakhstan,’ what journalists are really getting is ever more creeping state control,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Kazakh authorities should heed journalists’ legitimate complaints and revise the media accreditation rules.”

    The new rules governing domestic media, which went into force August 20, allow journalists’ accreditation to be withdrawn for six months if they twice fail to comply with rules at news events, which could potentially include asking off-topic questions.

    The proposed rules for foreign media, posted for public comment August 19, would allow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deny or revoke accreditation for any violation of Kazakh law, including minor “administrative” offenses. A media law passed in June already bans foreign media from unaccredited journalistic activity.

    Press freedom advocates say the proposed changes are worrying given authorities’ monthslong denial of accreditation to dozens of journalists working for U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kazakh service, known locally as Radio Azattyq, over a “false information” fine, as well as escalating use of administrative “false information” charges against domestic journalists.

    Diana Okremova, head of local press freedom organization Legal Media Center, told CPJ that the reforms amounted to an “intensification of government control” that would give authorities “wide discretionary tools to clamp down on” journalists.

    CPJ’s emails to the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment did not receive any replies.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • CPJ, partners call for release of slain Nigerian journalist’s body

    The Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, and the Media Foundation for West Africa released a joint statement on Tuesday, September 3, calling on Nigerian authorities to ensure the body of slain journalist Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi is released to his family and that those responsible for his death are identified and held to account. 

    Pelumi, an intern at Gboah TV, was shot on October 24, 2020, while covering the #EndSARS protests in Ikeja, the capital of Nigeria’s southwestern Lagos state. The injured journalist was reported to have been seen in the custody of the police; his body was found in a mortuary a week later.

    The statement said, “the continued refusal to release Pelumi’s body violates the family’s customary right” so they can provide a proper burial. “Without accountability, Pelumi’s case will add to several other unresolved killings of journalists in Nigeria, perpetuating a culture of impunity and promoting self-censorship,” the statement said.

    Read the full statement here.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Media Watch: Rumors about Chinese leader Xi spread online

    In nations where secrecy shrouds the lives of leaders, like China, North Korea and Russia, rumors can quickly take root in the absence of information. This is particularly true when it comes to the health of those leaders, an issue often treated as a state secret. 

    Recently, the internet buzzed with speculation about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s health, as a noticeable lack of public appearances from July to August fueled rumors that he might be seriously ill.

    Despite recent media appearances, rumors about Xi’s health show no sign of waning online. Below is what AFCL found.

    Stroke rumor

    A rumor that Xi suffered a stroke appeared in mid-July following the Communist Party’s Third Plenary Session.

    At the time, the phrase “stroke” was banned from one of China’s main search engines, Baidu, lending credibility to the rumors swirling around Xi’s health.

    On top of that, a photo of Xi frowning in apparent discomfort at the session emerged online, with many claiming that it was evidence of a health problem. 

    However, it was later revealed that the photo had been taken two months before the session and captured a fleeting expression on Xi’s face.

    1 (21).png
    Rumors on X claimed that Xi had suffered a stroke. (Screenshot/X)

    Xi’s body double?

    On July 20, China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV released footage of Xi paying tribute to the late Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the country’s embassy in Beijing. 

    Soon after, several Chinese-speaking online users claimed that the man at the ceremony was actually a body double of Xi, adding that Xi could not make it to the event due to health issues. 

    2 (13).png
    Some users claimed that a body double of Xi appeared at a commemoration for the recently deceased Vietnamese general secretary. (Screenshots/X and Ministry of Foreign Affairs website)

    The users cited blue patches on the carpet seen in the video, along with Xi’s stance and the folds of his ears, as evidence that the CCTV footage was likely fake and had been heavily edited in post-production.

    3 (6).png
    A comparison of the rumors on X (left) with photos taken by Vietnamese and Chinese outlets (right) shows that the crease on Xi’s ear changes depending on the angle and lighting of a given shot. (Screenshots/X, VNA and CCTV)

    However, using an image verification tool InVID, AFCL found no sign of the video being edited by AI. 

    Missing tripod?

    A claim about Xi using a body double due to health issues emerged again in late July when a X user shared a CCTV report on Xi’s meeting East Timor’s head of state, claiming that there were visual inconsistencies. 

    The users pointed out a tripod positioned behind the side of a table where the Chinese delegation was sitting. While the tripod was visible in some shots, it seemed to be missing in others taken from different angles in the same general direction.

    5 (2).png
    Rumors cite a variety of circumstantial evidence as proof  of the rumors of Xi’s ill health. (Screenshots/X)

    But the claim lacks evidence. 

    The meeting was held in the east wing of the Great Hall of the People, the same venue where Xi had met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in April 2024.

    AFCL compared CCTV footage of the two meetings and found that three similar doors were positioned on the side (circled in red in the pictures below). They show that the tripod was placed in a spot where it could have been out of view depending on the camera angle.

    6 (1).png
    Comparing footage of Xi’s recent meeting with East Timor’s leader (left) with that of his earlier meeting with Ma Ying-jeou (right) a number of similarly shaped doors at the meeting venue. (Screenshots /Jennifer Zeng X account and CCTV)

    Regular reappearances 

    In the Chinese dissident community in the United States, rumors about Xi’s health have been around for years, appearing regularly since at least 2017.

    They include a claim that Xi had severe health conditions such as a brain tumor, a brain aneurysm and a hearing issue. 

    But Yaita Akio, a former special China correspondent in Beijing for the Japanese news daily Sankei Shimbun, says such rumors are illogical and often easy to spot.  

    Due to officials’ control over media, breaking news in China is often vague and piecemeal when first being reported, Akio said on X, noting that details of an event are more likely to trickle out to the media rather than to be all known at once, which can lead to misunderstandings.

    Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.

    Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Rita Cheng for Asia Fact Check Lab.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • France Targets Telegram Founder To Censor Criticism

    A firestorm erupted this week when authorities in France arrested the founder of the messaging app Telegram for activities that were taking place on the platform. Most people view this as an attempt to silence freedom of speech, as Telegram has grown to more than 1 billion users, making it more popular than Twitter. Mike Papantonio & Farron […]

    The post France Targets Telegram Founder To Censor Criticism appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Mani once sang of freedom in Afghanistan. Now, silenced, she’s desperate to escape. Will Australia help? | Shadi Khan Saif

    This brave journalist and young women like her are bearing the brunt of the failed democratisation project: ‘Hope is fading’

    In the final days of the Afghan republic – in defiance of a looming takeover by the Taliban – the Hazara journalist Mani sang revolutionary poems in public in Kabul about women, freedom and justice. Now she is on the run, waiting for the Australian government to grant her a humanitarian visa.

    It’s three years since Australia pulled its final troops out of Afghanistan. Their presence over two decades saw the country emerge from the ashes of civil war, embrace a relative peace and a fragile democracy before falling back into the darkness of fundamentalism under the Taliban.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • ‘Whitewashing genocide’: How Democrats & the media kept Gaza out of the DNC


    This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Will Western Mainstream Media Be Held Accountable for Their Role in Genocide?

    The ruthlessness of the Israeli genocide machine in Palestine, and the direct complicity of the U.S., U.K., and other Western governments are two key pillars in the horrors being perpetrated against the Palestinian people (and in the attacks on human rights defenders around the globe). But there is an essential third pillar: the role of complicit Western media corporations knowingly…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Policy Doesn’t Matter In 2024

    America’s Lawyer E112: The Party conventions are now in the rearview mirror, but the corporate shadow that hung over both the Democrats and Republicans can’t be ignored. We’ll explain why both events were little more than a big love fest for corporations. One of the biggest corporate bankruptcy judges in the country was caught having […]

    The post Policy Doesn’t Matter In 2024 appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Guinea Bissau president swears at journalist as media freedom declines

    New York, August 29, 2024—Amid political tension in Guinea-Bissau following President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s dissolution of parliament in December, it was only natural for radio journalist Ussumane Mané to ask the West African leader a question that was on everyone’s lips: will there be a presidential election this year?

    Embaló, a former army general who came to power on February 27, 2020, following a disputed poll, responded by swearing at Mané during the July 13 news conference at the airport in the capital Bissau.

    “He blew up, told me, ‘Go fuck yourself,’” Mané, who works with the Catholic-owned Radio Sol Mansi, told CPJ. “I was shocked. I didn’t say anything else.”

    The incident is emblematic of the fractious relationship between Embaló’s administration and the press, with differences mounting since the president’s dismissal of parliament following clashes that he said were an attempted coup.

    Since July, at least 16 journalists have been obstructed, expelled, or even attacked by police and government officials while trying to report the news.

    “President Embaló’s outbursts and threats against the media, coupled with police violence against journalists, paint a bleak picture of press freedom ahead of Guinea-Bissau’s legislative elections in November,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo, in Nairobi. “Authorities must investigate attacks on the press and ensure the media can do their jobs freely.”

    Ruling by decree, Embaló plans to hold legislative elections in November, ignoring calls by political parties for presidential elections in 2024, which analysts say are constitutionally required 90 days before his term expires on February 27, 2025.

    Other notable incidents include:

    • On July 14, the local journalists’ union Sinjotecs called on the media to boycott coverage of the president, describing “disrespect” and “systematic insults” as “recurrent in Embaló’s public communications.” In response, the president announced his own boycott of the journalists’ union and called on the Attorney General to look into Sinjotecs.
    • On July 31, two journalists were hit by a police vehicle while covering a teachers’ protest in Bissau. Radio Popular reporter Nguoissan Monteiro told CPJ that the vehicle hit her and threw her several meters. Radio Capital FM reporter Djuma Colubali told CPJ that a police vehicle drove over her foot, and an officer beat her with a baton from behind while she was filming with a tripod on a sidewalk. She fainted. CPJ could not determine whether the same vehicle was involved in both incidents.
    • On August 5, Embaló held a three-hour meeting with journalists. He defended his press freedom record. “In the PALOP [Portuguese-speaking African] countries, Guinea-Bissau is the only country where a journalist insults the President of the Republic and goes to sleep without anything happening to him. We see countries where journalists are shot in the streets,” Embaló was quoted as saying.
    • On August 13, police barred more than a dozen journalists from covering the arrival of Braima Camará, president of Embaló’s MADEM-G15 party, at Bissau international airport. Camará was a key ally of the president who recently withdrew his support. Two of those present, Aguinaldo Ampa of O Democrata newspaper and Djariatu Baldé of Radio Jovem told CPJ that the police blocked about 13 reporters from a VIP reception center that was usually accessible to the press, and then ordered the journalists to leave the passenger arrivals area as well as a roundabout near the airport where they had retreated to.
    • On August 22, an aide with the health ministry expelled Indira Baldé, president of the journalists’ union who works for the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP, from its news conference, citing a “superior order from the presidency to bar me from reporting on anything related to the government,” Baldé told CPJ.

    Presidential spokesperson Ndira Tavares told CPJ that she was confident an incident like Embaló swearing at Mané would not happen again and the presidency was “committed to maintaining an open and respectful dialogue” with the media. She described the president’s August 5 meeting with journalists as “very productive and participative” but did not comment on Baldé expulsion from the health ministry news conference.

    José Carlos Macedo Monteiro, Secretary of State for Public Order, told CPJ “that those abroad don’t know what happens in the country and should not talk about what they don’t know,” without providing further details.

    The Ministry of Interior did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Remembering How to Care: Lessons From “Deep Space Nine”

    “The immediacy of the crisis that we’re in demands a new society and not in some imagined future, but now,” says Rehearsals for Living coauthor Robyn Maynard. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” host Kelly Hayes talks with Maynard and David K. Seitz, author of A Different Trek: Radical Geographies of Deep Space Nine, about the radical legacy of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and how science fiction…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Turkish court orders social media accounts blocked despite ruling that banned police ‘virtual patrolling’

    Istanbul, August 27, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists urges X (formerly Twitter) site administrators not to comply with a Turkish court’s order to block accounts belonging to several journalists and media outlets.

    “Turkish authorities continue to practice the ‘virtual patrolling’ and censorship of social media users under the false guise of national security,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “The request to block access to multiple X accounts, including those of journalists and media, will have a negative effect on press freedom in Turkey, where media have already worked under constant government restraints.” 

    On August 20, a criminal court in the northeast city of Gümüşhane ordered 69 X accounts, including those of at least three journalists and a media outlet, to be blocked from access inside Turkey. The court ruling was issued in response to request by the local military police to stop “terrorist organization propaganda,” according to reports. The court document, reviewed by CPJ, did not specify the nature of the alleged terrorist propaganda. 

    The list of accounts CPJ reviewed included those of politicians, activists and individuals from various countries. As of August 27, some of those accounts were not accessible from inside Turkey, while others were suspended or deleted. The accounts of Amberin Zaman, chief correspondent for the independent news website Al Monitor; Deniz Tekin, a correspondent for the local media freedom group MLSA in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır; and the pro-Kurdish daily Yeni Yaşam were accessible despite being included on the court list. The account of Öznur Değer, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish news site JİNNEWS, was inaccessible. 

    The Constitutional Court of Turkey canceled the Turkish police force’s authority for “virtual patrolling” in 2020 due to the right to privacy and the protection of personal data. However, the Turkish security forces continue the practice.

    CPJ emailed Turkey’s interior ministry, which oversees the military police, for comment but didn’t receive a reply. 


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Vietnam cracks down on social media users who criticize the state

    Authorities in Vietnam are pressing on with a crackdown on social media users who are seen as critical of the government, using two articles of the Criminal Code that rights groups say are too vague, to punish those “opposing” the state and the ruling Communist Party.

    After seven months in pre-trial detention, authorities in Hanoi have announced plans to prosecute Facebooker Phan Van Bach under Article 117 of the Criminal Code for “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

    Bach, 49, has been an active campaigner for more than over a decade. He took part in protests against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea in 2011, the Green Trees environmental demonstrations in 2015, and the protests against pollution caused by Formosa Plastics in 2016.

    According to an indictment issued on July 19 and recently shared by his family, Bach is accused of using his personal Facebook account to post 12 articles and six video clips between 2018 and 2022 with content said to “distort the Party’s policies and guidelines, defame the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, deny the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and disseminate edited images that defame state leaders and incite the masses.”

    Bach was detained on Dec. 29, 2023, but his wife Nguyen Thi Yeu wasn’t allowed to see him until June 4.

    “I didn’t recognize him at all. He was no longer the same person as when he left,” she told Radio Free Asia. “He was thin and had scabies all over his body.”

    Her husband told her he had diarrhea as soon as he was taken to the detention camp. When he asked to go to the hospital for treatment, he was given medicine, which made him constipated.

    He was put in a 40 square meter (431 square foot) cell with more than 30 other inmates, where he developed scabies.

    RFA called the investigator who handled Bach’s case several times but he did not answer the telephone.

    ‘Propaganda against the state’

    In 2017, Bach joined independent YouTube channel CHTV, reporting on Vietnam’s socio-economic issues.

    Three members of the channel, Vu Quang Thuan, Le Van Dung and Le Trong Hung, are serving prison sentences ranging from five to eight years for the crime of “propaganda against the state.”

    Bach often hosted live talks criticizing Vietnam’s one-party regime but in 2018 he announced he was leaving CHTV.

    His Facebook page shows that in recent years he has only focused on his labor export business.

    Sang.jpeg
    Phan Dinh Sang on trial in Ha Tinh on Aug. 26, 2024. (Saigon Liberation Newspaper)

    In another case in which Article 117 was used, the People’s Court of Ha Tinh province on Tuesday sentenced Phan Dinh Sang, 57, to six years in prison and two years probation, according to state-controlled media.

    Prosecutors said that from 2016 to 2023, Sang created, managed, and used five Facebook accounts to participate in “reactionary” and “opposition” groups.

    Vietnamese media said that, “during his time living and working in Laos, due to his dissatisfaction with the Vietnamese regime, the subject posted, distributed, and shared many articles, images, and videos with propaganda content, distorting history, and defaming the government.”

    Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has detained at least eight people and sentenced at least six others to prison under Article 117, according to RFA statistics.

    RELATED STORIES

    Vietnamese activist found guilty of anti-state propaganda

    Vietnam jails Facebook user for 7 years for ‘insulting Ho Chi Minh’

    Vietnam arrests 2 Facebook users over ‘vaguely written’ Article 331

    ‘Abusing freedom’

    International human groups have accused Vietnam of using the vague wording of Articles 117 and 331 of the Criminal Code to quash dissent.

    “Both Article 117 and 331 violate Viet Nam’s international human rights obligations and should be repealed or substantially amended to comply with the rules set out under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam is a state party, and other standards,” international human rights group Amnesty International said in 2021.

    Tuan.jpeg
    Le Phu Tuan. (Tuyen Quang Police)

    In a trial on Aug. 21 and 22, a court in Tuyen Quang province used Article 331 to charge another social media poster, Le Phu Tuan, with “abusing freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals,” state-controlled media reported.

    The 52-year-old was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

    Prosecutors said that from September to December 2023 Tuan used his Facebook account to livestream and post 21 videos.

    Details about the content of his posts were not immediately available but prosecutors said it was unverified, unofficial, and violated the interests of the state, the rights and legitimate interests of a number of local agencies and many individuals.

    The indictment said the contents were shared many times and attracted numerous comments, souring public opinion, undermining trust in the state and lowering the prestige of government agencies.

    According to RFA statistics, since the beginning of the year, at least 11 people have been arrested and eight have been convicted under Article 331.

    Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Vietnamese.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Mike Lynch, Probability and the Cyber Industrial Complex

    It began as a devastating, confined storm off the coast of Sicily, striking the luxury yacht Bayesian in the form of a devastating water column resembling a tornado.  Probability was inherent in the name (Thomas Bayes, mathematician and nonconformist theologian of the 18th century, had been the first to use probability inductively) and improbability the nature of the accident.

    It also led to rich speculation about the fate of those on the doomed vessel.  While most on the sunk yacht were saved (the eventual number totalled fifteen), a number of prominent figures initially went missing before being found.  They included British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, along with Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo.

    Lynch, co-founder of the British data analytics firm Autonomy and co-founder and investor in the cybersecurity firm Darktrace, had been recently acquitted by a US federal jury of fifteen counts of fraud and conspiracy, along with his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, regarding Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Autonomy in 2011.  While the firm’s acquisition had cost a mighty US$11 billion, HP wrote off a stunning US$8.8 billion within 12 months, demanding an investigation into what it regarded as “serious accounting improprieties, disclosure failures and outright misrepresentations at Autonomy.”  Clifford Chance was instructed by Lynch to act for him following the write down of Autonomy’s value in November 2012, hence Morvillo’s presence.

    Lynch had his fair share of unwanted excitement.  The US Department of Justice successfully secured his extradition, though failed to get a conviction.  The investor proved less fortunate in a 2022 civil suit in the UK, one he lost.

    For all his legal travails, Lynch stayed busy. He founded Invoke Capital, which became the largest investor in the cybersecurity firm Darktrace.  Other companies featured in terms of funding targets for the company, among them Sophia Genetics, Featurespace and Luminance.

    Darktrace, founded in 2013, has thrived in the thick soup of security establishment interests.  British prime ministers have fallen within its orbit of influence, so much so that David Cameron accompanied its CEO Nicole Egan on an official visit to Washington DC in January 2015 ahead of the opening of the company’s US headquarters.

    Members of the UK signals intelligence agency GCHQ are said to have approached Lynch, who proceeded to broker a meeting that proved most profitable in packing Darktrace with former members of the UK and, eventually, US intelligence community.  The company boasts a veritable closet of former operatives on the books: MI5, MI6, CIA, the NSA, and FBI.  Co-founder Stephen Huxter, a notable official in MI5’s cyber defence team, became Darktrace’s managing director.

    Other connections are also of interest in sketching the extensive reach of the cyber industrial complex.  This need not lend itself to a conspiratorial reading of power so much as the influence companies such as Darktrace wield in the field.  Take Alexander Arbuthnot, yet another cut and dried establishment figure whose private equity firm Vitruvian Partners found Darktrace worthy of receiving a multi-million-pound investment as part of a push into cybersecurity.

    Fascinating as this is, such matters gather steam and huff on looking at Arbuthnot’s family ties.  Take Arbuthnot’s mother and Westminster chief magistrate, one Lady Emma Arbuthnot.  The magistrate presided over part of the lengthily cruel and prolonged extradition proceedings of Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks and hounded for alleged breaches of the US Espionage Act.  (Assange recently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information under the Espionage Act of 1917.)  Any conflict of interest, actual or perceived, including her husband’s own links to the UK military community as former UK defence minister, were not declared during the legal circus.  Establishment members tend to regard themselves as above reproach.

    With such a tight tangle of links, it took another coincidence to send the amateur sleuths on a feverish digital trawl for sauce and conspiracy.  On August 17, a few days prior to Lynch’s drowning, his co-defendant was struck while running in Cambridgeshire.  Chamberlain died in hospital from his injuries, with the driver, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, assisting at the scene with inquiries.

    Reddit and the platform X duly caught fire with theories on the alleged role of hidden corporate actors, disgruntled US justice officials robbed of their quarry, and links to the intelligence community.  Chay Bowes, a blustery Irish businessman with an addiction to internet soapbox pontification, found himself obsessed with probabilities, wondering, “How could two of the statistically most charmed men alive meet tragic ends within two days of each other in the most improbable ways?”

    A better line of reflection is considering the influence and power such corporations exercise in the cyber military-industrial complex.  In the realm of cyber policy, the line between public sector notions of security and defence, and the entrepreneurial pursuit of profit, have ceased to be meaningful.  In a fundamental sense, Lynch was vital to that blurring, the innovator as semi-divine.

    Darktrace became an apotheosis of that phenomenon, retaining influence in the market despite a scandal spotted record.  It has, for instance, survived claims and investigations of sexual harassment.  (One of those accused at the company was the most appropriately named Randy Cheek, a sales chief based in the San Francisco office.)

    In 2023, its chief executive Poppy Gustafsson fended off a stinging report by the US-hedge fund Quintessential Capital Management (QCM) alleging questionable sales and accounting practices intended to drive up the value of the company before it was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2021.  This sounded rather typical and seemed eerily reminiscent of the Autonomy affair.  “After a careful analysis,” QCM reported, “we are deeply sceptical about the validity of Darktrace’s financial statements and fear that sales, margins and growth rates may be overstated and close to sharp correction.”

    QCM’s efforts did no lasting damage.  In April this year, it was revealed that Darktrace would be purchased by US private equity firm Thoma Bravo for the punchy sum of US$5.32 billion.  The Darktrace board was bullish about the deal, telling investors that its “operating and financial achievements have not been reflected commensurately in its valuation, with shares trading at a significant discount to its global peer group”.  If things sour on this one, Thoma Bravo will only have itself to blame, given the collapse of takeover talks it had with the company in 2022.  Irrespective of any anticipated sketchiness, Lynch’s troubled legacy regarding data-driven technology and its relation to the state will remain.

    The post Mike Lynch, Probability and the Cyber Industrial Complex first appeared on Dissident Voice.


    This content originally appeared on Dissident Voice and was authored by Binoy Kampmark.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Meta Allowed Kids To Overdose On Drugs Sold Through Instagram

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged earlier this year that his platforms would do a better job protecting children. But it turns out that never happened, because both Facebook and Instagram have been allowing advertisements for illegal drugs to be placed on their platforms. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription […]

    The post Meta Allowed Kids To Overdose On Drugs Sold Through Instagram appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • In New Max Special, Chef Charity Morgan Wins Over Meat Eaters With Meatless Barbecue, Wings, and Nachos

    Chef Charity Morgan is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2017, Morgan made headlines for helping over a dozen NFL players for the Tennessee Titans adopt a plant-based diet—and that year, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The following year, the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef was featured in The Game Changers, a critically acclaimed documentary film that deep dives into vegan athletes and the physical benefits of a plant-based diet. 

    Unbelievably Vegan With Chef CharityMax

    On August 22, Morgan returned to the screen in her very own special. Unbelievably Vegan With Chef Charity premiered on Max, HBO’s streaming platform as a collaboration between Morgan, High Noon Entertainment, and the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Unbelievably Vegan follows Morgan on her quest to help a local establishment better cater to vegans, despite its meat and dairy-heavy menu.

    ‘Unbelievably Vegan With Chef Charity’ on Max 

    In this Max Original, Morgan takes on the challenge of helping Germantown Pub, a local Nashville, TN eatery, add plant-based dishes to its menu at the request of owner Naima Walker Fierce. 

    Walker Fierce, who eats plant-based a majority of the week, tapped Morgan to help give her pub a plant-based edge. “I really want more vegan options,” Walker Fierce explained in the special. “As one of the owners [who eats] vegan probably four days a week, I need food I can eat. I know if I can eat it, there are thousands of other people like me who would eat it.”

    Unbelievably Vegan With Chef CharityCharity Morgan and JDee Agnew. @charitymorgan | Instagram

    Despite Walker Fierce’s desire for more vegan options, Germantown Pub’s executive chef JDee Agnew needed some convincing. “I’m not convinced. You have to convince me, you have to show me,” Agnew challenged Morgan. But with her expertise feeding top athletes, Morgan confidently stepped up to the plate. “If I can get NFL players and athletes all around the world requesting my meals, I can get anyone to go plant-based,” Morgan declared. 

    Charity Morgan’s vegan dishes for Germantown Pub

    To help create three standout plant-based menu items for Germantown Pub, Morgan utilized her signature three-R method: replace, replicate, reveal.

    Replace, Morgan explained, entails replacing a dish on the menu that isn’t faring well with customers. The celebrity chef chose to replace the restaurant’s Pub Nachos with her Vegan Pub Nachos With Beer Cheese. As the name implies, this dish features tortilla chips served with a generous helping of plant-based beer queso, a drizzle of dairy-free sour cream, smoky chorizo made by local vegan butcher The Be-Hive, lettuce, and pickled red onions. 

    Vegan Pub Nachos With Beer Cheese by Charity MorganMax

    The second factor of her approach entails replicating a customer-favorite dish. For this, Morgan chose to replicate Germantown Pub’s best-selling dish: Trifecta Wings, swapping out chicken for crunchy fried cauliflower. And for her final reveal factor, Morgan whipped up a brand new dish for the pub: Mac and Cheese With BBQ Jackfruit topped off with crunchy onion rings. 

    With this final dish, Morgan tapped into Agnew’s love for smoked meats with barbecue-seasoned smoked jackfruit to help replicate pulled pork. “My strategy is to first get JDee in his element. He’s comfortable frying, but his true love is on that pit. I’m doing a reveal dish that is going to pull to the heart and soul of who JDee is.” 

    While Morgan’s jackfruit cooked on the smoker, she enlisted the help of Agnew to prepare the cashew cheese for the menu item’s macaroni and cheese. Hands-on experience, Morgan explains, was crucial to winning over Agnew. “I’ve made a thousand mac and cheese [dishes], I could have gone back there and made it myself. I not only have to educate JDee, but I have to empower him, too,” she said.

    Mac and Cheese With BBQ Jackfruit by Charity MorganMac and Cheese With BBQ Jackfruit | Max

    After completing all three plant-based dishes, it was time for a taste test. Walker Fierce, Agnew, and Germantown Pub’s front-of-house staff tasted each item to determine whether or not they could go on to the next trial: the customer taste test. Ultimately, Morgan’s Vegan Pub Nachos With Beer Cheese and Mac and Cheese With BBQ Jackfruit were immediate hits among the staff. Her cauliflower wings, while delicious, didn’t quite do it for the Germantown Pub. So, Morgan went back to the drawing board.

    Instead of cauliflower, she opted for oyster mushrooms to recreate the pub’s fan-favorite Trifecta Wings. After frying up the mushrooms to a crispy consistency and tossing them in chef Agnew’s signature lemon pepper spice and Thai-chili sauce, Morgan knew she had a winner on her hands—and the Germantown Pub staff agreed. To celebrate, Morgan treated them with cupcakes from another favorite local vegan business: Sunflower Cafe.

    A taste of Germantown Pub’s new plant-based dishes

    While the pub’s loyal customers were hesitant to try Morgan’s vegan fare, the chef’s flavorful dishes quickly won them over. By the end of the special, the once hesitant Agnew had also realized how delicious vegan dishes can be, and he agreed to incorporate all three of Morgan’s dishes onto his menu.

    Oyster mushroom Trifecta Wings by Charity MorganOyster mushroom Trifecta Wings | Max

    Germantown Pub, Morgan shares with VegNews, was waiting until the Max Original special aired, but they are now ready to incorporate the vegan chef’s dishes onto its menu. And Morgan hopes her collaboration with Agnew inspires others to open up to plant-based food.

    “[Vegan food] isn’t limited,” Morgan tells VegNews. “You don’t have to sacrifice all of your favorite dishes and things that you have loved for so many years. It’s all about changing the ingredients, not changing the whole entire recipe.”

    By incorporating plant-based dishes, non-vegan businesses are able to widen their customer base, the celebrity chef explains. “No two people eat the same. There are so many dietary restrictions, now more than ever before. There’s gluten-free, vegan, [and] there are people that want to eat keto-friendly. There are so many dietary restrictions that people have, and some are for health reasons. I would tell [chefs] not to forget about those people.”

    More Charity Morgan on Max

    While Unbelievably Vegan With Chef Charity is, for now, a one-time special, there is a possibility this could turn into a series. “It all comes down to numbers,” Morgan says. “The network wants to know that there are people who are going to tune in and watch it.”

    VegNews.UnbelievablyVeganUnbelievably Vegan

    Add Unbelievably Vegan With Chef Charity to your weekend watchlist. And while you wait for this special to become a series, Morgan’s cookbook—titled Unbelievably Vegan, which inspired the basis for the recipes featured in the Max original—will keep you busy. 

    This post was originally published on VegNews.com.

  • Two media workers killed, 1 injured in drone strike in Iraqi Kurdistan

    Sulaymaniyah, August 23, 2024—A suspected Turkish drone strike killed two journalists and injured another in the Said Sadiq district of Sulaymaniyah province on Friday. 

    “We are deeply saddened by the tragic August 23 drone strike that killed two journalists and injured a third in Iraqi Kurdistan,” said Yeganeh Rezaian, CPJ’s interim MENA program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “Turkish authorities should swiftly investigate this attack and determine if the reporting team was targeted for their work.”

    The attack killed Gulistan Tara, a 40-year-old Turkish journalist, and Hero Bahadin, a 27-year-old Iraqi video editor. All three journalists worked for Chatr Multimedia Production Company, which operates Sterk TV and Aryen TV, news channels funded by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK.) Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union have designated the PKK as a terrorist organization, and Iraq’s National Security Council banned the group earlier this year.

    Turkey has escalated its military operations in the Kurdistan Region, targeting the PKK, which has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with Turkey. On July 8, a Turkish strike in Sinjar, northern Iraq, led to the death of a Çira TV reporter.

    Rebin Bakir, an Iraqi video editor and social media officer injured in the August 23 attack, is in stable condition after treatment at Shar Hospital in Sulaymaniyah for broken legs and hands, according to Hawzhin Shwan, a Sterk TV reporter and anchor, who spoke to CPJ.

    The three were on a reporting mission in an unmarked car along the Sulaymaniyah-Halabja road near the village of Goptapa when they were hit, Kamal Hamaraza, head of Chatr Multimedia Production Company, told CPJ, adding that they were journalists “with no direct or indirect connection to politics or military activities.”

    “We have faced ongoing threats from Turkish attacks due to our consistent coverage of their operations and violations in the Kurdistan region,” Hamaraza said.

    Salam Abdulkhaliq, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Security Agency, told CPJ that the agency “will publish publicly if they issue anything.” 

    CPJ’s email requesting comment from the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations did not receive a response.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • New law grants Taliban morality police fresh powers to censor Afghan media   

    New York, August 23, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about a new law, to be enforced by the Taliban’s morality police, which bans journalists from publishing or broadcasting content that they believe violates Sharia law or insults Muslims.

    “The Law for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice grants the Taliban’s notorious morality police extensive powers to further restrict Afghanistan’s already decimated media community,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “This law marks yet another appalling blow to press freedom in Afghanistan, where the morality police has worsened a crackdown on journalists and fundamental human rights for the past three years.” 

    Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada signed the bill into law on July 31, although the news was not made public until August 21, when it was published on the Ministry of Justice’s website.

    Article 17 details the restrictions on the media, including a ban on publishing or broadcasting images of living people and animals, which the Taliban regards as unIslamic. Other sections order women to cover their bodies and faces and travel with a male guardian, while men are not allowed to shave their beards. The punishment for breaking the law is up to three days in prison or a penalty “considered appropriate by the public prosecutor.”

    In its annual report this month, Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice said, without providing details, that it had “successfully implemented 90% of reforms across audio, visual, and print media” and arrested 13,000 people for “immoral acts.” Several journalists were among those detained.

    Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Republicans Fear Trump’s Self Destruction

    America’s Lawyer E111: Meta is once again in trouble after it was revealed that they are allowing ads for illicit drugs on both Facebook and Instagram, and now lawmakers want answers about how this was allowed to happen. President Biden gave a moving speech to the Democratic Convention this week, but reports say that he […]

    The post Republicans Fear Trump’s Self Destruction appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Laotians post images of miscalculated US$4,000 power bills to social media

    Residents and business operators near the Lao capital posted images of their outrageously high electricity bills on social media after an apparent miscalculation by the state-owned power company.

    Some business owners in Vientiane province’s Thoulakhom district received monthly bills as high as US$4,000 from the state-run Electricite du Laos, or EDL. That’s 10 times the usual US$400, one small business owner told Radio Free Asia.

    “I do not know what happened as I have never seen anything like this,” a Thoulakhom district resident told RFA last week. “There were never any issues with my electricity bills in the past months or years.”

    ENG_LAO_HIGH ELECTRIC BILLS_08152024_002.jpg
    Images of the recent high electric bills in Laos. Names and account numbers have been redacted to protect privacy. (Paul Nelson/RFA and RFA Lao service)

    EDL’s district office quickly issued a follow-up notice on Aug. 14, saying that bills for July had been miscalculated, and a corrected invoice would be sent soon.

    But the shock of the exorbitant bills comes as Laotians continue to contend with high inflation that has sent the prices of fuel and other commodities higher as the value of the Lao currency, the kip, has steadily declined. 

    Additionally, the Lao government has seen power generation as a way to boost the country’s faltering economy. Dozens of dams have been built in recent years with the aim of selling 20,000 megawatts of electricity to neighboring countries by 2030 and becoming the “battery of Southeast Asia.” 

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    Rising power prices have been a sensitive issue for years, and Laotians have expressed concerns that many people won’t benefit from the billion-dollar hydropower projects.

    The follow-up notice from EDL was sent within 24 hours, but several people had already posted images of their miscalculated bills on Facebook, according to the small business owner.

    “We know that electricity costs have increased, but we didn’t expect them to be this high,” she said.

    Similar mistake in 2021

    EDL is a state-owned corporation that operates the country’s power generation, transmission and distribution system.

    An official at EDL’s district office confirmed that the large bills were mistakenly sent out to customers. Only residents and business owners in Thoulakhom district were affected by the miscalculation, she said.

    “The relevant offices are working to get this problem solved soon,” she said.

    A similar mistake affected customers in Vientiane province’s Naxaithong district in June 2021, when some people received electricity bills that were two or three times higher than usual. 

    EDL officials held a news conference to acknowledge the mistake and made a rare public apology. 

    Translated by Phouvong. Edited by Matt Reed.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Lao.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Azerbaijani authorities charge 6 Abzas Media journalists with 7 new offenses

    New York, August 20, 2024—Azerbaijani investigators charged six journalists from anti-corruption investigative outlet Abzas Media with seven new economic crimes in relation to alleged funding from Western donor organizations in recent days.

    “Azerbaijani authorities’ move to throw new charges against Abzas Media’s jailed investigative journalists is testament to the vindictive impulse behind their prosecution of an outlet that has boldly exposed senior officials’ corruption,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must drop all charges against Abzas Media staff and immediately release all journalists detained over alleged receipt of Western financial support.”

    Police arrested Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi, project coordinator Mahammad Kekalov, and reporters Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova between November 2023 and January 2024 on currency smuggling charges.

    The journalists are among 13 media workers from four independent media outlets charged with currency smuggling related to alleged Western donor funding amid a decline in relations between Azerbaijan and the West. 

    The new charges are: 

    • illegal entrepreneurship in relation to a large revenue
    • money laundering of a large sum 
    • money laundering by an organized group
    • currency smuggling by an organized group
    • tax evasion by an organized group
    • document forgery
    • use of forged documents

     The journalists deny the charges, a representative of Abzas Media told CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. They described the charges as “an attempt to end Abzas Media’s reporting on top-level corruption.”

    The charges increased the potential maximum jail time from eight to 12 years, according to Hasanli and Gasimova’s lawyers, Zibeyda Sadygova and Bahruz Bayramov, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app. Bayramov told CPJ he expects the new charges to be extended to the other seven journalists.

    CPJ’s email to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan for comment did not receive a reply.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.