Global Media News

Japan's Status on Press Freedom Begins to Decline

Japanese protests against limitations of press freedom (Photo: European PressPhoto Agency)

    Recently, Japan has been the center of attention for media censorship in global media news. Since the execution of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, Japan has taken swift measures in reforming its freedom of the press. An example of how they are reforming their freedom of the press is by passing their secrets law, which took effective December 2014.

    According to The Wall Street Journal Japan:

"Earlier this week, critics of what they see as the Japanese government’s suppression of press freedom regarding the hostage crisis issued a statement calling on people to exercise their constitutional right to free speech and expression."

  The citizens of Japan feel as though their freedom are being compromised as a result of these new laws being passed. They feel a natural right to protect their constitutional liberties as a moral right. Another reason of why the citizens of Japan feel threatened is due to their prime minister Shinzo Abe.

    Linda Sieg of The Japan Times  accurately explains the constitutional crisis among the Japanese by saying:

 "Worries are growing in Japan about a trend toward media self-censorship as journalists and experts say news organizations are toning down criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government for fear of sparking ire and losing access to sources....There is a chilling atmosphere that encourages media organizations to exercise self-restraint.”

    While some people see these acts as precautionary measures taken by the Japanese government, the people of Japan do not feel the same way. The rebellion of government-controlled censorship is beginning to rise, as the war for constitutional freedoms continue on.

 

Cybercrime Law in Philippines Puts Freedom of Speech at Risk

According to BBC News and Internet World Stats, there were 44.2 million internet users in the Philippines by the end of 2013.  Laws like the cyber crime law were developed in order for the government to prevent cybersex, online child pornography, spamming and identity theft.  The law also allows the government to seize any kind of information from an online account if online libel is suspected.

Philippines is one of the many countries that prosecutes its people under the offense of defamation.  Press freedom is guaranteed under the constitution yet violence against media workers is growing.   VPN Creative writer Paul Nash states:

"It could have been a great law penalizing cybercrimes and other illegal acts circulating all over the Internet if it wasn’t for the online/internet libel law that is deemed to limit the things that netizens can post on various online platforms."

The law rightfully charges those who participate in illegal internet practices like spamming and cybersex but it also restricts freedom of expression.  Libel being part of the Cybercrime Law is the most controversial aspect of the law causing much debate and petitions against it.  Filipino Senator Ed Angara speaking out in defense of the law said:

"Hitting the 'Like' button on Facebook does not make you commit the act of libel... Posting a comment where you get to share your thoughts is covered under 'protected expression.'"

At the same time, circumstances were seen where users were sued for posting negatively about the government or any public figure.  "Liking" or commenting on a post like this can be used against them.  Ironically, the Philippines is one of the social networking capitals of the world with 93.9 percent of the nation signed up to Facebook.  In a country with such a large social media presence, it's hard to imagine laws prohibiting a users freedom of speech.  These networks are set up on the premise of speaking your mind without any consequence but the Cybercrime Law definitely contradicts that.

Global Media News Webcast #4: February 26, 2015

 Global Media News for February 26, 2015

This week on Global Media News:  The Media of Eastern Europe!  

Russia, the Ukraine & Croatia:

• Press Freedom in Russia
• Does the Internet Threaten Russian Culture?
• RT:  What is it?
• Sputnik: The New Russian Media Brand Takes Off!
• Propaganda War in The Ukraine
• Censorship in Croatia
• Pussy Riot's New Video:  "I Can't Breathe"

Global Media News is a weekly webcast covering media news from around the world.  GMN is a production of  Media Studies students from the SUNY College @ Old Westbury.   We scour the web for news about the world's media.

Listen to our next webcast from the New Media Newsroom  streaming live on Thursday, March 5 @ 11am EST.

Can't listen live? Our next webcast of the season will be posted by 2:00pm, Thursday, March 5, 2015.

Subscribe Now!

Internet Censorship in North Korea

According to an article in the New York Times, North Korea is the world's most oppressed nation. It is currently ruled by a dictatorship under Kim Jong-un that is a dynasty and he is a deity. 

In North Korea there aren't many media outlets. According to the BBC News country profile, there are only 4 newspaper companies and 4 TV and radio companies all of which are state-run. 

"Radio and TV sets in North Korea are pre-tuned to government stations that pump out a steady stream of propaganda. Ordinary North Koreans caught listening to foreign broadcasts risk harsh punishments, such as forced labour."

The internet on the other hand is available to only elite members of society as well as some academics and scientists according to another BBC article. There is only one cybercafe in the capital, Pyongyang where the computers are run on Red Star which is North Korea's own custom operating system which was commissioned by Kim Jong-il. According to reports in the Toronto Star, there are around 1,000 to 5,500 websites on the service.

Posting on the internet in North Korea can be a very dangerous game. The internet is filtered by the Korea Computer Center, which makes sure they only acceptable information is accessed through their special network. In a BBC article, Reporters Without Borders states that,

"Some North Korean "journalists" had found themselves sent to "revolutionisation" camps, simply for a typo in their articles."

 An interesting solution to the censorship of North Korean internet is the use of USB balloons. According to Daily NK's Chris Green, 

"One of the many innovative ways being used to get information into North Korea involves attaching USB memory sticks to balloons, and floating them across the border."

Even though most North Korean's don't have internet access they can still get access to things such as soap operas and versions of wikipedia. According to The Atlantic, these 20 foot balloons are released from Paju, South Korea which is a few miles from the North Korean Border. 

 

 

 

 

Russia Offers War Song Ringtones for Upcoming Holiday

Russia has announced to the public about the availability of patriotic war song ringtones for free download in the hope of boosting morale for Victory Day. The "Horray for Victory" campaign is a propaganda strategy leading up to May 9, which was proposed in order to boost the patriotic spirit and the economy in Russia during its current recession.

It started Monday as Russia marked an official holiday known as "Defender of the Fatherland Day" honoring the country's military power. The organizing committee of the campaign announced that cell phone users will be able to text the number 1945 and at no additional cost, citizens can acquire one of the five memorable melodies of the five war song choices. The songs "Dark is the Knight", Farwell of Slavianka", "Victory Day", "Katyusha", and "Blue Scarf" were all made to keep the pride alive in Russia during World War II.

According to Russia News:

The Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that visitors to the May 9 organizing committee's website will be able to listen to wartime news reports by the Soviet Information Bureau, the news agency set up in 1941, and "get acquainted with archival photographs and newsreels of the Great Patriotic War, vote for the best victory song, [and] watch [their] favorite movies about the war."

The Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that visitors to the May 9 organizing committee's website will be able to listen to wartime news reports by the Soviet Information Bureau, the news agency set up in 1941, "get acquainted with archival photographs and newsreels of the Great Patriotic War, vote for the best Victory song, [and] watch [their] favorite movies about the war." - See more at: http://www.russianews.net/index.php/sid/230519427#sthash.jfU3JcUQ.dpuf

The Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that visitors to the May 9 organizing committee's website will be able to listen to wartime news reports by the Soviet Information Bureau, the news agency set up in 1941, "get acquainted with archival photographs and newsreels of the Great Patriotic War, vote for the best Victory song, [and] watch [their] favorite movies about the war." - See more at: http://www.russianews.net/index.php/sid/230519427#sthash.jfU3JcUQ.dpuf

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Victory Day. The holiday was created in regards to the victory of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany in the Second World War (otherwise known at the Great Patriotic War). May 9 is a day where the russian people exhibit their pride in their military strength. One person that is most prideful about Russia's armed forces is President Vladimir Putin.

In remark to the the upcoming celebration of the 70th anniversary, Putin stated (via business insider):

"No one should have the illusion that they can gain military superiority over Russia, put any kind of pressure on it. We will always have an adequate answer for any such adventures."

 

 

North Korea Receives US Sanctions After Sony Attacks

 

    US sanctions against 10 North Korean officials and three organizations have been issued by US President Obama.  This comes after there was an attack on Sony Pictures company on the movie to be released titled "The Interview", featuring a storyline of two interviewers set to interview and kill North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.  These sanctions seem to be very military and cyber based.  According to BBC News:

"Among those named in the sanctions were:

• The Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's primary intelligence organisation.
• North Korea's primary arms dealer, the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (Komid).
• Korea Tangun Trading Corporation, which supports North Korea's defence research. 
• Jang Song Chol: Named by the US Treasury as a Komid representative in Russia and a government official.
• Kim Yong Chol: An official of the North Korean government, according to the US, and a Komid representative in Iran.
• Ryu Jin and Kang Ryong: Komid officials and members of the North Korean government who are operating in Syria, according to the US."

     The 10 officials named in the sanctions are big time players in North Korean weapon technology.  President Obama wanted to hurt North Korean officials who may have been involved in the attacks without hurting the people of North Korea.  North Korea has denied any involvement in the Sony attack, but US Intelligence begs to differ.  

The NY Times reported a statement made by US Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, which said:

“Today’s actions are driven by our commitment to hold North Korea accountable for its destructive and destabilizing conduct,” Mr. Lew said. “Even as the F.B.I. continues its investigation into the cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, these steps underscore that we will employ a broad set of tools to defend U.S. businesses and citizens, and to respond to attempts to undermine our values or threaten the national security of the United States.”

     The US administration also said there would be a secret plan of response to North Korea's Sony attacks as well.  For two weeks following the Sony attack, North Korea's internet connection had been shut down.  US Officials skirted around questions asking if the US was involved in North Korea's internet loss.  

Propaganda in Russia

Propaganda in Russia has been around for a long time and has become a common ploy in their politics. The latest propaganda news story in Russia drags ex-American porn star, Star Sasha into it's Anti-Kiev agenda. The story goes that Sasha ditched her acting career to serve as a Nurse for Pro-Russian rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine. That is until she was brutally murdered on camera by the Ukrainian government. 

According to the Moscow Times: "The story says that a nurse named 'Sasha Serova' was captured by Ukrainian military forces, who then filmed themselves 'humiliating' her before chopping her body up with an axe. Notably, the last name 'Serova' is similar to the Russian word for 'gray.'" 

 

Sasha Gray was outraged by the false story and sent a tweet to clear the misconception going around the viral atmosphere. 

 

 

Multiple cities in Russia are well known for its propaganda tactics such as Moscow, which has been trying to influence Ukraine views in the West.  According to buzzfeed: "the Kremlin was spending millions of dollars to pay English-speaking Russians to promote President Vladimir Putin and his policies in U.S. media like Fox News broadcasting and The Huffington Post and Politico news sites". 

The Kremlin, even went as far to recruit their own" troll army "to spread more lies into online territories. This just goes to show how online propaganda is a big part of setting their own image in the Russian government. Of course propaganda in Russia goes further than just the social media atmosphere.

A Russian TV insider from the New York Times said this in his article on behalf of the media aspect:

“It was shocking,” said Mr. Pomerantsev, speaking over coffee in London last month. “They really saw television and news as a movie, and talked about it as a movie.”

 

Croatia's Accession to European Union Means More Work on Free Expression

Croatia had officially became the 28th member of the European Union in 2013 but its media censorship remained.  The European Commission believes that freedom of expression is a "key indicator" for a country's readiness to join the union.  Croatia jumped ranks to 49 out of 150, 1 being the the most censorship free media country.  The EU constitution grants freedom of expression and the press, requiring that all countries involved oblige to those terms.

Croatia, which still faces serious censorship and corruption, has seriously improved its freedom of expression.  Croatia has no banned gay pride parades or gay freedom of assembly like other countries have.  But in 2011, a gay pride parade was organized where unfortunate responses to the parade took place.  According to Index on Censorship:

"When a parade was organised for the first time in Split in 2011, the small number of participants were pelted with eggs and rocks by thousands of counter-protesters.  The police also failed to investigate an attack on six young men and women in the aftermath of the parade."

Zagreb's pride parade of 2013 received a much better turn out.  15,000 people attended in a peaceful march.  Despite the improvement, there is still a big division in opinions of gay rights.

The Parliament also adopted a new Freedom of Information Act which includes a new oversight body, full proportionality and public interest test, and a stronger emphasis on proactive publishing of information.  The new act describes this proactive publishing as:

"...Stronger emphasis on proactive publishing of information by public bodies, including clear legal requirements of what must be published and additional by-laws on implementation, and enables reuse of information, without costs, for any purpose (non-commercial and commercial)."

Membership of the EU does not automatically solve the country's problems.  Many steps need to be taken in order to improve Croatia's freedom of expression and work towards an open government. 

Global Media News Webcast #3: February 19, 2015

 Global Media News for February 12, 2015

This week on Global Media News:  The Media of Western Europe!  

Media news about France, Spain, Great Britain, Italy:

• Charlie Hebdo: The Attack on Press Freedom in France Debated
• @Policia: The Police in Madrid Have a Popular Twitter Account. Why?
• Racial Diversity in UK Media: What Color Are the Screen Stars?
• Censorship? Does the Italian Government Regulate the Media?

Global Media News is a weekly webcast covering media news from around the world.  GMN is a production of  Media Studies students from the SUNY College @ Old Westbury.   We scour the web for news about the world's media.

Listen to our next webcast from the New Media Newsroom  streaming live on Thursday, February 26 @ 11am EST.

Can't listen live? Our next webcast of the season will be posted by 2:00pm, Thursday, February 26, 2015.

Subscribe Now!

Google Blocking Russian Search Engine From Android Phones

Yandex is a Russian Internet company which operates the largest search engine in Russia with about 60% market share in that country. It also develops a number of Internet-based services and products. Yandex is complaining that Google services are taking too much power. Google is competing the antitrust.