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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

High taxes on Zimbabwean newsprint

Posted on May 25, 2015 Leave a Comment

According to the MISA African Media Barometer 2012, printing costs are very high and newsprint is expensive. Supplies have to be imported from China, Russia and South Africa and are heavily taxed. As a consequence, papers are forced to save on newsprint by reducing the size of the paper and the print run. There is the additional problem of transporting the newsprint to Zimbabwe, as there is often major traffic congestion at border posts.

In addition, state-run companies do not advertise in private papers, and state-run media outlets do not accept advertising from companies allegedly aligned with the opposition.

Source: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) – African Media Barometer – Zimbabwe

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

Tax investigations and arbitrary evictions used against media by Albania’s former government

Posted on May 11, 2015 Leave a Comment

The government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, which stepped down in September 2013 after the ruling Democratic Party (PD) lost the June parliamentary elections to the opposition Socialist Party (PS), used administrative mechanisms, including tax investigations and arbitrary evictions from state-owned buildings, to disrupt the operations of media outlets it perceived as hostile, according to Freedom House.

The press freedom organisation denounced that the partisan bent of many news outlets was visible during the 2013 election campaign, with the main television stations favouring either the PD or the PS in the amount or tone of their coverage. The election commission’s media rules were weakly enforced, and a decision by the panel in early June appeared to require broadcasters to air party-prepared footage during newscasts, disregarding a 2011 court ruling.

According to a 2013 report by the researcher Ilda Londo, the development of Albanian media during the last two decades can be divided in two phases: the first, from early to late 90s was marked by the so-called politically engaged media, while the second saw the emergence and expansion of clientelistic media. The pressure on the media became more sophisticated during the second period. Even if Albanian media rarely faced open threats or assaults on journalists, they rather experienced problems of an economic nature, such as financial pressure, distribution issues, non-transparent funding, ownership issues, difficult labour conditions and corruption in the media

 

Source: Ilda Londo (2013) Limited Assistance for Limited Impact: International Media Assistance in Albania. Sarajevo, Analitika and Albania Media Institute.

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Posted in: Audits, Cases, Europe, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Taxes | Tagged: Audits, Europe, Other administrative pressures, Taxes

The Turkish government uses tax investigations and fines to punish critic media outlets

Posted on April 1, 2015

EUROPE — TURKEY — LICENCES, AUDITS & IMPORTS

In Turkey, tax investigations and fines have been recently used to punish media outlets, according to several press freedom groups. In February 2009, one of the country’s largest groups, Doğan Media Group, was hit with a 500 million dollar fine, for alleged tax evasion and fraud. Critics argued that the fine was a politically motivated move to silence dissent with the governing party, after Milliyet, one of the country’s leading papers, reports on AKP corruption infuriated the government.

Read more:

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/specialreport/11054574.asp

http://www.freemedia.at/special-pages/newssview/article/ipi-guest-blog-press-freedom-in-turkey.html

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

Tax investigations & fines of press common in Turkey

Posted on March 31, 2015

EUROPE — TURKEY — LICENCES, IMPORTS & AUDITS

In Turkey, tax investigations and fines have been recently used to punish media outlets, according to several press freedom groups.70 / 71 In February 2009, one of the country’s largest groups, Dogan Media Group, was hit with a USD500 million fine, for alleged tax evasion and fraud. Critics argued that the fine was a politically motivated move to silence dissent with the governing party, after Milliyet, one of the country’s leading papers, reports on AKP corruption infuriated the government. The fine allegedly forced Dogan to sell Milliyet to another holding company with strong ties to the government.72 In 2014, the International Press Institute released a statement on a wiretapped phone call of an alleged conversation between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin on that case: “Allegations that the prime minister asked the then-justice minister to interfere in a legal proceeding, and that the justice minister promised to use his influence to pressure the judiciary to deliver a desired result, are nothing less than shocking.”

Read more:

Dr. Carl-Eugen Eberle, International Press Institute, IPI Guest Blog: Press freedom in Turkey, n.d., http://www.freemedia.at/special-pages/newssview/article/ipi-guest-blog-press-freedom-in- turkey.html

Freedom House Special Report, Democracy in Crisis: Corruption, Power, and Media in Turkey, February 3, 2014, http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Turkey%20Report%20 -%20Feb%203,%202014.pdf

Hurryet Daily News, “Main opposition CHP leader slams government for manipulating court”, March 5, 2014, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/main-opposition-chp-leader-slams-government- for-manipulating-court.aspx?pageID=238&nID=63216&NewsCatID=338

Posted in: Asia, Cases, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits, Turkey | Tagged: Asia, Audits, Other administrative pressures, Taxes

Lengthy tax audits in Ecuador

Posted on March 31, 2015

THE AMERICAS — ECUADOR — LICENSES, IMPORTS & AUDITS

In Ecuador, the editor of El Universo newspaper has reportedly been subjected to an endless ‘tax audit’ exceeding two years, Article 19 reported.

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

Tax investigations harass media houses in Azerbaijan

Posted on March 31, 2015

ASIA — AZERBAIJAN — LICENCES, IMPORTS & AUDITS

In Azerbaijan, tactics employed to harass independent media include lengthy tax investigations and mysterious and costly “disappearances” of entire print runs, according to IREX.

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Posted in: Asia, Cases, Licenses, taxes, imports and audits | Tagged: Asia, Audits, Other administrative pressures, Taxes

"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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