MEDIABLAB DAILY DIGEST MAY 13: DAN RIVERS' MYANMAR ESCAPE; BANGKOK POST POSTS LOSS
May 13th 2008 07:29
THAI PRIME MINISTER ACCUSED OF INTIMIDATING THE MEDIA NOW THREATENS TO SUE TWO NEWSPAPERS
AFP reports that Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundarave has continued his combative relationship with the press by threatening on Sunday to sue two local newspapers.
On his weekly ‘Talking Samak Style’ TV show, the prime minister took the cudgels to two unnamed papers over their reporting of disputes over a temple on the Thai-Cambodia border.
He said the newspapers had accused him of trading claims over the temple – which is on Cambodian soil but to which Thailand has historically laid claim – for financial gain over oil deals.
Samak did not give any details of the offending newspapers, or specifics of the allegations.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically both laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu site on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border. The World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
Recent rumours suggested that Thailand had blocked Cambodia's efforts to have Preah Vihear listed, but Cambodian officials denied this, and Samak has said he will not hamper attempts by Cambodia to try once again to have the site listed.
TIME MAGAZINE CAUGHT UP IN CAMBODIAN PLAGIARISM RIFT
Time magazine has been caught up in a plagiarism spat in Cambodia, according to the Mekong Times.
The paper reported that Thet Sambath, associate editor of the Cambodia Daily, has alleged the paper’s editor-in-chief Kevin Doyle plagiarized his work and then sacked him when he complained.
But Thet Sambath said the Time piece included an interview with Khmer Rouge Brother No 2, Nuon Chua, and descriptions of face-to-face meeting which had been written by him.
He said the Cambodia Daily has been trying to get rid of him for two months because he signaled that he would be filing a complaint.
He said he was fired on April 29 without warning or compensation after an eight year career with the newspaper.
He has already filed a compliant with the Cambodian Ministry of Labor.
The Cambodia Daily has not responded to his allegations.
It’s not been a good month for the Cambodia Daily. Some key staff members defected to the new opposition newspaper, the Phnom Penh Post and a intimidatory and over-the-top memo from publisher Bernard Krishner about this has been doing the rounds in Phnom Penh media circles.
Krishner is obviously panicking because soon he will be faced with a daily version of the ‘new’ Phnom Penh Post, which was recently taken over by an Australia-led syndicate.
Shipping problems with a printing press purchase in the US have delayed the launch of the new daily, but the owners now have a bill of lading in their hands and are forecasting a ‘more-than-likely’ launch date on July 10, which coincides with the Post’s birthday back in 1992.
The paper’s plus new downtown Phnom Penh offices were officially launched at a red carpet function on Friday evening. The only down-note of the evening was the Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith failure to attend to cut the ribbon. The official reason given was that he had to attend an urgent cabinet meeting, but rumours as to the real reason cannot be printed here because of libel laws.
BANGKOK POST PUBLISHER POSTS A QUARTER-MILLION-DOLLAR FIRST QUARTER LOSS
Thailand’s Post Publishing Plc, publisher of the Bangkok Post and Post Today newspapers posted a first quarter loss of 7.6 million baht last week $A252,000.)
This contrasts with a 12.2 million baht profit in the same period last year.
The company said it had implemented cost savings measurements, but these did not compensate for the deprecation of new printing facilities and rising transport costs.
The company’s chief financial officer said sales and service income was down 16.3 million baht from last year. While sales and administrative costs rose 4.4 million baht, and interest expense were up 2.55 million baht.
CNN REPORTERS DAN RIVERS IN DRAMATIC FLIGHT FROM MYANMAR – BUT WHO HELPED HIM GET IN
AP reports that CNN reporter Dan Rivers who left Myanmar on Friday was chased by authorities as he reported on the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis but escaped primarily because of the incompetence of the people after him.
Dan Rivers said hid under a blanket at one police checkpoint and casually covered up his name on a passport to avoid detection another time. He may ultimately have gotten out of the country due to a stewardess' impatience.
"I was amazed at the lengths they apparently went just to catch me," Rivers told The Associated Press by telephone from Thailand on Saturday.
Rivers sneaked into the country on Monday – he wouldn't say how – and for a day reported the story without saying his name or showing his face onscreen.
CNN, owned by Time Warner Inc, and Rivers then quickly agreed to operate openly.
"We decided it would have much more impact if I could communicate more directly, if I could look down the barrel of a camera and tell people precisely how bad it was," he said. "I think that type of personal reporting is much more effective than a voiceover on a picture."
A local contact then told Rivers' crew the government was looking for him by contacting all hotels where foreigners stayed.
During reporting on Thursday, an immigration official stopped Rivers' group. He took the passports of two crew members and compared them to a picture of Rivers taken from a CNN screen.
The authorities didn't discover the men were from CNN. Knowing his picture was being circulated, Rivers hid under a blanket in the van the next time police checked.
There are now rumours in Yangon that a Myanmar Times journalist may have been involved in Rivers’ entry into the country.
NEWS CORP ABOUT TO LOSE NEWSDAY BUYOUT DEAL TO
CABLEVISIONS SYSTEMS CORP
Following Wall Street Journal reports that the American Tribune Company is close to a deal to sell its newspaper Newsday to Cablevision Systems Corp for US$650 million, comes news that the deal is done.
The Los Angeles Time ssaid the deal was signed on Sunday.
The bid from the Long Island-based cable operator has bested $580 million offers from News Corp which had an informal agreement for Newsday, but was unwilling to match Cablevision's offer and revoked its bid on Saturday.
Clinching the deal will put the company in control of Newsday and related assets, including the free New York City newspaper amNew York.
The deal, which is expected to be structured as a joint venture for tax reasons, will leave Tribune with a small stake in Newsday.
GENEVA-BASED MEDIA NEWS WEBSITE ON THE VERGE OF GOING BUST
The Geneva-based media news website Followthemedia is possibly about to go out of business.
The site posted this appeal: Without your contribution, ftm will MAY close at the end of this week.
It’s true. After nearly four years and a million and a half visitors, ftm followthemedia will MAY close May 16 unless you help now.
Why are we doing this? We are out of money. Revenue from advertising has been next to nothing. Revenue from sales of materials and Memberships has been good, in some months, but leaves us short about €3,000 each month.
If you subscribe to the free newsletter, become an ftm Member. If you are an ftm Member, consider a Corporate Membership. Or become an ftm Sponsor starting at €1,000. (Sponsors receive all sorts of goodies.)
In the event we must close ftm we will refund completely any new Members fees.
Contributions of any size will be put to good use and insure our continued reporting on global media. Unless €35,000 €4,000 is raised by May 16 ftm will close. €4,000 will keep ftm alive at least one more month. €35,000 will keep ftm alive for another year.
With the generous donations from readers and 4 new Members as of the end of Friday (May 9) we are only €1,700 short of reaching the €4,000 to keep ftm alive another month.
Exactly how much is needed, for what and when? We need about €4,000 each month for rent, telephone, ADSL, insurance, taxes and a little food. We need to pay the web developer for previous work and a new content management system: €5,000. The €35,000 will keep us going for another year. More will allow us to make some much needed site improvements and increase our coverage of major media events (i.e. The WAN Congress in June.)
MediaBlab will miss ftm if it geos down the gurlgler, namely for its amusing bits and pieces gleaned from media outlets, such as this item about a BBC web site headline, “Great tits cope well with warming.” (The story was about birds.)
RADIOASIA2008 TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH BROADCASTASIA 2008 IN SINGAPORE
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre and Singapore Exhibition Services announced that RadioAsia2008 will be held in conjunction with BroadcastAsia2008 in Singapore.
Running for the fourth consecutive year, RadioAsia will bring together leading radio media practitioners, communication specialists, policy makers, and academics from throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Some 40-plus eminent speakers who specialise in various aspects of radio and communications will attend to share their perspectives.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. More information: www.radioasia.org.
FAIRFAX JOURNALISTS CLEAN UP AT QANTAS MEDIA AWARDS IN NEW ZEALAND
Fairfax Media journalists were won the top awards at the Qantas Media Awards in Auckland on Friday night according to Scoop.
Phil Kitchin, of the Dominion Post, won Senior Reporter of the Year Award, and was also awarded The Qantas Fellow to Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he will study investigative journalism for 10 weeks.
Dominion Post editor Tim Pankhurst was awarded the Print Industry Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award was given in acknowledgement of the skill, determination and courage of Messrs Kitchin and Pankhurst in the Dominion Post's investigation and publication of the Louise Nicholas case involving allegations of police pack rape.
Judges agreed the Nicholas investigation was one of the most important pieces of journalism in the past decade.
Kitchin won the senior Reporter of the Year for a portfolio of four stories headed Fraudster Confesses, U-turn as Pack Rapists Get Parole, The Terror File and Crucial Witness Recants.
Ian Steward, of The Press, another Fairfax publication, was named Junior Reporter of the Year.
For all the Qantas awards results, go to www.qantasmediaawards.co.nz
WASHINGTON POST THE FIRST MAINSTREAM SOURCE TO SIGN CONTENT DEAL WITH TECHCRUNCH BLOG
Wired reports that TechCrunch, often quoted in MediaBlab, has become the latest blog network to go mainstream.
The blog has finalised a syndication deal with WashingtonPost.com, and TechCrunch stories are now appearing on the Post's technology section.
The Washington Post, which already runs stories from paidContent.org and mocoNews.net, is the first mainstream source to sign a deal with TechCrunch.
According to MediaGuardian, "TechCrunch wants to reach a more mainstream audience, and Washington Post gets niche coverage from an authoritative source."
CHINESE ATTACK ON ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSES BY AN AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANY SAID TO BE BIASED – BY OTHER MINING COMPANIES
Fairfax Media reports that an Australian mining company “has been attacked on official Chinese television for the sorts of environmental, community and financial abuses sometimes associated with Chinese-owned mines in Africa, Papua New Guinea and South America.”
The report said China Central Television alleged that Sino Gold, the A$1.3 billion company listed on the Australian and Hong Kong stock exchanges, paid virtually nothing for China's second-largest goldmine and proceeded to poison the water, disregard local communities and reap windfall profits in a cozy tax-free deal.
The 30-minute denunciation, which advocated even tougher restrictions on foreign investment in Chinese mines, was broadcast nationally twice last week and the transcript reprinted on more than 500 Chinese internet news and blog sites.
Sino Gold chief executive Jake Klein said it was difficult to take the program seriously because it was riddled with so many "gross inaccuracies".
Other foreign mining companies said the program was "so biased" that it could reflect a broader campaign by powerful officials or Chinese mining interests to keep foreign mining companies out of China.
TWO AND A HALF BILLION BUCK BEIJING BROADCAST EARN TIPPED FOR INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
The International Olympic Committee will receive US$2.5 billion from broadcasters between 2005 and 2008, according to an analysis by the Reuters news agency.
The Asia-Pacific Broadcsating Union said Sportbusiness.com reports this amount is in addition to the US$866 million the IOC is expected to receive from its top sponsors' programme, plus money from tickets and licensed programs.
The committee is also set to gain an additional US$1billion from local Chinese marketing contracts for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The reported figures place the Olympic Games above football's World Cup in terms of financial success. Televisions broadcasting rights for the 2006 World Cup were US$1.6 billion and marketing rights income was US$714 million.
Income from broadcasting and new media rights for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and London 2012 Olympics has already risen nearly 40 percent from the previous two-Games package of Beijing and Turin, and will be in excess of US$3 billion, the report said.
The IOC estimates this figure to reach about US$3.3 billion. It has said some 15 percent of that will come from new media including the Internet and mobile phones
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