Censorship

By now, the very public news of Google’s threat to end operations in China following the discovery of some very troubling cyberattacks has been well circulated, picked apart, lauded, and analyzed. Free speech advocates who have lambasted the company in the past for ever agreeing to abide by the Chinese government’s policy of information...
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On Friday, three bloggers and activists in Cuba were detained and beaten by the Cuban authorities. Yoani Sanchez, Claudia Cadelo, and Omar Luís Pardo Laz were dragged into a car, violently beaten, and left in the street. Global Voices Online translates Sánchez’s own harrowing account of the incident: We were left aching, lying in a...
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Global Voices Online, a website that translates blog entries from around the world, recently launched Threatened Voices, an advocacy website that aims to build a global database of bloggers who have been killed or threatened for their work. The website has a great interactive map; a timeline of reports; profiles of bloggers who have...
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To follow up on the David Rohde story, here’s a great interview he had on NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday with Terry Gross. In other news, last week, a five-week legal battle between oil trader Trafigura and the UK’s Guardian newspaper came to a close when Trafigura ended a secret injunction with the news organization. How...
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Reporters Without Borders has published its 2009 Press Freedom Index, documenting the current state of media repression and threats to independent and critical reporting worldwide. One of the report’s major findings for 2009 was that Europe, long considered a model for free press, was slipping in press freedom rankings. France, Slovakia, and Italy were...
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Since accessing power in 2003, the Justice and Development party (AKP – an Islamist party) has gained tremendous control over the media in Turkey. In 2003, one third of the media were controlled by “friends” of the AKP party. Today, it is over half of them. Nevertheless, this is not enough for the AKP...
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WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show had an interview today with Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg to talk about the new documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.” The film, obviously, centers on Daniel Ellsberg’s role in leaking the Pentagon Papers to the American press to expose the lies of the...
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Summer is nearly officially over (and the weather here in New York shows it). This means the Perspectives on Global Issues blog is back from its sun-drenched hibernation. Our editors have already been churning out their thoughts and analyses on the latest breaking news in the world of international affairs — but just...
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March 12th is World Day Against Cyber Censorship — a day to remember that in 2008, more online journalists were killed than journalists in any other media, and that the rights of bloggers and other attempts of free expression over the Internet are still being stifled around the world. Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International...
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The name Shi Tao might not ring a bell anymore today, but simply mention the vague phrase “the Yahoo-China incident” and ears will perk up in recognition. The 2004 debacle over Internet giant Yahoo disclosing personal information about Tao, a dissident blogger in China, which resulted in his arrest and 10-year prison sentence by...
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