Regional News

The Government of Nepal announced that the Maoists were Terrorists, and that that those who help, support, take their side, write about them, or involve themselves in any way with them will also be considered Terrorists.

Since then the Media and Press cannot publish or broadcast any kind of news or views that supports the Maoist position, it cannot publish or broadcast news about the Royal Nepalese Army, Nepal Police Force or government officials.

Since the State of Emergency has been imposed, the right to criticise the government and security personnel has been lost and the Royal Nepalese Army has been arresting and harassing journalists. Freedom of expression has been lost.

Community and Private Broadcasters have had to change many of their programs. Little time back they were not even allowed to broadcast Live. Listeners’ participation was stopped and the phone-in programs are still not able to resume. Current Affairs Programs by Private broadcasters have also encountered many problems.

The Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers are still saying that State of Emergency does not affect Media and Press but it has not made any difference.

Those who write against the government are being arrested and harassed without any warrant. The State of Emergency in Nepal has taken away people’s rights and created an environment of terror in the media. From: Mohan Bista, Radio Sagarmatha (a WACC supported project)

Nepal
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) protested to the Nepalese government today about the arrest of Gopal Budhatoki, editor of the weekly newspaper Sanghu, and said it was concerned about prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s remarks that the press must support the army and the police in the fight against terrorism. In a letter to the prime minister, RSF secretary-general Robert Ménard called for the editor’s immediate release and said his arrest, in very dubious circumstances, was yet another example of the impunity the security forces enjoy under the state of emergency.

Budhatoki was kidnapped by four people on the evening of 3 March as he was returning home on his motor-bike. Three days later, the prime minister said he had been arrested because he repeatedly published “invented” articles about the security services with the sole aim of spreading rumours. Devendra Gautam, a member of a local journalists’ organisation, said the articles reported financial irregularities in the purchase of helicopters by the army. The prime minister charged that publishing such material was “the same as cooperating with the terrorists.”

RSF also pointed out to the prime minister that more than 20 journalists were still being detained under the state of emergency and called on him to see that habeas corpus suits brought by lawyers and the journalists’ families were heard with the strictest regard for the law.

Democratic Republic of Congo
From Richard Baynda, DRC

Dear Colleagues, We are the Research Centre for the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights (Centre de Recherche sur l’Environnement, la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme, CREDDHO) working for human rights in Goma.

We are currently following the case of Raphael Paluku Kyana, journalist and director of the Rural Radio de Kanyabayonga has been detained in the border town of Bunagana by the intelligence services of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Paluku Kyana has been taken to the Direction Provinciale de la Sécurité, known as DGM.

Mr. Paluku was arrested on the 9th March 2002. He was on his way to Nairobi to undertake a training course in media production at the All Africa Churches Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

This training has been funded by WACC, based in London, United Kingdom.

Brazil

From Eloy Teckemeier, WACC Treasurer.

February 20, 2002, Pastor Bertoldo Weber of the Lutheran Church in Brazil died at the age of 85, retaining impressive lucidity right to the very end. He was known as the father of ecumenism in Brazil and was a great friend and former staff member of Editora Sinodal, Sao Leopoldo. He also worked tirelessly on behalf of street children and people with disabilities. A few years ago a home for street children was named after him in Sao Leopoldo. His daughter, Ursula Weber, worked as an assistant at the general secretariat of WACC 1978-81.

Nigeria
Dr Christopher Kolade, Former WACC President is now Nigeria’s High Commissioner in United Kingdom.

United Kingdom
Continuing its series of thematic portals, OneWorld is preparing to launch Digital Opportunity Channel in collaboration with the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org), the Washington-based non-profit that works to realise the social benefits made possible by the public interest use of communications technology.

Hosted at www.digitalopportunity.org, this global portal will focus on use of ICTs (information and communications technologies) for sustainable development, with a special emphasis on developing countries. It will be launched publicly the week of 17 May 2002 to coincide with UN World Telecommunications Day, which this year is celebrated under the theme, “ICT for all: empowering people to cross the digital divide”.

Palestine
Why is the American media so silent over Israeli war crimes against children? Ignorance? Impossible: the evidence has been overwhelming: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Peace Now, Gush Shalom, Betselem, along with the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and many other groups have been denouncing the Israeli policy of shooting at children to kill, and yet, not one editorial in any of the main media outlets has stood up and called on the US government to pressure Israel to stop.

Last October, journalist Chris Hedges appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air where he told millions of listeners the following:

And I walked out towards the dunes... over the loudspeaker from an Israeli army Jeep on the other side of the electric fence they were taunting these kids. And these kids started to throw rocks. And most of these kids were 10, 11, 12 years old. And, first of all, the rocks were the size of a fist. They were being hurled towards a Jeep that was armor-plated. I doubt they could even hit the Jeep. And then I watched the soldiers open fire. And it was—I mean, I’ve seen kids shot in Sarajevo. I mean, snipers would shoot kids in Sarajevo. I’ve seen death squads kill families in Algeria or El Salvador. But I’d never seen soldiers bait or taunt kids like this and then shoot them for sport. It was—I just—even now, I find it almost inconceivable. And I went back every day, and every day it was the same. (see article)

Then came the eye witness accounts of Israeli soldiers who are now refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories, citing their objection to “illegal orders” for unleashing death and violence against civilians. See article:

Palestine Media Watch

South Africa
From Steve Wendel- There are interesting events unfolding in South Africa that will have a major impact on the country’s digital divide. Microsoft recently offered SA’s schools free licenses to its software — potentially a great boon for the country. However, a number of parties are questioning the long term effect of this offer. We will post information about the debate on our website,www.bridges.org.

South Africa
South Africa’s leading journalism institute is to host a three-day workshop on freedom of information for regional journalists starting on March 18.
The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) will facilitate the workshop in response to growing difficulties experienced by the media in accessing information held by the state for public consumption.

The course seeks to highlight the entrenched constitutional rights that South African journalists have to access such information, and will explore practical procedures for applying for information.

More from: Dibuseng Kaibe, Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) on telephone (27-11) 484-1765 or via fax on (27-11) 484-2282 or via
e-mail on dibuseng@iaj.org.za.

USA
The Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Information (OSI) for worldwide propaganda and disinformation.

Concern has been expressed by many groups about the Pentagon’s plan to use disinformation and propaganda to improve the perception of American military operations overseas. Some said that the US use of propaganda and disinformation was especially hypocritical since denouncing the ‘propaganda’ of Osama bin Laden and bombing the media that broadcast it (Al Jazeera).
In an interview published on 19 February by The New York Times, high-level Pentagon officials stated that the OSI, an office of the Defense Department, had proposed providing false information to foreign media.

Despite protests by groups such as RSF, Donald Rumsfeld still would not categorically rule out the use of “tactical manipulation” in the “war against terrorism”.

According to The New York Times the OSI had proposed “a broad mission ranging from ‘black’ campaigns that use disinformation to ‘white’ public affairs that rely on truthful news releases.” The OSI was created just after September 11 to launch a media campaign to influence international public opinion.

India
From: www.bytesforall.org
Web Kiosks for Indian Villages: For millions of Indians living in villages, making a phone call, let alone connecting to the internet, is a distant dream. But a new, cheap and robust wireless technology could bring the information revolution to rural areas.
more info

Pakistan
Shaheen Sehbai, editor of The News, Pakistan’s leading English-language newspaper resigned with a letter addressed to his boss but circulated among colleagues and friends that he was leaving his post under pressure from the government, warning that Pakistani officials were sending a message to the press to “Get in line, or be ready for the stick.”

In his letter to Shakeelur Rehman, publisher and editor-in-chief of The News, Sehbai accuses the government of pushing Rehman to fire him and three reporters: Kamran Khan, Amir Mateen, and Rauf Klasra because their reporting had angered officials. The Associated Press reported that Sehbai said he would rather quit than dismiss the reporters.

Jamaica
Jails going online
Maximum security prisoners in Jamaica may soon have access to the Internet. As part of a rehabilitation program, Reverence for Life, the government is considering adding an Internet component to give participants much needed social, vocational and cognitive training. The program is the brain-child of Camella Rhone, director general of Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology. Initial hi-tech expertise and training will be provided by Harvard University’s Berkman Centre for Internet & Society, but the cost of hardware, software and Internet access falls on the Jamaican government. A country with a population of only 2.6 million, Rhone says that Jamaica can not afford to give up on any adults, even prisoners. The country’s prisons will also serve as a perfect laboratory for the Berkman Centre. [SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Mark Baard]

USA
A collective of computer experts is working to enhance the privacy of non-governmental organisations around the world.

Privaterra is an ongoing program by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR-a Global Internet Liberty Campaign member). It was formed due to concerns that technological advances “have ... made it easier to spy on ... human rights workers, cracking into their communications networks and stealing access to their private information. While it is impossible to completely eradicate the possibility of such activities, encryption technology and other security measures can considerably diminish the likelihood that human rights workers’ private communications and other materials will be accessed by unauthorised individuals.”
Click for the Privaterra website

South Asia?
Gemini is currently in the process of discussing a move to South Asia.
Taken over by Panos in 1999 and relaunched with a new look in April 2001, Gemini News Service is a 35 year old news features service delivering quality articles on issues facing developing countries.

Currently, it provides subscribers with eight stories per week, plus original colour and black-and-white graphics plus photos from Panos Pictures photo library.

It has approximately 150 journalists on its list, most of them local, and covers a wide range of content including economics, politics, culture, sport, environment, gender, health, living, media, business, development and science.

Subscribers include major newspapers and magazines around the world, most of whom download material from the Gemini website for use on a weekly basis in their pages.
More: www.gemininewsservice.com