Reporters Without Borders released a blistering criticism of China’s crackdown on the press in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics — which the press rights organization wants boycotted; it staged a demonstration in Hong Kong after being banned from mainland China eight months ahead of Olympic Games.
A BBC series commemorating the 75th anniversary of its World Service is focused on freedom of speech, and freedom of the media and information. The first three essays on freedom of speech are by Jeffrey Sachs (“Our problems – ranging from climate change to species extinction to failed states – are global and require global…
The International Herald Tribune will announce an alliance with Reuters, reported the New York Times, that will transform its financial section online and in print. The revamped business section, “Business with Reuters,” will publish news from both organizations and could mark the start of broader cooperation, said the story. The deal is a win for…
David Carr’s column about investigative reporting, in the New York Times, makes for compelling reading. An excerpt: Serious reporting usd to be baked into the business, but under pressure from the public markets or their private equity owners, newsrooms have been cutting foreign bureaus, Washington reporters and investigative capacity. Under this model, the newsroom is no…
The BBC is investigating the possibility that three of its journalists beaten up in Moscow had been deliberately targeted because of their work for the corporation, reported the Guardian. A BBC World Service spokesman said it was “extremely concerned” by the “spate of attacks” on its journalists, all of whom were assaulted in separate incidents…
The Committee to Protect Journalists, which conducts an annual Dec. 1 census, found one in six journalists are held without charges and an overall decline, with China still the leading jailer of journalists. An excerpt: One in six journalists jailed worldwide are being held without any publicly disclosed charge, many for months or years at…
A majority of Canadians oppose foreign ownership of the media, telephone and cable firms, and believe the government should play a role in preserving Canada’s cultural identity distinct from the United States, according to a Harris/Decima poll released Wednesday. Here is the CBC report.
The BBC was forced to broadcast an on-air apology after a local radio presenter in Nottingham joked that freed British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons had a dog named Muhammad. Here’s the Guardian report.
Maclean’s named former media mogul Conrad Black as its Newsmaker of the Year. From the press release: “Even if Canadians think Conrad Black is getting everything he deserves, one still has to stand back in awe at the unconscionable sums sunken in to his investigation and trial, dwarfing those that have allegedly been skimmed…
After a decade of watching newspapers and rival wire services shrink, The Associated Press, the 161-year-old news cooperative, is refitting itself to handle the 24-hour news cycle it helped create, reported the New York Times. “The new generation of consumers has completely different habits,” the story quoted Jim Kennedy, The A.P.’s vice president for strategic…