Electronic Journalism - Censorship and Freedom of Speech

==Censorship and Freedom of Speech==
Electronic Journalism

Many countries in the world have organizations established to govern the media and ensure that it is truthful, unbiased, and accessible, however some countries take extreme views towards forms of media published in order to ensure they don’t threaten the leading political parties. In China the Communist Party strictly monitors the media and attempts to control it in many ways. Currently, journalism is the third most dangerous profession in the country, according to insurance companies. (Yahoo News 2004, Online) The New York Times recently published an article raising the alarm that a research assistant working in the Beijing bureau of the Times had been imprisoned:

"We are seeking clarification of his status, and expressing our concern for his welfare and underscoring our view that the role of a free press is critical in providing information to build a strong civil society, said Adam Ereli, the deputy State Department spokesman…Mr Zhao was seized Sept. 17 in Shanghai on suspicion of revealing state secrets. His family was formally notified of his detention four days later.â€? (The New York Times, 2004 : Online)

Recently the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued a statement saying that on-air personalities shouldn't wear "over-fashionable or exposing clothes," hairstyles may not be "too colorful" or "queer." (Johnston, 2004: Online) According to the State Xinhua News, Chinese authorities want to make the media "less sexy and violent" and more compatible with Chinese social values. The Chinese government monitors the internet and has sent some internet publishers to labor camps, and according to media rights group, Reporters without Borders there are currently 2,800 text messaging monitoring centres in China. (cited in Glover, T, 2004 : Online)

In Iraq, news network Al Jazeera was shut down on August 7, 2004 by the government because they were accused of ‘inciting racial hatred’. However a spokesman for the network denied the claim:

"What we are trying to do is provide a comprehensive picture of what's happening in as much of a balanced way as possible," Jihad Bailout said on behalf of the network. (Sharkey, 2004 : Online)

As Sharkey later cites Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman for the Freedom Forum in saying that the network was most likely shut down not because it was ‘inciting violence, but because it was reporting violence’. Sharkey also notes that influence of new media technologies affects the way governments can monitor and sensor the news. For example, Al Jazeera has video-sharing agreements with the US as well as English and Arabic Websites and, Sharkey notes outlines that the network also hopes to have an English language satellite service by 2005:

“The network estimates it has more than 40 million viewers worldwide. It has Web sites in Arabic and English. Many staffers previously worked for the BBC, and the network has broken major stories carried by U.S. news organizations.â€? (Sharkey, 2004 : Online)

Thus, while leading political parties can attempt to control and censor the media while even resorting to violence, the advent of new media technologies, in particularly the internet and satellite communications makes it infinitely harder to track and control global information.

Brigid Andersen 20:50, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)

Bibliography

1.Glover, T, 2004 Beijing Cracks Down on Texted Chinese Whispers Night Ridder Tribune Business News http://proquest.umi.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/pqdweb?index=2&did=000000660155381&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1094643028&clientId=14394

2. Mai, S, 2004 U.S. Voices Concern on Chinese Detainee New York Times, http://gateway.proquest.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=0000007008

3. Sharkey, J 2004 Al Jazeera Under the Gun American Journalism Review. lISSN/ISBN:10678654 http://proquest.umi.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/pqdweb?index=7&did=000000721754471&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1098957759&clientId=14394

4. Suhasini, 29 Sep, 2004 Journalism Third Most Dangerous Career in China:Report Yahoo!News http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/20040929/wl_oneworld/4591949981096455166