Iraq Reporters

Hey, this is Arianna Barrett and I'm not the lead blogger at this point but I thought this article was very interesting. It's explaining the hard trials and tribulations that Iraqi' reporters go through just to do their job and report.


Iraq media in 'business of death'
By Hugh Sykes BBC News, Baghdad

There are reports of an escalation in attacks on Iraqi media in recent weeksNearly 300 people have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion simply because they worked for the media.
Of that total, 135 were news gatherers - reporters, photographers, camera operators or field producers.
And while foreign journalists have been killed here, the overwhelming majority of the dead were Iraqi.
The editor of the Baghdad daily paper al Sabaah, Falah al Mashal, told me: "Journalism all over the world is known as the business of trouble. In Iraq, it is the business of death."
At al Sabaah, 22 people have been killed because they worked there.
The editorial offices and the printing house are surrounded by a concrete anti-blast wall. There is a checkpoint at the main entrance.
But two car bombs managed to get in. In one of the explosions, two people died when part of a wall fell on them.
Journalists in Iraq don't work in this business just to make a living - they want to reveal the truth and that's why we are targeted
Falal al Mashal, editor of al Sabaah
In the English translation department, Murtala Salah was sitting at his desk a few steps away from a room which collapsed when one of the car bombs exploded.
"It is our fate," he told me.
I wondered why he carried on working in such a dangerous atmosphere.
"Journalists have only their pens. We tell the truth. This is dangerous for terrorists - because it turns them into criminals in the eyes of the people."
'Objectivity training'
Falah al Mashal added: "Journalists in Iraq don't work in this business just to make a living. They want to reveal the truth, and that's why we are targeted."
His paper al Sabaah - it means The Morning - is owned by the government. But he insists it is independent, and would never support a particular party. "Independence is essential," he emphasised.
But many newspapers and TV stations here are partisan - owned by political parties or religious groups. The London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) are opening a Baghdad branch later this year. They will offer courses on reporting in hostile environments and objectivity training.

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting is setting up in Baghdad
The IWPR's Iraq director, Hiwa Osman, says you have to read six or seven Iraqi papers to get a complete picture.
"We urgently need to train journalists here to give the full picture - away from political, religious or sectarian bias," he said, as decorators applied new paint to the lecture hall and the training studio.
He believes a lot of the killing here has been inspired by propaganda in the papers and on television.
'Nine lives'
A Baghdad reporter, Salaam Jihad, told me he had received "many threats, many things have happened to me, I have been chased by militants".
He laughed nervously after adding: "My friends say I am a cat with nine lives. I think I have lost five. So I have four left."
The Iraqi Media Protection Group reports an escalation in attacks on the media in the past few weeks.
Three journalists and a driver working for al Sharqiya TV were kidnapped and shot dead in Mosul.
There have been bomb attacks on three newspaper offices in Baghdad. One journalist died.
And a bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the national journalists' union in Baghdad - severely injuring its president, Muaid al Laimi.
In February this year, his predecessor at the union, Shihab al Tamimi, was shot and fatally wounded. He died four days after being taken to hospital.

HBO Canada Is Here Ay

WHILE SOMETIMES WE TEND TO FORGET ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORS FROM THE NORTH, HBO IS COMING TO CANADA. HBO CANADA IS BEING OFFERED THROUGH ASTRAL MEDIA'S MOVIE NETWORK AND CORUS ENTERTAINMENT'S MOVIE CENTRAL AT THE END OF OCTOBER AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE.

The Wait is Over... HBO Canada Is Here
September 22, 2008

Astral Media's The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central Launch HBO Canada on October 30, 2008

Toronto, Canada – Astral Media's (ACM.A/ACM.B) The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment's (CJR.B/CJR) Movie Central (Western Canada) today announced the launch of HBO Canada, a channel that will deliver a full slate of HBO's award-winning, boundary-pushing, genre-defining series, films, comedies and live events. Launching on Thursday, October 30, 2008, HBO Canada is a multiplex channel that will be offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to The Movie Network or Movie Central.

“HBO is one of the most successful and sought-after entertainment brands in the world and we are thrilled to be expanding upon our long-standing relationship to launch this unique new service,” said John Riley, President, Astral Television Networks. “For years, HBO's dramatic programming has been available on The Movie Network and Movie Central. But even with all of the HBO titles we offered, Canadians still wanted more. They wanted the comedy series, the live specials, the sporting events and the behind-the-scenes content that went into the HBO viewing experience. In launching HBO Canada we will be in a position to offer Canadians this additional content, together with the current signature series that HBO produces, to create an entertainment and value proposition that promises to set a new standard for premium television viewing in Canada.”

With its launch in October, HBO Canada will be home to new and returning marquee series such as True Blood, Entourage, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords and In Treatment, airing day-and-date with HBO in the U.S. The service will also offer more than 200 hours of library titles and first-run HBO original films, comedy specials, documentaries, live concerts and sporting events which were previously unavailable in Canada, including Real Time with Bill Maher, Def Comedy Jam and Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger. Library titles available on HBO Canada include such series as OZ and Da Ali G Show; original movies Gia, The Late Shift and If These Walls Could Talk; acclaimed miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and Angels in America; and comedy specials from the likes of Dane Cook, Tracey Ullman and Ellen Degeneres. HBO Canada will round out its offering with Canadian films and series including The Movie Network and Movie Central's award-winning original series such as Durham County and Terminal City.

“We are thrilled that HBO Canada is going to be available to our subscribers this fall,” said Paul Robertson, President, Television, Corus Entertainment. “Canadians see great value in HBO's distinctive brand and compelling programming and we have responded to this with a channel that offers a full complement of HBO programming that meets our audience's demand for world-class entertainment – delivered in standard definition, high definition and on demand.”

HBO Canada will include a standard definition and high definition offering. HBO Canada programming will also be offered on demand through The Movie Network OnDemand and Movie Central On Demand where available by service provider.

Astral Media and Corus Entertainment have expanded on the long-standing programming output deal that each has with HBO in order to launch HBO Canada. HBO will not hold an ownership stake in HBO Canada.

“Canadian audiences have a great appreciation for the quality entertainment for which HBO is known,” said Charles Schreger, President of Programming Sales, HBO. “Working with Astral Media's The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central to create HBO Canada is a great evolution in our relationship and it is very exciting to be able to deliver a robust inventory of HBO programming under an HBO branded destination.”

Hey, it's Beth Dockery, and I'm one of the lead bloggers this week. I found an article about Metaboli, a French video game distributor, becoming a partner with GameTap. GameTap is currently owned by Turner Broadcasting System and is an online video game company. It has a combination of both free and subscription games. The company hasn't been doing well so TBS was looking to sell it. Pierre Gaudet's comments on buying GameTap relate to our class discussion on InBev's aquistion of Anheuser-Busch, which I found interesting.

Paris firm buys into GameTap

Partnering for global online gaming network

By David Ward

Sept 24, 2008, 06:10 PM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting has found a partner for its money-losing GameTap service, announcing a deal with Paris-based Metaboli to create a global online gaming network.

Under the deal, Atlanta-based GameTap initially will continue to provide arcade, console and PC games to U.S. broadband users under its own brand, while Metaboli -- whose on-demand games service is offered by more than 50 partners, including MSN and Virgin -- will operate under its own brand in Europe.

Metaboli will assume direct management in early 2009 of the GameTap business and brand, with Turner becoming an equity investor in the combined entity going forward.

"The addition of GameTap provides us a foothold in the U.S. market, valuable content and an established brand that integrate well with our existing operations and a partner with whom we are honored to be in business," Metaboli CEO Pierre Gaudet said.

Launched as a subscription-based service in 2005, GameTap struggled to find an audience and profitability amid the sheer number of online sites offering free game-related news and game play. Eventually GameTap shifted to a hybrid revenue model with some ad-supported free games, titles available for purchase and download and a premium subscription service offering unlimited access to more than 130 games.

Last month, Turner said it would take an $18 million charge on GameTap as it looked to sell the service.

Saudi Judge Rules Out Satellite TV Obscenity

Hi, this is Mike, lead blogger for this week. I found this article about Saudi Arabia’s highest ranking judiciary official granting permission to kill the owners of satellite networks who broadcasts what he (Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan) deems as obscene content. This content that’s considered unacceptable come from networks that show movies, music videos, etc (outside influence). Satellite in Saudi Arabia, from my understanding, was once prohibited (even though it was managed to be smuggled in slowly) until other Arabic nations grasped this technology, prompting Saudi Arabia to finally embrace it. I thought it would be interesting to see how this will play out in their (Saudi Arabia) approach of what seems to be fear tactics in order to gain/maintain control of the people of Saudi Arabia.

Arabs Denounce Cleric's Edict to Kill Satellite TV Station Owners

Friday, September 19, 2008

AP

Sept. 16: A Saudi man drinks coffee as he watches Satellite TV at his home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a top Saudi cleric's edict that it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show "immoral" content.

Many expressed worry the recent comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan — chief of the kingdom's highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council — would fuel terrorism, encouraging attacks on station employees and owners.

The edict, or fatwa, has also focused the spotlight on Saudi Arabia's legal system because of al-Lihedan's senior position in the judiciary. The system is run by Islamic cleric-judges, many of them hard-liners, and has increasingly been criticized by some Saudis because of the wide discretion judges have in punishing criminals and the perception that many judges are out of touch with the realities of the world.

Even conservative clerics who agree that Arab satellite networks show too many "indecent" programs said al-Lihedan had gone too far.

"Our religion prevents Muslims from watching films that provide seduction, obscenity and vulgarity," said Sheik Hazim Awad, an Iraqi cleric, who, like al-Lihedan, is Sunni Muslim.

But "the real Muslim can just cancel (subscriptions to) these channels," he said.

Many conservatives frown on the Arab world's numerous satellite networks for airing music videos — often with scantily clad women singers — or Western movies and TV shows like "Sex and the City," from which nude scenes are sometimes but not always cut.

Obscenity isn't the only thing that disturbs some. On Tuesday, another Saudi cleric, Sheik Mohammed Munajjid, said the cartoon character Mickey Mouse should be killed. Munajjid said in an interview with a religious Web site that under Islamic law, rats and mice are considered "repulsive" and as "soldiers of Satan."

"For children they've become something great and beloved. Like this Mickey Mouse, who is seen as a great figure, even though under Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed," said Munajjid, who is a well-known cleric but does not hold a government position.

The controversy over al-Lihedan's fatwa began a week ago, when the cleric was answering questions from callers to the daily "Light in the Path" religious program on Saudi state radio. One caller asked about Islam's view of the owners of satellite TV channels that show "bad programs" during the holy month of Ramadan, which began more than two weeks ago.

"I want to advise the owners of these channels, who broadcast calls for such indecency and impudence ... and I warn them of the consequences," al-Lihedan said in the program. "Those calling for corrupt beliefs, certainly it's permissible to kill them."

The remarks were especially surprising because many of the most popular Arab satellite networks are owned by Saudi princes and well-connected Saudi and Gulf businessmen.

On Sunday, reportedly under pressure from senior government figures, al-Lihedan appeared on Saudi state TV to explain his comments, apparently to prevent vigilante killings. He said owners should first be brought to trial and then sentenced to death if other penalties don't deter them.

He said his "advice" was aimed at owners who broadcast witchcraft, indecent programs, shows mocking Islamic scholars or religious police and comedies inappropriate for Ramadan.

The edict chilled managers of satellite networks. Several channels based in Dubai declined comment. One network representative said the staff was taking the fatwa very seriously, but he did not want his name or channel revealed. "Why select yourself as a target by commenting on it?" he said.

Saudi Arabia's judiciary is a bastion of hard-line clerics implementing Islamic law under the strict Wahhabi interpretation. Judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and have complete discretion to set sentences, except in cases where Islamic law outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes.

King Abdullah has said reforming the legal system is one of his priorities, but so far few changes have been announced — a sign of wariness in confronting the powerful clerics.

One Saudi cleric challenged al-Lihedan, telling the Saudi Al-Jazirah newspaper that the new edict would "lend support to terrorism."

Militants will "recruit our youths to take lives and blow up stations and the properties of the owners of the stations, all based on (al-Lihedan's) grave response," said Sheik Abdul-Mohsen al-Obaikan, an adviser at the Justice Ministry and a member of the appointed Consultative Council, which acts like a parliament.

In Jordan, hard-line cleric Ibrahim Zeid Kailani said although the networks are spreading "decay" among the youth, it's the responsibility of the government and not individuals to deal with the issue.

"Such edicts, which call for killing people, instigate sedition," said Kailani, who heads the Islamic Action Front's Scholars Committee, a hawkish group. "They could transform the countries into internal battlefields."

Around the Arab world, many said el-Lihedan was out of line.

"He shouldn't give such a judgment because he's not God," said Noora Baker, a 27-year-old folkloric dancer from the Palestinian city of Ramallah. "I am against religion interfering with the matters of society."

Beaten up journalist in Bulgaria, collegues protest

This story comes from Bulgaria and shows that even in democratic countries, like Bulgaria is (also a member of European Union), journalists are coping with taugh violations of press freedom and freedom of speech. Beaten up journalist, Ognyan Stevanov, is reporting about relationships between some Bulgarian government leaders and business and mafia.

Bulgarian Reporters Rally in Support of Beaten up Colleague

About 100 reporters from numerous media gathered Thursday in downtown Sofia to rally in support of the editor-in-chief of "Frog News" website, Ognyan Stefanov, who was severely beaten up few days ago.

The protesters prepared and read a declaration to be sent to the international journalistic organizations.

"The barbaric attack against Ognyan Stefanov was not an attempted intimidation but a punishing action against the people, who have a different way of thinking, as well as against the freedom of speech and democracy," the document reads.

Stefanov was beaten unconscious by three masked attackers Monday evening in Sofia as he exited his favorite restaurant.

Before launching the severe battery on the 54-year old journalist, the three men declared that they were policemen.

Stefanov's colleagues adamantly refused to name the two individuals, who had dinner with the editor-in-chief just before the attack, citing the need of preserving the investigation's secrecy.

The team further appealed to different media organizations in the world to extend their assistance and voiced the opinion that the incident has been an assassination attempt.

The "Frog News" reporters stated that the interest towards their site has increased significantly in the last couple of days, making access difficult at times.

Burmese Government starts "cyber war"

Once again we are presented with an example of how far Authoritarian Military governments will go to stop opposition. Websites criticizing the Burmese Military crackdown on Monks were overloaded by the Government.


September 22, 2008
Dissident websites crippled by Burma on anniversary of revolt
Kenneth Denby in Mandalay

A year after e-mailed images of its brutal crackdown against democracy demonstrations were transmitted across the world, Burma has launched a ferocious “cyber-war” against dissidents who use the internet.
In the past few days anti-government online magazines run by exiled Burmese have been inundated by massive volumes of artificially generated traffic that have forced the news websites to shut down. The attacks coincided with the first anniversary of the “saffron uprising” — ten days of mass demonstrations by Buddhist monks and student activists that culminated in a crackdown in which dozens were killed and thousands arrested.
The concerted attacks - which appear to originate in China, Russia and Europe as well as Burma — can only be the work of agents of the Burmese Government and may be an effort to compensate for its failure last year to stem the flow of images showing vast columns of unarmed demonstrators and their eventual dispersal under a rain of bullets and truncheons.
Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy magazine and news website, based in the Thai city of Chiang Mai, said: “This attack is revenge. Last year the people beat the Government in the cyber-wars by getting lots of images and live news reporting out. Now the Government is saying, ‘We're much more advanced than before and we can cripple you'.”

The attacks began last Wednesday when three websites — The Irrawaddy, the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma and the New Era in Bangkok — became inaccessible. Within hours, the internet service providers for The Irrawaddy's main site and its back-up site were forced to shut them down.
The attacks were of the type known as distributed denial-of-service, which use automated programs to simulate thousands of users accessing the site simultaneously, overloading it.
The attacks eased over the weekend but Mr Aung Zaw said he feared that they would resume this week in the build-up to the anniversary of September 26, 2007, when the Government imposed a curfew and began its attacks and arrests on demonstrators.
Although only three websites have been affected they have a disproportionately large influence in reporting in a country where domestic media are strictly censored and foreign journalists can work only clandestinely.
The Irrawaddy, the most popular of the news services, has correspondents working undercover in Burma and on the Thai border. The print version has only 400 subscriptions but its website has 25 million hits and 100,000 unique visitors a month, including diplomats, journalists and activists following Burma.
A year ago the junta was shamed by the images of the saffron uprising and seemed helpless to prevent them. Eventually it shut down the internet for four days but by that time pictures had been broadcast across the world, including the notorious film of Kenji Nagai, the Japanese photographer, shot dead by a Burmese soldier.
The latest cyber-retaliation suggests that General Than Shwe, the junta's septuagenarian leader, has learnt lessons and is prepared to go on the offensive. Mr Aung Zaw said: “It's easy to see the generals as dinosaurs but they are not stupid. They have a lot of sophisticated, well-trained people - although you wouldn't think it to look at Than Shwe.”

The Future of Papers??

I found this article while browsing through the technology section of BBC News. Bill Thompson talks about the relevancy and application of "ebooks" in everyday life. He talks about the significance of paper and what it means to us. He also how the electronic age is quickly taking over, providing easier access to things like books, music, and, of course, the internet. I particularly thought that a large step was being able to buy a book from Amazon through a wireless connection to a mobile internet device.
Are Paper's Days Numbered?

MTV launching in the Czech Republic

Hey everyone, it's Brian Scheffler. When I was reading this article about MTV launching in the Czech Republic, I found it interesting to read over and over in the article that MTV will "localise" the content and provide local and international music. When we tune into MTV in the U.S., we mainly see reruns of a handful of shows and NOT music. I just found it interesting that they seem to be mainly promoting local music with the Czech MTV channel.

Original article link

Central European Media Enterprises and MTV Networks International Sign Licensing Agreement for Czech Republic
LONDON and HAMILTON, Bermuda, Sept 18, 2008 -- Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. ("CME"), a leading television broadcaster in Central and Eastern Europe, and MTV Networks International ("MTVNI"), a division of Viacom Inc., today announced a multi-year licensing agreement granting CME rights to launch a localised MTV channel in the Czech Republic, as well as the opportunity to distribute the channel via cable and satellite platforms in the Slovak Republic.

MTV Czech, which is slated to launch in the first half of 2009, will operate as a fully-localised, 24-hour youth lifestyle channel, providing the very best in international and local music and long-form programming. MTVNI will work closely with CME and TV Nova to offer viewers a mix of locally produced content, Czech adaptations of MTV formats and internationally renowned programs such as Pimp My Ride and Cribs subtitled in Czech. MTV Czech will be available as part of TV Nova's family of terrestrial and cable entertainment and thematic channels.

Bhavneet Singh, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Emerging Markets, MTVNI commented: "The Czech Republic has been a priority market for us for some time now and we're delighted to announce this deal and the extension of our strategic partnership with CME. This is the very first MTVNI service to launch in the Czech Republic, marking a real milestone in our network's history, and further strengthens our MTV brand footprint across Central and Eastern Europe. Our aim is to provide the best content across multiple media platforms and create the ultimate go-to entertainment destination for Czech youth."

Michael Garin, CME's Chief Executive Officer, added: "We are thrilled to be launching MTV in the Czech Republic. Our strong partnership with MTV enhances our ability to deliver our multichannel strategy. We now have 22 networks across our markets and look forward to working with MTV to expand further."

Petr Dvorak, General Director of TV Nova, said: "We are excited to have the opportunity to include MTV into the TV Nova group of channels. We believe that MTV Czech will complement our existing portfolio of channels, giving our viewers and advertisers an even more complete media offering. With the digitalisation processes in the Czech and Slovak Republics already underway, we will be able to offer the audience additional program diversity under the Nova umbrella."

MTVNI's Emerging Markets group is one of the fastest growing regions in MTVNI's portfolio of multi-platform businesses. The Emerging Markets group manages 26 television channels, 24 websites, one broadband channel and three mobile TV channels encompassing the MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, VIVA and Comedy Central brands in Central & Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. MTVNI is owned by Viacom Inc.

CME operates 22 broadcast networks, as well as pay-TV channels, Internet properties and other media businesses in seven countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine - with an aggregate population of 97 million people. In the past five years CME has shown 31% compound annual revenue growth rate and has been one of the fastest growing media companies in the world.

Interesting article about the stock market

I found this informative article about the dramatic change in the stock market. I have been hearing that the stock market is undergoing some changes and I was curious to find out what these changes were and how is was effecting the economy. With the tribulations behind Fema and Fannie Mae I am curious to find out how these big corporations are affecting our society and neighboring communities. The link to the article is posted below. The article that I found in the New York Times stated that the last-minute selling of the Dow Jones Industrial company, caused a decline down 4.4 percent or 504.48 points. Now Gov David Patersonff said the state would allow A.I.G. to borrow $20 billion from its subsidiaries to bolster its capital as it faces potentially disastrous credit downgrades. My concern with the loss of profit from these major corporations, I am fearful of further job cuts due to a decrease in profit or funding.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/business/worldbusiness/16markets.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

TV Drama Axed

Hi, it's Adam Kimble. I'm lead blogger this week and I know Saturday is a little early, but I wanted to post this while it was still fresh. It's a really interesting article pertaining to a Ramadan soap opera that is causing some stir in Saudi Arabia. Several Arab tribes were upset about the digging up of their ancestors via these programs, and I think the government fears that it could be dangerous to stoke this kind of a fire. I find it even more interesting because I really know little about these tribes and I didn't realize what was going on over there.

TV drama axed after complaints
Wed Sep 10 20:09:41 UTC 2008

By Andrew Hammond

RIYADH (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has stopped a Ramadan soap opera after complaints in Saudi that it was stoking ancient tribal rivalries, Arab media reported this week.

The UAE official news agency WAM said Monday that President Khalifa bin Zayed had ordered Abu Dhabi Television to end broadcasts of "Saadoun al-Awajy," which had been running nightly throughout the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan "in response to appeals by several Arab tribes."

Saudi authorities have been concerned about a resurgence of tribal sentiment in recent years.

Government in Saudi Arabia is tribal in nature, centered on the rule of the Al Saudi family and their allies, and the state has had difficulty carving out a national identity since it was formed in 1932 under the name of its Saudi rulers.

Saudi-owned website Elaph said a Saudi official visited the UAE Monday with a letter from King Abdullah asking for the historical drama, set from 1750-1830, to be cancelled following lobbying by descendents of tribesman depicted in the serial.

There was no official confirmation of the Saudi request but Saudi media have been reporting tribal anger for weeks. "Who benefits from digging up the graves of our ancestors?" commentator Mohammed al-Rutyan wrote in al-Watan daily.

Elaph said this was the second soap opera to be axed this year over fears of stirring up tribal animosities after Saudi-owned MBC shelved "Finjan al-Dam" (Cup of Blood).

"Saadoun al-Awajy" concerns a well-known tribal war between the Shammar and Unaiza tribes in what is now northern Saudi Arabia, at a time when the territory of the Saudi royal family was expanding in the southern Najd near modern Riyadh.

The main character in the Syrian-made show is an Unaiza tribal leader who pleads with his sons not to kill a minor Shammar tribesman who has been stealing fine horses and camels.

Before he dies, the tribesman composes a poem -- famous among Arab tribes -- calling on his kinsmen in Iraq to come and avenge his blood. The Unaiza today are found in northern Saudi Arabia but the Shammar extend into Iraq and Syria.

Turki al-Rashid, a prominent Shammar businessman, praised the series saying it was the kind of historical drama that appealed to Gulf Arabs rather than the Egyptian and Levantine material that dominates in the Arab world.

"It's a fuss about nothing. I'm bothered if it's true that the government got involved," he said. "At the end of the day such a drama was a money opportunity."

(editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Sierra leone: Seray Timbo: A Victim of Hate Journalism

A running motif with examining other media issues in other countries will be the constant comparison to the system we have here in America. Journalism is being used as a power to start hateful feelings towards an honest man who has done nothing to deserve these actions. In our society such a man would be honored for his business achievements, and not thrown into some scandal. That is not to say that American journalism does not have it's own scandals to deal with, but the practice of honest and fair journalism is one of the issues that is taught in our journalism schools. Sierra Leone seems to allow their journalists to say what they want. Newspaper being the powerful medium that it is, can very easily sway it's readers to think or believe what is written.

Sierra Leone: Seray Timbo: a Victim of Hate Journalism

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Concord Times (Freetown)

OPINION
8 September 2008
Posted to the web 8 September 2008

Abdul Karim Koroma
Freetown

One of Sierra Leone's acclaimed businessmen, managing director of IDEAS and chairman national telecommunications commission or NATCOM Seray Timbo is a victim of hate journalism.

Hate journalism perpetrated on him by the managing editor of Independent Observer newspaper Jonathan Arthur Derrick Leigh because he has proven to be a honest man.

However, hate journalism is not a new phenomenon in some sections of the country's media landscape.

The genocide in Rwanda was largely fuelled by hate messages manufactured and broadcast by radio stations. Those messages caused a lot of havoc in that country, killing some tens of thousands of people, some painfully hacked to death. With all those calamities some of our journalists have refused to learn, in this case, from the mistakes of others.

But in Sierra Leone what could be described as hate journalism is what is being practiced by some of our so-called colleagues in the disguise of fighting proxy wars for faceless people with questionable past records.

This brings to fore the issue of Jonathan Leigh after he launched a hate campaign on Seray Timbo. Why am I of the opinion that Jonathan Leigh's story captioned: 'NRA awards Mr. Seray Timbo over Le 328 million duty free concessions...on personal effects alone' was published out of heartedness? It is because he did not make any attempt to try and crosscheck with the managing director of IDEAS. Instead after writing all sorts of falsehood about Seray Timbo he wrote at the tail end of the story: 'more details tomorrow.' This was an apparent attempt at blackmailing. The idea was to force the businessman into calling for settlement.

I will not even bother myself to go into his story because Sierra Leone is the only country in the world where such type of journalism is allowed to be practiced with reckless impunity, all in the name of freedom of the press. Press freedom my foot!

It could be recalled that Jonathan Leigh is notorious for libeling decent people in society. He published a series of retractions after publishing a generation of falsehoods against erstwhile minister of transport and aviation Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay. People whose reputation Jonathan Leigh has destroyed are many and the line is long. He had to beg the former minister through the Sierra Leone association of journalists, SLAJ opting for an out of court settlement.

What is now coming out very clearly is that Jonathan Leigh is anti youth. He is always not at ease when a youthful someone excels in life, as if there are people responsible for his backwardness.

The duty free concession, which the managing editor of Independent Observer newspaper reported about was never granted to Seray Timbo but his company, IDEAS in its capacity as consultant architect for the refurbishment of the presidential lodge on Hill Station. The magnificent edifice is now occupied by President Ernest Bai Koroma. In fact items imported included building materials household items, electrical appliances, furniture and computers.

What is now clear was that Seray Timbo did not clear anything like personal effects on duty free waiver. The aim of the said publication was to drag the hard earned reputation of one Sierra Leone's highly accredited architects to the mud.

Seray Timbo is among the few honest Sierra Leoneans running one of the most credible architectural firms in the country with unblemished records.

A senior national revenue authority official told Concord Times that they have never contravened any law by granting duty free concession to IDEAS for items which were to be used by the state.

Relevant Links West Africa Press and Media Sierra Leone

Seray Timbo's job as chairman national telecommunications commission, NATCOM has nothing to do with his work as managing director of IDEAS.

Global Media Musings: BBC iplayer offered on Phones

Global Media Musings: BBC iplayer offered on Phones

http://new.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7603606

Tongue-Thai-ed.

We are constantly reminded that freedom of the press is often limited in other parts of the world and we attribute these injustices to terrible despots in power. However we sometimes over look the political climate in which these crackdowns occur. In countries, like Thailand, with unstable political systems(Thailand has had 18 military coups since 1932) is it unresonable for the monarchy to limit press freedom to promote some semblence order during times of turmoil?



From The TimesSeptember 6, 2008
Thailand threatens jail for defaming kingRichard Lloyd Parry in Bangkok Until six days ago when the men in uniform led him away at Bangkok airport, Harry Nicolaides was just one more flamboyant expatriate in Thailand. He visited first from Australia five years ago, and made his living as an English teacher with a bit of writing on the side. He wrote seedy columns about his escapades with Thai bar girls and serious articles about child pornography. He described himself as “an individual who achieved brilliance with raw talent and tenacity”. He liked to wear Panama hats and cream suits. Last Sunday, as he was about to board a flight home to Melbourne, his career came to a crashing end. Since then he has been locked in a cell - ill, scared and suicidal, and facing a 15-year sentence on one of the gravest charges in the Thai criminal code. Mr Nicolaides, 41, is not a drug smuggler or gunrunner, like plenty of the other foreign prisoners here. The trouble in which he finds himself is over nothing more vicious than an obscure and forgotten book.
Related LinksYouTube blocked after film insults Thai King Thai king insult could land Swiss in jail Mr Nicolaides is the latest person to be charged with lèse-majesté, the crime of defaming the monarchy. In 2005 he published a novel entitled Verisimilitude, which contains references to rumours about the “romantic entanglements and intrigues” of the family of the Thai king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, and particularly his son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The contentious material amounts to 103 words that could change Mr Nicolaides' life. In an interview with The Times at the Bangkok Remand Prison yesterday, he said that he has suffered from a seizure and fever and has been unable to sleep in a cell that he shares with 90 Thai detainees, some of whom are hostile because of the charge against him. “I've been getting icy stares from men covered in tattoos,” he said. “On the first night I would have committed suicide if I'd had the means ... I want to immediately apologise to the Royal Family for my reckless choice of words. I want to write a letter of apology, with the greatest humility.” Mr Nicolaides says that before publication he wrote to Thailand's Bureau of the Royal Household, asking for their reaction to the contentious paragraph, and received no reply. He has raised 500,000 baht (£8,200) bail, but this was denied. It is unclear why he has been arrested this week after coming and going over the past seven months. But there seems to have been a general increase in lèse-majesté prosecutions over the past few years. Within Thailand the law has made any discussion of the role and future of the monarchy impossibly dangerous. There seems to be no limit on what can qualify as insulting the monarchy. Jonathan Head, the BBC's Bangkok correspondent, is under investigation for lèse-majesté. Among the complaints against him is that a photograph of King Bhumibol appeared below that of a Thai politician on a page on the BBC website - rather than at the top.

BBC iplayer offered on Phones

Hello, everyone this is Elijah Misigaro, while i was looking through the news this morning I cam along an article that I think so much pertains to global media. BBC has now created applications that are compatible with the Nokia N96 so that way UK residents can stream media content from the past 7 days right on their phone. BBC has been working hard to make sure that their media content is broadcasted on multiple forms of media, this is a new way to reach new demographics of media users.

One Laptop signs up with Amazon

Hey everyone, it's Adam Kimble. I was browsing through BBC's website and I found this article to be very interesting. I heard about this OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) venture when it first was coming about, but I hadn't heard much since until now. Essentially what happened is that Amazon made a deal with the OLPC organization to help sell the low cost laptops. The deal goes as follows: You buy a laptop from Amazon, and another laptop is sent to a child in another nation for education. They call this the Give 1 Get 1 program (G1G1), and I think it's awesome. Sure it's just a way to help sell more laptops, but it is for a great cause too, so I am intrigued by it. The OLPC organization tried running the program themselves, and it failed, so they turned to Amazon for help. I'm interested to see how and if the sales fluctuate as a result of this!

One Laptop signs up with Amazon

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organisation has signed a deal with Amazon to sell its low cost laptops.

The online retailer will help with its next Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) programme that is due to begin in late November.

Under this scheme people can buy one of the XO laptops for themselves and donate the other to a school child in a developing nation.

It is hoped the deal with Amazon will iron out the problems OLPC encountered when it ran the G1G1 programme itself.

Novel model

Dreamed up by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte, the OLPC was set up to create and build a powerful laptop for school children in developing nations that sold in the millions and cost less than $100 (£56).

The resulting XO laptop sports distinctive green and white livery, has wi-fi built in, can be powered by a pull cord, and comes loaded with educational software.

Many nations have expressed an interest in using the XO but relatively few started big projects that gave the machine to students and school children.

In a bid to boost the take-up of the XO laptop, the OLPC started the G1G1 programme in November 2007 that let US residents buy two of the machines for $398.

While many people expressed interest in participating the OLPC group hit problems in getting XO machines to customers. Production delays and delivery glitches led to many people cancelling orders while OLPC sorted out the problems.

The new round of the G1G1 programme is due to start in late November and run until the end of 2008. It will only be open to US residents.

At the same time the OLPC group said it planned to launch the second generation of its laptop in 2010.

The XO-2 does away with a keyboard in favour of two touch screens one of which can be converted to a touch type screen.

OLPC hopes that the new version will also get closer to its long-stated ideal of producing a computer that costs less than $100.

The current versions of the XO laptop cost about $200 but the new generation is expected to be available for about $80.

U.S. Journalist Arrested in Nigeria

Hey guys, its Jessica Roach and I have officially entered the blogging world. Since we are going to be learning all about the great continent of Africa, I wanted to do something that was happening there for my first blog. I was cruising through the New York Times when I came across a story, 4 minutes fresh, with the intruiging title...U.S. Journalist Arrested in Nigeria. Who could pass that up? Before I post it for you all to read, I'm gonna give you a heads up on what I think about what's going on here. So, we've established that there has been an arrest. What I was unaware of is the amount of arrests that have been happening in this particular area in the past few years. The Delta Region of Nigeria is taking no chances on what they presume to be spies. It has been hard for journalists, in this case Andrew Berends working on a documentary, to be able to completely do their work without there being interference. What baffles me is the idea that someone is getting arrested for suspicision. Here we just deal with innocent until proven guilty. It is my understanding that their press is one of the freest in Africa. It is just hard for me to wrap my head around the arrest. Let me know you're thoughts. Here is the article, enjoy:

U.S. Journalist Arrested in Nigeria
New York Times
by Will Connors
Published Sept 2nd, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/africa/03nigeria.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

LAGOS, Nigeria — An American documentary filmmaker and his interpreter working in the volatile Delta region of Nigeria have been arrested and accused of spying, according to Nigerian government officials and media watchdog groups.

Andrew Berends, a New York-based freelance filmmaker and journalist who was working on a film about the oil-producing Delta region, was arrested on Sunday and held overnight. “They didn’t let me sleep or eat or drink water for the first 36 hours,” he said Tuesday night.

Mr. Berends’s passport and equipment were confiscated. On Monday he was released but ordered to report back to the State Security Service the next morning. On Tuesday he was again taken into custody, released and told to return the next morning. His interpreter, Samuel George, remained in custody.

A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, confirmed that Mr. Berends had been arrested and handed over to the security service.

“He had no security clearance,” Colonel Musa said. “It is for his own safety. If something happens to him, it’s an embarrassment to the security agencies. It’s not normal times in the area right now. The S.S.S. will investigate him, and once they are satisfied they will release him, God willing.”

Mr. Berends contacted two advocacy groups, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, and both groups condemned his detention.

Reporters Without Borders issued a statement that said: “Berends was arrested just for doing his job and no other reason. It is absurd for the authorities to think that by arresting him and his interpreter, they can conceal the economic and ecological disaster unfolding in the Niger Delta.”

Despite its oil riches, the Niger Delta is a desperately poor and increasingly lawless part of the country, where wealth is siphoned away by corrupt officials. Militants demand a greater share of the area’s oil resources and claim to be fighting on behalf of the impoverished residents, but also appear to be engaging in many criminal and opportunistic acts of violence. Hundreds of foreign workers and wealthy Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom, and oil theft is rampant.

Several other foreign journalists and filmmakers have been detained while working in the region in recent years. In April, four members of a Seattle-based film crew were arrested in the Delta and held for six days on spying charges.

Commenting on the arrest of Mr. Berends, Chris Alagoa of the Niger Delta Peace and Security Secretariat, a community organization, said: “The government probably knows the fellow’s real mission and that it has nothing to do with espionage, but they want to do it to discourage others from coming to report on the situation on the ground. Hounding journalists and filmmakers who want to inform the public is in bad taste.”

While Nigeria has a significantly freer press than most African nations, gathering information in the Niger Delta is particularly difficult.

“We have one of the freest presses in Africa, but there are rules,” said Nwuke Ogbonna, information commissioner for Rivers State, which includes part of the Delta. As for Mr. Berends, he said: “He may have engaged in actions that are not in the national interests of this country. Whether that means spying or entering off-limits areas, I can’t say. It’s for the security agents to determine whether this means he was spying.”

Mr. Berends had visited Nigeria on several occasions and had been in the country since April on this trip. He often ventured into the creeks of the Delta to film in villages affected by oil drilling. Two weeks ago, Mr. Berends said he had nearly finished his work and was planning to return to New York this month. Mr. Berends directed the 2006 documentary “The Blood of My Brother,” about Iraq.