<strong>of</strong> the secretary <strong>of</strong> state in establishing the Global Internet Freedom Task Force. Thisembraces the government-to-government approach that Yahoo has been urging," said Yahoospokeswoman Mary Osako. Yahoo issued a rallying cry for online freedom Monday inresponse to criticism over its cooperation with the Chinese government. Micros<strong>of</strong>t, Google,Yahoo and Cisco Systems have all agreed to appear before a House <strong>of</strong> Representatives humanrights panel, which summoned them following public outcry over their compliance withBeijing. Yahoo allegedly assisted Beijing authorities to track down and jail a journalist andcyber dissident, while Cisco's technology-savvy machinery is reportedly used to censorInternet messages and track down cyber dissidents. Google and top computer s<strong>of</strong>tware makerMicros<strong>of</strong>t have both admitted cooperating with Beijing to censor websites. By complyingwith China's demand for censorship in order to enter the Chinese market, some <strong>of</strong> theAmerican Internet firms in essence have become "a megaphone for communist propagandaand a tool for controlling public opinion," said Chris Smith, who will co-chair the hearing.The Republican Representative, who heads the House subcommittee on global human rightsand international operations, is drafting legislation imposing curbs on Internet companiesseeking to expand into China. Civil liberties groups also have accused the US administration<strong>of</strong> threatening privacy rights through eavesdropping without court warrants on e-mail andtelephone communications as part <strong>of</strong> Washington's "war on terror." AFP; February 14, 2006Freedom <strong>of</strong> the PressSwitzerlandThe upper crust or sophisticated business clients <strong>of</strong> a Swiss private bank would appear to beunlikely investors in sometimes rabble-rousing "media heroes" in developing or emergingnations. But Zurich's Vontobel Bank believes there is sufficient demand to warrant aninnovative investment fund aimed specifically at providing independent newspapers, radio,TV or other media with the kind <strong>of</strong> finance that allows freedom <strong>of</strong> the press to flourish."There are quite a few high net-worth individuals who don't just want a financial return," saidClaudia Kraaz, a spokeswoman for Vontobel. "We really see a growing demand frominstitutional and, above all, private clients for social investments," she added. On May 3,<strong>World</strong> Press Freedom Day, the bank and its partners announced the 20-million-Swiss-francMedia Development fund that will be launched on financial markets later this month. About80 percent <strong>of</strong> it will be a conventional fixed term, five-year investment, providing a steadySwiss-style financial return to investors. The rest will be a loan at an interest rate <strong>of</strong> onepercent per year to the Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF), an agency set up by a formerhead <strong>of</strong> the Serbian independent radio station B-92, which was once a thorn in the side<strong>of</strong> the Milosevic regime. "It won't be a product that sells in the hundreds <strong>of</strong> millions <strong>of</strong> Swissfrancs," Kraaz acknowledged. "But there is a demand, we've been seeing that lately." On thefinancial side, Vontobel provided the structure and management <strong>of</strong> the bond-like fund, whilethe Swiss government's development cooperation agency guaranteed the secondary marketliquidity to ensure it remains tradeable. A Swiss social investment company that mainly dealswith micr<strong>of</strong>inance, 'ResponsAbility' -- partly owned by Vontobel, other banks and thereinsurer Swiss Re -- chose MDLF and will maintain oversight over its recommendedbeneficiary. ResponsAbility argues that there is an important link between economicgrowth and information. It points to a <strong>World</strong> Bank study that lauded "reliable, currentindependent information", saying it was essential for "good" economic decisions. And ashortage <strong>of</strong> a decent standard <strong>of</strong> information in some countries is not only a consequence <strong>of</strong>outright censorship, but also economic reality, the fund's partners argue. MDLF founder andhead, Sasa Vucinic, left Serbia in March 1993, setting up his agency two years later toprovide loans on favourable conditions to independent media in emerging democracies.64
Vucinic believes the fratricidal conflict in the former Yugoslavia helped draw attention to theneed to support independent and diverse outlets in similar environments. MDLF has helpedB-92, and more than 50 other outlets in 17 countries, including a Siberian newspaper, a radiostation in Indonesia, Noseweek in South Africa or the newspaper El Periodico in Guatemala.Entertainement stations are ruled out, serious news and information is in. New loans <strong>of</strong> about11 million dollars this year are planned in Bolivia, Colombia, the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine,Senegal, Angola and Mozambique. The investment fund also bridges a gap for both sides.AFP; May 14, 2006Censorship / Self-CensorshipChinaA group <strong>of</strong> veteran Chinese communists from the party's old guard have issued a jointstatement to lambast the current generation <strong>of</strong> leaders for excessive media censorship.Reacting to a recent decision to close down a popular investigative supplement <strong>of</strong> a majornewspaper, they warned <strong>of</strong> unrest if some measure <strong>of</strong> free expression was not permitted. "Ifyou don't dare to let people speak... you will sow the seeds <strong>of</strong> disaster," the statement said. "Itis bound to trigger collective resistance and set <strong>of</strong>f turbulence." The statement, posted onEpoch Times, a US-based newspaper and website <strong>of</strong>ten voicing dissident views, carried 13signatures. Several <strong>of</strong> them were by well-known ex-<strong>of</strong>ficials, including Li Rui, chairmanMao Zedong's former secretary, and Zhu Houze, previously the nation's top propaganda<strong>of</strong>ficial. The actions that sparked the statement was last month's closure <strong>of</strong> Bingdian, or"Freezing Point," a supplement <strong>of</strong> the mass-circulation China Youth Daily that had gainedrespect for its investigative reporting. The supplement was accused <strong>of</strong> "breaching newspropaganda discipline" after an article challenged the <strong>of</strong>ficial view <strong>of</strong> foreign occupation <strong>of</strong>China in the late 19th century. "History shows that only in totalitarian systems do you needmedia controls," the statement said. "This is in the mistaken belief that you can forever keepthe public in the dark." The statement questioned the role <strong>of</strong> the government's existingpropaganda apparatus. "One has to ask the question: The publicity organs do not protect themedia and do not guarantee the freedom <strong>of</strong> speech. So what are they good for?" According tothe New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, China was the world's leading jailer <strong>of</strong>journalists in 2005 for the seventh consecutive year, with 32 imprisoned -- <strong>of</strong> which 15 wereInternet writers. AFP; February 15, 2006Media / Press LawsKuwaitKuwait's parliament passed a new press law banning the imprisonment <strong>of</strong> journalists withouta final court ruling and allowing new newspapers to publish for the first time in threedecades. All 53 MPs present at a session <strong>of</strong> the house, including cabinet ministers,voted in favor <strong>of</strong> the legislation, which was described by lawmakers as a key reform measure.Kuwaiti governments have since the mid-1970s imposed a total ban on issuing licenses fornew newspapers, and journalists could hitherto be jailed while under investigation for analleged <strong>of</strong>fense. Information Minister Anas al-Rasheed described the approval <strong>of</strong> the law asa "major achievement" and hoped it will contribute to widening press freedom in the oil-richGulf emirate. The new law, which replaces the existing legislation issued in 1961, willbecome effective only after the government issues its bylaws in six months, the minister toldreporters in parliament. The reformist legislation bans the closure <strong>of</strong> newspapers without afinal court verdict and allows citizens whose applications for newspaper licenses are rejectedto sue the government. AFP; March 6, 200665
- Page 1 and 2:
SFN Flash March-June 2006Monthly up
- Page 3 and 4:
Qassim, General Manager of the news
- Page 5 and 6:
Schibsted, which owns the largest n
- Page 7 and 8:
http://www.brandrepublic.com/bullet
- Page 9 and 10:
for mobile content, putting us in t
- Page 11 and 12:
14.9 percent. Ad sales at the unit
- Page 13 and 14: shares, particularly because we con
- Page 15 and 16: FranceAxel Springer said it is mull
- Page 17 and 18: include both the employee’s and t
- Page 19 and 20: party's policy-making Central Stand
- Page 21 and 22: United KingdomThe Financial Times r
- Page 23 and 24: Search-engine-linked advertising co
- Page 25 and 26: GermanyHeads of Baden-Wuerttemberg
- Page 27 and 28: ZambiaThe overwhelming success of a
- Page 29 and 30: and, above all, "wanted," heralding
- Page 31 and 32: Khalifa to discuss the editorial pl
- Page 33 and 34: eaders who cannot, or are not willi
- Page 35 and 36: * * * * *Plans by Icelandic media h
- Page 37 and 38: advertisers. That’s why such a bu
- Page 39 and 40: are brands as well. They depend on
- Page 41 and 42: UkraineIn March, Dutch publisher TM
- Page 43 and 44: debate in the Forum. http://www.bra
- Page 45 and 46: eaders than traditional magazines.
- Page 47 and 48: channels (+8%) or even Internet por
- Page 49 and 50: Ilbo (21.2 percent), DongA Ilbo (19
- Page 51 and 52: status warned that they might destr
- Page 53 and 54: United Arab EmiratesIn December 200
- Page 55 and 56: last year but Fujitsu has shown a p
- Page 57 and 58: EDITORIAL CONTENTImage & Credibilit
- Page 59 and 60: http://www.redherring.com/Article.a
- Page 61 and 62: WeddingsChinaMany newly-weds in Nan
- Page 63: and editorial strategies with publi
- Page 67 and 68: COPYRIGHTDigital Environment / Onli
- Page 69 and 70: United States of AmericaAmerican me
- Page 71 and 72: * * * * *Russia's state-run energy
- Page 73 and 74: newspaper business. http://www.them
- Page 75 and 76: Fair CompetitionKorea, Republic ofT