After inviting foreign journalists into Libya, pro-Muammar Qaddafi forces have made every effort to impose a news blackout by confining journalists to their hotels, and assaulting and detaining those who try to report on anti-regime protests and violence against civilians. And as Qaddafi loyalists battle insurgents, deadly attacks on journalists have increased, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. An Al-Jazeera journalist was killed on 12 March in an ambush on the outskirts of Benghazi, and three BBC journalists were detained for 21 hours and tortured.
Thirty-thousand people hit the streets of Budapest yesterday in support of press freedom after Hungary’s parliament amended a controversial media law on 7 March. The law has the power to issue a fine of 100,000 Euros, ban media outlets and dictate content – and is controlled by a media council made up of political appointees of the ruling party, report the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM), the International Press Institute (IPI)’s affiliate the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Why would you want to become an iPhoney?. That’s what I used to think. Then I saw the light. I saw it coming from an iPhone, in the darkness, as the owner steered us through the twisted streets of Tokyo. We were hunting for a petrol station still selling gas in a crowded city in a land where none of us could speak the language or read the road signs, a land reeling from a cascading catastrophe of tremor, flood and nuclear terror. iPhone in hand our driver navigated by virtual map from bowser to bowser, chasing the little screen icons like Pacman going for the power-up.
Groundviews is proud to launch today Sri Lanka’s as well as South Asia’s first citizen journalism app for Apple’s iOS platform. The Groundviews app works on the iPod Touch, iPad and is optimised for the iPhone 4′s Retina display. The Groundviews app is free and allows a user to read all the latest updates to the site… special editions… follow all updates made on our curated Twitter feed… allows users to quickly take a photo, write down the context and fire off an email to the Editors of Groundviews, enabling new forms of real time journalism that can help bear witness to challenging events and processes.
The way the news media reports on suicide looks set to change after health experts and media representatives today found they shared common ground on the issue. Prime Minister John Key last year directed the ministerial committee on suicide prevention to consider the appropriateness of the current suicide reporting guidelines after the Chief Coroner, Judge Neil MacLean, called for more debate on the issue. Media representatives, mental health professionals and researchers met today as a first step towards updating the guidelines, which were drafted in 1999. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne, who chaired the meeting, said a working group would report back by the end of April with the aim of putting any new guidelines in place this year. ”It’s too early to say but I think there will be some changes,” Mr Dunne told NZPA.
In the past three years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has invested more than $90 million in federal funds on new journalism initiatives. That includes a $10 million local journalism initiative that is paying for the creation of five regional centres that will help local PBSand National Public Radio (NPR) stations cover news that affects wider geographic areas.
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins The Huffington Post Media Group and AOL as strategic adviser for social impact; veteran journalist John Montorio joins as culture and entertainment editor; Howard Fineman named editorial director of The Huffington Post Media Group;an additional ten new hires join the expanding reporting team.
One of Canada’s most influential French-language newspapers is discarding most of its print distribution to focus on a digital edition, and will give away iPads to promote the move, Canadian media reported on Friday. La Presse, which was founded in 1884, will phase out its printed broadsheet over three to five years, online trade publication J-Source.ca said.
The death has been announced of Mohammad Nabbous, described as the “face of citizen journalism in Libya“. Nabbous was apparently shot dead by Gaddafi forces in Benghazi on Saturday. Known as “Mo”, Nabbous set up Libya al-Hurra TV, which broadcast raw feeds and commentary from Benghazi, on Livestream. Andy Carvin, social media strategist at NPR, said on Twitter: “Mohammad Nabbous was my primary contact in Libya, and the face of Libyan citizen journalism. And now he’s dead, killed in a firefight.”
All Evolving Newsroom
Link wrap: journalists killed, suicide reporting rules, going all-digital
Doing some catch-up reading from the past week or two and thought I’d share some of the links.
Al-Jazeera journalist killed; several journalists detained, beaten, missing
IFEX
After inviting foreign journalists into Libya, pro-Muammar Qaddafi forces have made every effort to impose a news blackout by confining journalists to their hotels, and assaulting and detaining those who try to report on anti-regime protests and violence against civilians. And as Qaddafi loyalists battle insurgents, deadly attacks on journalists have increased, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. An Al-Jazeera journalist was killed on 12 March in an ambush on the outskirts of Benghazi, and three BBC journalists were detained for 21 hours and tortured.
Repressive media law muzzles press; thousands protest in Hungary
IFEX
Thirty-thousand people hit the streets of Budapest yesterday in support of press freedom after Hungary’s parliament amended a controversial media law on 7 March. The law has the power to issue a fine of 100,000 Euros, ban media outlets and dictate content – and is controlled by a media council made up of political appointees of the ruling party, report the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM), the International Press Institute (IPI)’s affiliate the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Why the disaster in Japan made me want an iPhone
PUBLIC ADDRESS/SPEAKER | Garth Bray
Why would you want to become an iPhoney?. That’s what I used to think. Then I saw the light. I saw it coming from an iPhone, in the darkness, as the owner steered us through the twisted streets of Tokyo. We were hunting for a petrol station still selling gas in a crowded city in a land where none of us could speak the language or read the road signs, a land reeling from a cascading catastrophe of tremor, flood and nuclear terror. iPhone in hand our driver navigated by virtual map from bowser to bowser, chasing the little screen icons like Pacman going for the power-up.
Sri Lanka’s and South Asia’s first citizen journalism iPhone app
GROUNDVIEWS
Groundviews is proud to launch today Sri Lanka’s as well as South Asia’s first citizen journalism app for Apple’s iOS platform. The Groundviews app works on the iPod Touch, iPad and is optimised for the iPhone 4′s Retina display. The Groundviews app is free and allows a user to read all the latest updates to the site… special editions… follow all updates made on our curated Twitter feed… allows users to quickly take a photo, write down the context and fire off an email to the Editors of Groundviews, enabling new forms of real time journalism that can help bear witness to challenging events and processes.
Suicide reporting guidelines in NZ likely to change
STUFF.CO.NZ | NZPA
The way the news media reports on suicide looks set to change after health experts and media representatives today found they shared common ground on the issue. Prime Minister John Key last year directed the ministerial committee on suicide prevention to consider the appropriateness of the current suicide reporting guidelines after the Chief Coroner, Judge Neil MacLean, called for more debate on the issue. Media representatives, mental health professionals and researchers met today as a first step towards updating the guidelines, which were drafted in 1999. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne, who chaired the meeting, said a working group would report back by the end of April with the aim of putting any new guidelines in place this year. ”It’s too early to say but I think there will be some changes,” Mr Dunne told NZPA.
US public media pays millions for investigations
NZHERALD.CO.NZ | AP | Brett Zongker
In the past three years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has invested more than $90 million in federal funds on new journalism initiatives. That includes a $10 million local journalism initiative that is paying for the creation of five regional centres that will help local PBSand National Public Radio (NPR) stations cover news that affects wider geographic areas.
Huffington Post Hires 11 More Writers, Including a Former NYT Culture Editor
HUFFINGTON POST
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins The Huffington Post Media Group and AOL as strategic adviser for social impact; veteran journalist John Montorio joins as culture and entertainment editor; Howard Fineman named editorial director of The Huffington Post Media Group;an additional ten new hires join the expanding reporting team.
Montreal’s La Presse set to go all digital-reports
REUTERS
One of Canada’s most influential French-language newspapers is discarding most of its print distribution to focus on a digital edition, and will give away iPads to promote the move, Canadian media reported on Friday. La Presse, which was founded in 1884, will phase out its printed broadsheet over three to five years, online trade publication J-Source.ca said.
Mohammad Nabbous, face of citizen journalism in Libya, is killed
GUARDIAN NEWSBLOG | Matt Wells
The death has been announced of Mohammad Nabbous, described as the “face of citizen journalism in Libya“. Nabbous was apparently shot dead by Gaddafi forces in Benghazi on Saturday. Known as “Mo”, Nabbous set up Libya al-Hurra TV, which broadcast raw feeds and commentary from Benghazi, on Livestream. Andy Carvin, social media strategist at NPR, said on Twitter: “Mohammad Nabbous was my primary contact in Libya, and the face of Libyan citizen journalism. And now he’s dead, killed in a firefight.”