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Other administrative pressures

New Reports Detail Little Progress in Fight Against Soft Censorship

Posted on October 29, 2015 Leave a Comment

Soft censorship continues to be a major threat to press freedom and the governments of Hungary, Mexico and Serbia appear unwilling to follow recommendations that would guarantee a non-discriminatory allocation of public funds and government advertising across the media.updates-and-logo-w

This is the common conclusion of three new reports examining soft censorship practices in Hungary, Mexico and Serbia launched today by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) in Washington D.C.

Official soft censorship, or indirect censorship, is defined as “an array of official actions intended to influence media output, short of legal or extra-legal bans, direct censorship of specific content, or physical attacks on media outlets or media practitioners.”

Published with the support of the Open Society Foundations and research partners Mertek Media Monitor (Hungary), BIRN Serbia, and Fundar (Mexico), the three new reports provide an updated analysis of the situation as uncovered in detailed country studies conducted in 2013.

By using financial power to pressure media outlets, punish critical reporting and reward favourable coverage, biased government intervention in media sectors across the three countries not only distorts the market, but also makes it difficult for media to exercise their essential watchdog role.

“Articles of Asphyxiation: Soft Censorship in Hungary 2015 Update” shows that pressures on free and independent media
in Hungary are accelerating and that the Fidesz government is enacting new and ever-broader laws and regulations that aim to control media output. The introduction of an advertising tax and other recently passed laws, together with the unfair and opaque allocation of government advertising show that intervention in the media market aggressively increased throughout 2014 and the first half of 2015.

“Media Reform Stalled in the Slow Lane: Soft Censorship in Serbia 2015 Update” highlights small improvements to the media-related legal framework in Serbia, such as thenew Law on Public Information and Media which regulates financial relations between the state and media outlets. However, as reiterated by the new report, efforts to reform legislation alone will not suffice if the Serbian government does not fully respect these regulations.Biased subsidies to media outlets, selective government advertising contracts, and manipulation regarding licensing continue to persist in the country.

“Breaking Promises, Blocking Reform: Soft Censorship in Mexico 2015 Update” (also available in Spanish) concludes that despite presidential promises, soft censorship – most conspicuously in the form of the partisan allocation of government advertising – remains a powerful impediment to a free, independent and pluralistic media in Mexico. Despite President Enrique Peña Nieto’s 2012 pledge to create a body to oversee government advertising, regulation of the sector remains weak. Lawmakers have failed to meet deadlines to establish a legal framework, while new legislation proposed by members of the Mexican Congress to regulate government advertising has not progressed. While positive developments such as a General Law on Transparency and Access to Public Government Information promises broad access to government advertising data, compliance has so far proven extremely weak.

Through more detailed research into soft censorship practices globally, WAN-IFRA and CIMA are drawing attention to the kinds of widespread and deleterious problems facing independent media that rarely generate the same level of international outrage as direct attacks on the press. The findings and recommendations of the soft censorship research series aim to contribute to the implementation of fair and transparent rules that are necessary for the development of independent media sectors around the world.

Country reports detailing soft censorship practices in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Montenegro are currently being finalised and will be published later in 2015.

Posted in: Advertising, Audits, Bribery, Cases, Europe, Mexico, Other Administrative Pressures, Paid News, Reports, Subsidies, Taxes | Tagged: Advertising, Audits, Bribery, Europe, General, Licenses, Other administrative pressures, Paid "News", Subsidies, Taxes, The Americas

Audience and readership measuring is flawed in India

Posted on October 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

Audience and readership measuring is flawed in India, according to the article “Boom time for media but witha growing ethical deficit”, by A.S. Panneerselvan. The unavailability of reliable data impedes, among others, the fair allocation of government advertising and undermines people’s quest for truth.

The Indian readership survey is supposed to give everyone — public, media and business interests alike — the demographic details of press readership and circulation. But the latest Indian Readership Survey (IRS) by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI) has “absurd figures which defy logic and reason”, says Panneerselvan.

The Television Rating Point (TRP), which is supposed to track the programmes that are most popular, has failed to gain the broadcast industry’s confidence. Prannoy Roy, the Chairman of broadcasting NDTV group, said: “Virtually every city in India has a ratings consultant who, for a relatively small fee, will ensure higher ratings for any channel.” Reportedly, ratings consultants get to know where the people-meters that measure viewership are located, visit the people-meter homes, give the family a brand new 60-inch plasma television and tell them: “Watch whatever you like on this lovely big television but on the television attached to the people-meter you must only watch such-and-such channels (…) The family also gets an additional reward at the end of the year if they have done what they were asked to do efficiently”.

Statisticians and other number crunchers are expected to follow a rigorous methodology to provide reliable data on the media’s reach. But if their projections are deeply flawed, it severely undermines people’s quest for the truth.

 

Source: A.S. Panneerselvan (2015) “India: boom-time for media but with a growing ethical deficit” in Aidan White (ed.) Untold Stories. How Corruption and Conflicts of Interests Stalk the Newsroom. Ethical Jornalism Network. http://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/assets/docs/220/136/92a87dc-d968188.pdf

 

 

 

Posted in: Advertising, Asia, Cases, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, India, Other administrative pressures

Ownership concentration reportedly limits criticsm in Ecuador

Posted on September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ownership concentration within the private media is a problem in Ecuador, according to Freedom House. In December 2014, it was reported that Mexican media mogul Remigio Ángel González was buying El Comercio, Ecuador’s oldest and most recognized newspaper. González already owned 13 television channels and radio stations in Ecuador and was expected to change the editorial tone of El Comercio, which has been critical of the government.

Foreign ownership of communication outlets was initially illegal under the Communication Law, but Correa passed an implementing regulation in late 2013 that revised the relevant article and allowed foreigners from countries that had signed certain cooperative agreements with Ecuador to own national media. Journalists and outside watchdog groups expressed concern that the sale of El Comercio would further limit media diversity.

The government is the country’s largest advertiser and generally grants ad contracts to outlets that provide favorable coverage. In 2012, Correa directed his press secretary to withdraw public advertising from what he called “mercantilist” media outlets, including the newspapers Hoy, El Comercio, El Universo, and La Hora, and the television stations Teleamazonas and Ecuavisa. The intrusive regulations and sanctions associated with the Communication Law have made it even more difficult for independent media to achieve financial sustainability and retain advertisers. Analysts say that businesses do not want to be associated with media targeted by the authorities, as they could lose state contracts or face government audits in reprisal.

Source: Freedom of the Press Index 2015 – Ecuador
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/ecuador#.VZZLjUv_9EQ

Posted in: Advertising, Cases, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, Ecuador, Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Costs of newsprint and ink remains too high for independent newspapers in Zambia

Posted on September 4, 2015 Leave a Comment

The costs of newsprint and ink (which include substantial import duties and taxes), printing, and distribution remain very high, hampering print outlets’ ability to increase their readership, Freedom House reports.

In addition, the majority of advertising comes from the government, which places its ads exclusively in the state media. There have also been reports of private companies withholding advertising from critical private outlets due to fear of government retaliation.

Source: Freedom of the Press Index 2015 – Zambia

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/zambia#.VY0d30v_9EQ

Posted in: Advertising, Africa, Cases, Imports, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, Africa, Imports, Other administrative pressures

Turkish newspaper Sözcü publishes empty columns to protest against increasing government pressure

Posted on September 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

Sözcü, a Turkish newspaper critical of the government, has left the slots for opinion columns empty to protest the government’s “increasing pressure”, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“If Sözcü is silent, Turkey will be silent,” the newspaper’s headline said on Sept. 1, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of “increasing pressure over the past year on opposition newspapers.”

Sözcü said it had faced 57 court cases and 67 criminal complaints over its news stories in the past year. Ten of its columnists were sued for compensation due to 60 articles, it added.

“President Erdoğan sues us for stories in which his name is not even mentioned. Stories mentioning his son’s or daughter’s name have become the subject of complaints. Their goal is to intimidate, pacify and control Sözcü and its columnists, while eliminating freedom of opinion and speech,” a front page editorial said.

The statement also referred to a well-known social media whistleblower nicknamed Fuat Avni, who recently claimed on Twitter that the government was “planning an operation to silence critical media” before the Nov. 1 election.

“No one from the government comes up and refutes this ugly claim, at which [pro-government circles] laugh up their sleeve,” Sözcü added, before vowing to “keep writing the truth despite the pressure that was not seen even during the coup eras.”

Source: Hurriyet Daily News “Turkish daily publishes empty columns on front page to protest gov’t” 1 September 2015 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=87803&NewsCatID=339

Posted in: Cases, Europe, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures, Turkey | Tagged: Europe, Other administrative pressures, Turkey

The transition to digital bradcasting punishes critical media in Venezuela

Posted on August 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

In February 2013, CONATEL initiated the transition to digital broadcastingIn February 2013, CONATEL initiated the transition to digital broadcasting in urban areas. Although the decree announcing the switch promoted pluralism in the diffusion of ideas and emphasized more efficient use of the broadcast spectrum, 8 of the 11 stations selected for digital transmission are state run. Only two private channels, Venevisión and Televen, were selected for digital transmission, and each focuses more on entertainment than on news programming. Globovisión, long the most vocal opposition-oriented station, was excluded from the transition.

Source: Freedom of the Press 2015 – Venezuela https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/venezuela#.VY0cvkv_9EQ 

Posted in: Cases, Licenses, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, The Americas | Tagged: Licenses, Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Governments are reinventing censorship in the 21st century

Posted on August 21, 2015 Leave a Comment

Censorship is flourishing in the information age and governments are reinventing censorship in the 21st century, according to the journalists Moisés Naím and Philip Benet in “The Anti-Information Age”.

The authors describe how “the scope of censorship is hard to appreciate (…) [because] some tools for controlling the media are masquerading as market disruptions”: “Today”, they say “in Hungary, Ecuador, Turkey, Kenya, and elsewhere, officials are mimicking autocracies like Russia, Iran, or China by redacting critical news and building state media brands. They are also creating more subtle tools to complement the blunt instruments of attacking journalists”.

In Venezuela and elsewhere, they denounce that “the state’s methods include gaining influence over independent media through purchases using shell companies and phantom buyers”.

Using examples of Pakistan, Turkey and Russia, and quuoting the WAN-IFRA report on soft censorship in Hungary, the report points to the indirect methods that governments around the world are using to favor positive coverage and silence critical media.

As Tamoa Calzadilla, the former investigations editor at the Venezuelan newspaper Últimas Noticias, describes: “This is not your classic censorship, where they put a soldier in the door of the newspaper and assault the journalists. Instead, they buy up the newspaper, they sue the reporters and drag them into court, they eavesdrop on your phone and email communications, and then broadcast them on state television. This is censorship for the 21st century.” Calzadilla resigned last year after anonymous buyers took control of the paper, and she was pressured to change a story to align with government views, the authors report.

Source: Benet, Philip and Naím, Moisés: The Anti-Information Age, 16 February 2015, The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/government-censorship-21st-century-internet/385528/?utm_content=buffer1f052&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Posted in: Advertising, General, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Advertising, General, Other administrative pressures

Changes in ownership result in a more favourable coverage to the Venezuelan government

Posted on August 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

In 2013, private business interests linked to the government purchased the Cadena Capriles newspaper conglomerate and Globovisión, two outlets that had carried criticism of the government. Within months of the ownership changes, news coverage and commentary grew more favorable to the authorities, and a number of prominent editors and reporters resigned their positions, alleging editorial pressure, according to Freedom House.

In 2014, the daily El Universal, the country’s oldest circulating newspaper, likewise underwent a notable change in its editorial line after an undisclosed buyer took control in July. In the months following the sale, more than 25 columnists were dismissed, several journalists resigned over censorship by their editors, and award-winning cartoonist Rayma Suprani claimed she was fired for an illustration that criticized the public health system.

Since 2012, currency controls have made acquiring newsprint difficult. Maduro has exacerbated the problem by centralizing distribution in the government-operated editorial complex where all newspapers, magazines, and books bearing the state’s official seal are printed. More than a dozen newspapers have been shuttered, and several others were forced to cut pages or reduce the frequency of circulation as a result of the shortage. However, in September 2014 Maduro announced the launch of two additional state newspapers, prompting journalists to accuse the government of restricting access to newsprint in order to censor critical voices.

 

Source: Freedom of the Press 2015 – Venezuela

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/venezuela#.VY0cvkv_9EQ

Posted in: Cases, Imports, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Other Administrative Pressures, The Americas | Tagged: Other administrative pressures, The Americas

Large fines imposed on media in Bulgaria can lead to self-censorship

Posted on August 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

The Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission has imposed two fines in January 2015 against Bulgarian media under the allegation that they were committing market manipulation through stories they published, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) reported.

The online portal zovnews.com was punished with a 50,000 EUR penalty for their reports on the banking sector; while the print media Capital and Dnevnik were punished with 80,000 EUR fines, and an additional fine of about €5,000 for refusing to reveal their sources.

SEEMO and its members condem such regulations, since they break freedom of speech and basic rights of reporting. Large fines will eventually lead media outlets directly into self-censorship. As SEEMO reminds, it is important that media can investigate free, without any pressure, important issues that are of public interest.

 

South East Europe Media Organisation: http://www.seemo.org/safty-news.html#BULGARIA20

Posted in: Cases, Europe, Other Administrative Pressures | Tagged: Europe, Other administrative pressures

A report denounces how soft censorship practices increasingly affect jornalism around the world

Posted on July 22, 2015 Leave a Comment

The Ethical Journalism Network has released “Untold Stories: How Corruption and Conflicts of Interest Stalk the Newsroom”, a report that covers 18 countries and exposes how financially-stricken news media are being overwhelmed by political and corporate forces.

The report finds that in countries both rich and poor, there are ‘dark arts’ at work in newsrooms: media managers are doing deals with advertisers to carry paid-for material disguised as honest news; reporters and editors accept bribes and irregular payments; and a culture of dependence on political and corporate friends makes it increasingly difficult to separate journalism from propaganda and impartial reporting from public relations.

Although the report notes that the major threats come from outside media, with governments, unscrupulous politicians and corporate communicators increasingly shaping the news agenda and taking advantage of newsrooms weakened by cuts and restructuring of the media economy, it also highlights how many wounds are also self-inflicted. It notes that many of today’s media owners do not buy into journalism for commercial reasons, but mostly to promote their own business and political agenda.

The survey concludes that a toxic mix of political and business pressures are leading to systematic disregard of ethical journalism principles, and includes a series of recommendations for authorities and media professionals necessary to promote ethical journalism and information in the public interest.

 

Source: White, Aidan (editor): “Untold Stories: How Corruption and Conflicts of Interest Stalk the Newsroom”, Ethical Journalism Network 2015

http://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/assets/docs/220/136/92a87dc-d968188.pdf

 

Posted in: Advertising, Bribery, General, Other Administrative Pressures, Paid News | Tagged: Advertising, General, Other administrative pressures, Paid "News"
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"Official 'soft censorship' describes an array of official actions intended to influence media output, short of legal or extra-legal bans, direct censorship of specific content, or physical attacks on media outlets or media practitioners."

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