All posts tagged: press freedom

What to know about Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong journey from media mogul and activist to convict | World News

What to know about Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong journey from media mogul and activist to convict | World News

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The 78-year-old outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party awaits sentencing Monday after being convicted in December of conspiring to commit sedition and collude with foreign forces. Observers say his landmark trial came to symbolise a crackdown that began in 2020 on press and other freedoms that has changed Hong Kong, the former British colony that returned to China’s control in 1997. The Hong Kong government insists Lai’s case has nothing to do with press freedom, but instead is an example of righteousness upheld by the law. A migrant from mainland China, he made a fortune in the garment industry in Hong Kong and later founded the Apple Daily newspaper, where he wrote articles criticising the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for limiting freedoms. The publication eventually was shuttered and his words became trial evidence. Here is what to know about his unusual journey to political activism that has ended, at least for the moment, in prison. Story continues below this ad Lai was born in 1947 in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, once …

Self-regulation the only way to avoid govt interference in news, panel told | Latest News India

Self-regulation the only way to avoid govt interference in news, panel told | Latest News India

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Self-regulation is the only way to avoid government interference in regulating news media, two industry bodies representing news channels, magazines and newspapers told the parliamentary standing committee on communication and information technology on Thursday. Self-regulation the only way to avoid govt interference in news, panel told The Editors Guild of India (EGI) and the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), along with senior officials from the ministry of information and broadcasting, deposed before the committee led by BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey. The discussion centered on weaponisation of laws to curb press freedom, functioning of the government’s fact-check unit, and issues with communal and fake news on news channels. EGI, NBDA and the ministry have been given 10 days to submit written responses to the Lok Sabha secretariat addressing questions raised by committee members. EGI said various laws, including the Information Technology Act, were being weaponised to curb press freedom. The guild highlighted section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that carries up to three years in jail and/or a fine for publishing false …

Hong Kong Press Association denounces ‘systemic’ harassment of journalists | World News

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The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on Friday, condemned a recent spate of harassment targeting journalists in the city calling it “systematic and organised attack”. Over the past few months, journalists from more than 15 media outlets have been subjected to these attacks that included death threats, defamatory complaints, and threats to personal safety. According to Selina Cheng, chair of the HKJA, the harassment has taken various forms, such as emails, letters to workplaces, social media attacks, and threats to family members. Some journalists have been pressured to leave their profession or union positions. The HKJA has described this wave of intimidation as severe and concerning. Cheng stressed, “This type of intimidation and harassment, which includes sharing false and defamatory content and death threats, damages press freedom in Hong Kong, and we should not tolerate it. HKJA and I believe all journalists in Hong Kong welcome criticism and debate. This is not it.” Among the targets were international and local outlets such as Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), In Media, and HK Feature, as well …

US Lawmakers Urge Constructive Talks With India Over Lectures On Human Rights

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Last Updated: May 17, 2024, 07:21 IST Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) The Indian flag, the U.S. flag and people miniatures with laptops are seen through broken glass in this illustration taken March 10, 2024. (Reuters/Illustration) Indian American lawmakers advocate for constructive dialogue on human rights with India, emphasising collaboration over lecturing to foster democracy and strengthen US-India relations Reiterating that they would continue to raise the issue of human rights in India with its leadership, Indian American lawmakers on Thursday, however, said that lecturing New Delhi on this issue is unlikely to work and they favoured entering into a conversation with the Indian leadership on their concerns with them. “India was colonized for over 100 years. So, when we’re having a conversation about human rights, and you’re having a conversation with (External Affairs Minister S) Jai Shankar or someone else, you have to understand that just coming in from a perspective of lecturing India. When they say that we’ve had colonial powers lecture us for hundreds of years is not going to …

70% of environment journalists report attacks, threats, pressure: UN

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Seventy percent of environmental journalists from 129 countries, polled in March, reported experiencing attacks, threats or pressure related to their job, UNESCO said Thursday. HT Image Of those, two in five subsequently experienced physical violence, it said in a report released on World Press Freedom Day. More than 900 reporters were questioned for the poll. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization warned of an increase in violence against and intimidation of journalists reporting on the environment and climate. “Without reliable scientific information about the ongoing environmental crisis, we can never hope to overcome it,” UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay said in a statement. “And yet the journalists we rely on to investigate this subject and ensure information is accessible face unacceptably high risks all over the world, and climate-related disinformation is running rampant on social media.” UNESCO said at least 749 journalists and news media outlets reporting on environmental issues were “targeted with murder, …

Israel-Hamas war ‘most dangerous ever’ for journalists: Rights group | World News

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The first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war have been the deadliest recorded for journalists, with the most journalists killed in a single year in one location, the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Thursday. Damaged buildings during a military operation in the north of the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP) Most of the journalists and media workers killed in the war – 61 out of 68 – were Palestinian. The report said it was “particularly concerned about an apparent pattern of targeting of journalists and their families by the Israeli military.” Stay tuned with breaking news on HT Channel on Facebook. Join Now A spokesperson for Israel’s military has said the forces don’t target journalists. Four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists, including Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, were also killed between Oct. 7 and Dec. 20, CPJ data showed. The group, a nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, said it was further investigating the circumstances of all journalist deaths. It said such …