Few killers get caught

The Committee to Protect Journalists has a new report that is depressing.

Breaking the Cycle of Impunity in the Killing of Journalists looks at the how too many governments do little to seriously track down the murderers of journalists.

Of course, this failure also makes it nearly impossible to determine if the killing of a journalist was directly related to his/her profession or if there were other issues involved.

The demand for proof that a journalist was killed in the line of duty is one of the things I really like about how CPJ prepares its list of murdered journalists. Some organizations just list the names of journalists killed. They leave the assumption that they were killed because of their profession. But there is no way this can ever be verified.

The weak political and legal systems in the countries where this issues is the greatest are what need to be addressed along with the name and shame campaign of impunity. Perhaps a major step forward in finding the murderers of journalists (and human rights lawyers and taxi drivers and reform politicians) is finding ways to help those governments who want to improve and strengthen their legal systems, instead of cutting off aid and support.

China blocks BBC

No surprise here. Once again the Chinese authorities show their utter disregard for press freedom and an absolute fear of information they don’t control getting out to the public.

China blocks BBC website as Hong Kong tensions rise

The best part in this story is when the a Chinese official first accuses the West of interfering in the internal affairs of China by supporting the student demonstrations for more democracy in Hong Kong. And then, after making unsubstantiated charges, demands that the international media report events “objectively”.

Generally, what that means to Beijing, is don’t report anything they object to.

Besides the BBC, the New York Times and Bloomberg are blocked by Chinese censors.

The ability of Chinese to get information from the Internet is driving Beijing crazy.

The rubber-stamp courts have been ruling lately that “netizens” in China are severely limited in what they can say and read on the Internet.

Pro-Beijing Forces Block Pro-Democracy Paper in Hong Kong

I am no big fan of Apple Daily in Hong Kong, other than for its strident support of democracy and press freedom.

The best description I have seen for Apple Daily comes from the HuffPost report by Matt Sheehan: “Apple Daily is known for its defiant pro-democracy positions, shrill and sensational reporting style, and occasionally lax standards for fact-checking.”

Saying “occassional” is bieng kind, but its pro-democracy stance cannot be questioned. It is real and it is strong.

Now, because of its support for the student demonstrators in Hong Kong, Apple Daily is facing blockades by pro-Beijing crowds.

The latest tactic is for the pro-Beijing demonstrators to sit down in front of the Apple Daily delivery trucks, causing the paper to be late on the streets.

People in the anti-Apple Daily say they are only doing what the pro-democracy demonstrators are doing. And then they toss in how the pro-democracy crowd is really an American plot to undermine China and all the students are traitors.

The funniest response came when an Apple Daily reporter came out to interview the demonstrators. She asked if the demonstrator was being paid to be there. He responded that of course he was but so what? Wasn’t the Apple Daily paying the reporter to be there as well?

Kinda misses the point, doesn’t he?

Here is the HuffPost report on the confrontation at Apple Daily: Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Newspaper Under Siege

Case against licensing journalists

In the United States the First Amendment protects journalists from being “banned” by government edict — or by any type of edict for that matter.

Journalists in other countries, however, are not so lucky. The latest example of why this is a bad idea comes out of Honduras.

Seems commentator Julio Ernesto Alvarado of Globo TV has been hit with a 16-month ban on “doing journalism” by the Penal Appeals Court in Tegucigalpa.

Now, I know the Globo people. They are serious anti-government types — unless the government is the leftist Libre party. The commentators are passionate in their denunciations of the ruling party. And even sometimes go over the edge of good taste.

But that all pales in the outrage that a government agency can tell a person he/she cannot be a journalist.

Whenever governments get involved, all sorts of bad things have the potential to happen. And Mr. Alvarado is seeing the results.

The issue stems from episodes of Alvarado’s show that discussed corruption in the national university. A dean was accused of corruption by teachers in the school on the show. The dean filed charges of defamation of character against Alvarado and the teachers and lost.

Under appeal the dean won , even though the court operated under the assumption that the dean had indeed engaged in corrupt practices.

With the dean’s victory came the ban on Alvarado from doing journalism.

So we have a cowonurt deciding who can be a journalist. Not a good idea.

And we have a system where truth is not an absolute defense for libel and defamation. (As it is in the States.)

In addition to the court ruling Alvarado has been receiving threats that — according to Globo — have not been taken seriously by the government. (On this point, I have serious questions. Some of the leadership brought in under the new government take protection of journalists VERY seriously.)

What is clear, however, that free and independent journalism is threatened by any law or system that allows a government agency of any type to determine who can be a journalist. Likewise, it is a danger when a court or other government entity can ban someone from “doing journalism.” And it is a danger when any private group — such as a journalism association — has the power to determine who can “do journalism.”

The bottom line is that the way to fight bad journalism is with more (and better) journalism, not by denying anyone who wants to from entering the fray.

Read more about the Alvarado case at PEN: Honduras: PEN member barred from journalism after covering corruption in state university