MEDIABLAB DAILY DIGEST AUGUST 21: CAMBODIA TV STATION LOVE TRIANGLE ALLEGATIONS
August 22nd 2008 09:12
GEORGIA STOPS BROADCASTING RUSSIAN LANGUAGE TV NEWS
CHANNEL
Moscow Times reports that Georgian broadcasters have stopped carrying transmissions by the last Russian-language television news channel operating in the republic after it aired comments by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticising the Georgian government.
RTVi, an international satellite network that features regular reports critical of the Kremlin, had stopped broadcasting in Georgia as of Tuesday afternoon after airing the interview with Lavrov on the situation in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, said Yevgeny Kiselyov, a prominent journalist and one of RTVi's directors in Moscow.
Kiselyov suggested the decision was prompted either by Lavrov's interview or a desire by Georgian authorities to silence all Russian-language media. RTVi's departure from Georgian airwaves marks a rare dovetailing between Russian authorities and the country's few independent media outlets on the issue of media freedom.
RTVi had been the last Russian-language news channel broadcasting in the country after Georgia suspended the operations of Russia's main television channels and banned access to web sites registered in Russia following the violence in South Ossetia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Lyakin-Frolov said.
SOUTH AFRICAN GOVT INTERFERES WITH PUBLIC BROADCASTER
AFP reports that South African lawmakers approved controversial legislation Tuesday allowing them to dissolve the board of the country's beleaguered public broadcaster in what has been termed political interference.
The Broadcasting Amendment Bill allows parliament to dismiss the entire board, while the president and speaker of the National Assembly will have the power to appoint the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Commentators have likened events at the coprration –
which hit headlines this year for political in-fighting – to that seen under white-minority rule when the ruling National Party held an iron fist over state broadcasting.
The legislation has sped through parliament after being introduced in June, amid consensus that the board was acting inappropriately, with the head of news and chief executive suspended within hours of each other.
The corporation has often been accused of being overtly pro-ANC in its news coverage. The African National Congress is the ruling party.
CAMBODIAN PRIME MINISTER’S DAUGHTER FILES COMPLAINT OVER BEAUTY MAGAZINE ARTICLE REPORT ON ‘LOVE TRIANGLES’ AT HER TV STATION
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s daughter, Hun Mana, has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Information demanding that a beauty magazine retract an expose about her television station, Bayon TV.
The expose accuses the staff of having love triangles and calls one network personality “not smart,” according to a Bayon TV news release.
Cambodian newspapers report that the release says the article in the latest issue of Saophorn magazine “defames” and “discourages” the station’s staff. “This article is not professional and is immoral,” Hun Mana said, according to the release.
Her complaints also claims that Sann Bunthoeun on Tuesday defended the accuracy of his article and said it is based on two weeks of reporting that used several sources inside Bayon TV.
*
SAUDI TELECOM DOES $19 MILLION DEAL WITH MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB FOR MOBILE PHONE CONTENT RIGHTS
Saudi Telecom Co, the Middle East's largest operator, has agreed a marketing deal with English football giant Manchester United thought to be worth in excess of US$19 million.
The five-year deal will give Saudi Telecom the rights to use the reigning Premiership and European champions' logo and imagery in its marketing within Saudi Arabia, where football has been growing in popularity over the last few years.
Under the agreement, thought to be one of the biggest non-shirt sponsorship deals in British history, Saudi Telecom will be able to offer subscribers content such as video clips, news and other material.
The deal follows Manchester United's four-day trip to the kingdom earlier this year, for which the team was paid an estimated $1.9 million.
WALL STREET JOURNAL LAUNCHES CONTENT SERVICE FOR BLACKBERRY SMART PHONES
Associated Press reports that The Wall Street Journal has launched a wireless content application for BlackBerry smart phones. The free WSJ.com Mobile Reader provides headlines, summaries and full articles from the WSJ, MarketWatch, Barron's and All Things D websites.
Users can organise content by category and keywords and can track specific companies and stocks. They also have the option to pull material from rival sites and blogs. There are no plans to charge for the ad-supported application, but the company will eventually make some content available only to paying subscribers.
RUSSIA URGES THE MEDIA TO PROVE THAT GEORGIA ACTED VIOLENTLY IN SOUTH OSSETIA
Gipp.ru reports that Russian authorities have asked the media for content that "proves" that Georgia acted violently in the South Ossetia region.
Vladimir Markin, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee for the Public Prosecution Office of the Russian Federation, said that the material that journalists provide would be used to look into criminal cases related to the conflict in the region.
The Committee opened a legal case against Georgia last week, accusing the country of the genocide of individuals of Ossetian ethnicity and killing in a manner that is dangerous to public security.
AUSTRALIAN TELCO TELSTRA CONTINUES TO USE RACE CARD IN MEDIA CAMPAIGN AGAINST SINGAPORE-OWNED RIVAL OPTUS
Ouch, talk about bitchy!. This is a press release issued by Australia’s major telco Telstra, attacking its opposition Optus, and as usual taking the opportunity of using the race card by raising Optus’ Singapore and therefore Asian ownership.
The press release reads,
"Optus must apologise to the Queensland public for grossly misleading them about the cause of its massive network failure last month.
'When it occurred, Optus' spokesman claimed it was a "one in a million" circumstance, giving Queenslanders the false impression it could never happen again.
"Now Optus has been forced to let the cat out of the bag, announcing it needs to build a whole new back-up fibre optic link to try and bring its network up to a reliable standard.
"This shows that last month's state-wide Optus failure was not a "one in a million" situation at all, but the result of a fundamental deficiency in its network capability, redundancy and planning.
"Optus has a tawdry track record of announcing things but not following through, so one must ask whether this additional fibre optic link is just another Optus "gunna".
"Today, we see in the media that Optus is blaming competition with Telstra for its fundamental failure to invest. What a laughable excuse.
"Optus is owned by Singtel - a Singapore Government-owned company with very deep pockets which chooses to invest around Asia rather than in Australia, despite nearly $8 billion in annual sales in Australia.
"It is time that Optus realised what every other business knows - that competition comes about as a result of investment.
"Despite the deep pockets of Singtel, for years Optus has tried to get away with the absolute minimum levels of investment, relying instead on regulatory free-kicks.
"Optus' anti-investment strategy is now coming back to haunt it, with its customers voting with their feet.
"This is a critical time when Australia must make a multi-billion investment in a world-class high-speed broadband network. If Optus chooses not to invest in its existing fibre network in Queensland, how will it afford to build a nationwide high-speed broadband network?
"Optus' mounting litany of embarrassing failures shows it is not fit to be considered as a builder of such an important network for this country's future."
RUPERT MURDOCH GETS A HANDY LITTLE 9 PERCENT ANNUAL SALARY RISE
The Wall Street Journal reports that News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch's salary, bonus and stock compensation rose about 9 percent in the company's last fiscal year to US$27.1 million, according to the company's proxy statement.
But Murdoch's overall compensation fell 14 percent because of an accounting change that eroded the value of his retirement savings.
In addition to an $8.1 million salary for the year ended June 30 – unchanged from the prior year – Murdoch received a $17.5 million bonus tied to an increase in News Corp.'s earnings. His bonus was $15.8 million the year earlier.
The company also awarded him stock it valued at more than $1.5 million, and perks amounting to about $400,000, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.
The value of his pension plan rose $6.9 million in the prior fiscal year, but News Corp. said in the filing it changed the discount rate used to calculate its pension plan.
CAMBODIA’S NEW DAILY, THE PHNOM PENH POST IMPLEMENTS WOODWING EDITORIAL WORKFLOW SYSTEM
The Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia’s ‘Newspaper of Record,’ implemented WoodWing's Smart Connection publishing solution to switch from a bi-weekly edition to a new daily edition.
First published in July 1992, the Post is read by thousands of foreigners and Cambodians, throughout the country and by subscribers in more than 35 countries around the globe. The Phnom Penh Post is the oldest existing independent newspaper in any language in Cambodia.
"We needed a robust and cost-efficient solution for our new daily edition. After careful evaluation of available editorial solutions, we decided to adopt WoodWing Smart Connection, as it fits our requirements best,” said Michel Dauguet, ceo of the Phnom Penh Post.
“It used to be that only wealthy, high-circulation newspapers could afford an editorial workflow system,” Dauguet added. “By producing an affordable, open-source editorial workflow system, WoodWing has given many small to medium-sized publications access to the latest in newsroom technology. “Their partner in the region, Serioustec, does a terrific job with installation, and they’re extremely responsive when it comes to customer support. All of this allowed us to accomplish what might have seemed impossible: Switching from bi-weekly to daily publication, going from 50 pages a month to 500, and doing it overnight.”
John Fong, ceo of Serious Technology, said, “This is our third installation of a new daily newspaper in 18 months. It is a privilege to see a new daily being born, and we at Serioustec have been lucky enough to play a part in some of them lately.
"Phnom Penh Post is our first installation in the Cambodian market, and we are delighted with the successful implementation by Serioustec's team.”
Remco Koster, managing director of WoodWing Asia Pacific, said, “Congratulations to the Phnom Penh Post for successfully launching their first daily edition on August 8, 2008.”
WoodWing continues to provide editorial solutions to more and more newspapers around the world.
Company officials pointed out that it’s especially noteworthy that many of these start-ups, which are not tied to old systems, chose WoodWing after evaluating the available options. The reasons they most often cite for choosing WoodWing include “best value for the money” and “best system to meet our needs well into the future.”
WoodWing Software is located in Zaandam, The Netherlands, and has regional sales companies for Europe, the US, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Customers are served through select partners.
Serioustec focuses on online and offline publishing solutions ranging from web and print to mobile platform. Working with Adobe, WoodWing and other solution partners, Serioustec is the market leader in editorial and publishing solution in Southeast Asia.
*
CHINESE AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO JAM CHINESE. TIBETAN AND UYGHUR LANGUAGE BROADCASTS ON INTERNATIONAL RADIO STATIONS
The Chinese authorities are continuing to jam the Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur-language broadcast of several international radio stations.
Various sources in China confirm that the jamming of Chinese-language broadcasts by the BBC, VOA, RFA and Sound of Hope (a station linked to the Falun Gong) and Tibetan and Uyghur-language broadcasts by RFA and Voice of Tibet has not stopped before or during the Olympic Games. The jamming of Tibetan-language programs has even been stepped up in recent months.
Except for one reporter with RFA's Tibetan service, journalists with the BBC, VOA and RFA have been able to get visas to go to China during the Olympic Games but their potential listeners have not been permitted audible reception of their broadcasts.
The staff of Voice of Tibet, a station based in Norway that broadcasts Tibetan and Chinese-language programmes to Tibet, report an increase in jamming of their three short-wave frequencies. The Chinese authorities use eight broadcasts from six different points within China (Beijing, Xian, Urumqi, Kashi, Hainan and Fuzhou) to make Voice of Tibet inaudible. Around 100 antennae have been installed in Tibet to jam international radio broadcasts.
"Our three frequencies are registered internationally for exclusive use for the broadcasting of our station's programming," Voice of Tibet director Oystein Alme said. "But no one is capable of defending us against the Chinese jamming and, what's more, our website is still blocked."
Complaints have been filed with the international body that regulates broadcasting but the Chinese government cites "technical problems" and has never kept its promises to respect the relevant international regulations.
MORE CALLS FOR FILIPINO COPS TO INVESTIGATE ONGOING KILLING OF JOURNALISTS
Reporters Without Borders called for more police to investigate the killings of five journalists in the Philippines this year, including the latest victim, former radio presenter Rolando Anjo Julia, in the central province of Camarines Sur.
"Until the motives for these crimes have been discovered and their authors punished, people will continue to doubt the ability of the authorities to end this violence against journalists," the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
"The Task Force set up in 2001 to investigate killings of journalists and political activists must be strengthened."
Julia, who worked for local FM radio station DZGE and was the brother of Magarao mayor Nelson Julia, was shot dead by motorcycle gunmen on his way home on 15 August. He died in hospital the same day.
The chief suspect is a man Julia had quarrelled with two days earlier, according to the police officer in charge of the enquiry, Victor Asuela. The man, a friend of a political rival of Julia's family, went to police two days after the murder but was let go.
The killing came 11 days after the August 4 shooting of Radio Mindanao Network journalist Dennis Cuesta, who died on August 9 from his wounds. A policeman, Redempto Acharon, from the town of General Santos, was indicted on August 18 for the murder.
The Task Force coordinator in charge of investigating the murders, Ricardo Blancaflor, has announced that two suspects, Kristian E. Bronzage and Joenel V. Lastimoso, were arrested last week for the killing of Martin Rojas, another Radio Mindanao Network journalist, shot dead on August 7 in Capiz.
Rey Bayoging, assistant vice-president of Radio Mindanao Network, said Cuesta and Rojas were both killed because of their work.
"The arrests show the government's determination to end these killings," said Blancaflor. "No effort will be spared to give justice to their families."
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines declared August 20 a national day of mourning for the media.
INDIAN GOVT ISSUES SHOWCAUSE TO THREE TV CHANNELS OVER PROGRAM CODE VIOLATIONS
The Times of India reports that the Indian government has issued showcause notices to three television channels for violating the program code. They include music channel MTV and news channels IBN-7 and Headlines Today.
MTV has been issued notice for "denigration" of women in its hugely popular reality show 'Splitsvilla'.
The program has 20 teenage girls seeking the attention of two boys who are the judges and must choose between the girls.
The information and broadcasting ministry received a complaint about an episode telecast on July 12 that was found to be in bad taste and denigrated women by objectifying the girls. It has issued a notice to the channel demanding an explanation within 15 days.
The government has also issued notices to news channels IBN-7 and Headlines Today. IBN-7 has earned ministry's ire for a program aired on June 27. An explanation has been sought as to why the channel was "encouraging superstition" by claiming that Lord Ram and Hanuman had appeared in the form of a ball of fire. The program had shown that the two deities had appeared in a village called Nero, 200 km from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Headlines Today's program on July 6 on the bikini completing 62 years was found to be "objectionable and indecent". The channel had, according to the complaint, featured pictures of models in bikinis and photographs of topless women.
The Times of India reported, “This is not the first time that the ministry has come down heavily on television channels. Most such violators are asked to run a public apology as a scroll for a few days but there have been instances when the ministry has banned the channel for a short period.
“The government banned fashion channel FTV and AXN for short periods last year.”
US JOURNALISM STUDENT PROJECT SEEKSS TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED DANIEL PEARL
Six and a half years ago, journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Karachi, Pakistan. The beheading of the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief made headlines around the world because of its barbarity and because the man himself was photogenic, likeable and talented. The incident also raised doubts about whether Pakistan was the reliable ally of the West we had been told it was.
Years later, most of the basic facts in the case remain uncertain.
But at a journalism course at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies is engaged in the Pearl Project, in an attempt to gather more information about the case and perhaps, as one student in the class declares, “to make history.” The course is co-taught by Asra Nomani and associate dean Barbara Feinmann Todd.
Nomani was a personal friend of Pearl’s (they were co-workers at the Journal) and sees herself as carrying on his legacy through her teaching. The class, which is in its second year, is attended by students from around the world, mostly young women. Nomani is herself a respected journalist and women’s rights activist, who is particularly concerned with difficulties faced by American Muslim women.
The Pearl Project is relevant because the exact motive for Pearl’s murder and who was responsible is unknown.
* DISCLOSURE RE CAMBODIAN CONTENT: MediaBlab’s editor is employed by Post Media Co Ltd, publisher of The Phnom Penh Post
CHANNEL
Moscow Times reports that Georgian broadcasters have stopped carrying transmissions by the last Russian-language television news channel operating in the republic after it aired comments by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticising the Georgian government.
RTVi, an international satellite network that features regular reports critical of the Kremlin, had stopped broadcasting in Georgia as of Tuesday afternoon after airing the interview with Lavrov on the situation in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, said Yevgeny Kiselyov, a prominent journalist and one of RTVi's directors in Moscow.
RTVi had been the last Russian-language news channel broadcasting in the country after Georgia suspended the operations of Russia's main television channels and banned access to web sites registered in Russia following the violence in South Ossetia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Lyakin-Frolov said.
SOUTH AFRICAN GOVT INTERFERES WITH PUBLIC BROADCASTER
AFP reports that South African lawmakers approved controversial legislation Tuesday allowing them to dissolve the board of the country's beleaguered public broadcaster in what has been termed political interference.
The Broadcasting Amendment Bill allows parliament to dismiss the entire board, while the president and speaker of the National Assembly will have the power to appoint the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Commentators have likened events at the coprration –
The legislation has sped through parliament after being introduced in June, amid consensus that the board was acting inappropriately, with the head of news and chief executive suspended within hours of each other.
The corporation has often been accused of being overtly pro-ANC in its news coverage. The African National Congress is the ruling party.
CAMBODIAN PRIME MINISTER’S DAUGHTER FILES COMPLAINT OVER BEAUTY MAGAZINE ARTICLE REPORT ON ‘LOVE TRIANGLES’ AT HER TV STATION
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s daughter, Hun Mana, has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Information demanding that a beauty magazine retract an expose about her television station, Bayon TV.
The expose accuses the staff of having love triangles and calls one network personality “not smart,” according to a Bayon TV news release.
Cambodian newspapers report that the release says the article in the latest issue of Saophorn magazine “defames” and “discourages” the station’s staff. “This article is not professional and is immoral,” Hun Mana said, according to the release.
Her complaints also claims that Sann Bunthoeun on Tuesday defended the accuracy of his article and said it is based on two weeks of reporting that used several sources inside Bayon TV.
*
SAUDI TELECOM DOES $19 MILLION DEAL WITH MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB FOR MOBILE PHONE CONTENT RIGHTS
Saudi Telecom Co, the Middle East's largest operator, has agreed a marketing deal with English football giant Manchester United thought to be worth in excess of US$19 million.
The five-year deal will give Saudi Telecom the rights to use the reigning Premiership and European champions' logo and imagery in its marketing within Saudi Arabia, where football has been growing in popularity over the last few years.
Under the agreement, thought to be one of the biggest non-shirt sponsorship deals in British history, Saudi Telecom will be able to offer subscribers content such as video clips, news and other material.
The deal follows Manchester United's four-day trip to the kingdom earlier this year, for which the team was paid an estimated $1.9 million.
WALL STREET JOURNAL LAUNCHES CONTENT SERVICE FOR BLACKBERRY SMART PHONES
Associated Press reports that The Wall Street Journal has launched a wireless content application for BlackBerry smart phones. The free WSJ.com Mobile Reader provides headlines, summaries and full articles from the WSJ, MarketWatch, Barron's and All Things D websites.
Users can organise content by category and keywords and can track specific companies and stocks. They also have the option to pull material from rival sites and blogs. There are no plans to charge for the ad-supported application, but the company will eventually make some content available only to paying subscribers.
RUSSIA URGES THE MEDIA TO PROVE THAT GEORGIA ACTED VIOLENTLY IN SOUTH OSSETIA
Gipp.ru reports that Russian authorities have asked the media for content that "proves" that Georgia acted violently in the South Ossetia region.
Vladimir Markin, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee for the Public Prosecution Office of the Russian Federation, said that the material that journalists provide would be used to look into criminal cases related to the conflict in the region.
The Committee opened a legal case against Georgia last week, accusing the country of the genocide of individuals of Ossetian ethnicity and killing in a manner that is dangerous to public security.
AUSTRALIAN TELCO TELSTRA CONTINUES TO USE RACE CARD IN MEDIA CAMPAIGN AGAINST SINGAPORE-OWNED RIVAL OPTUS
Ouch, talk about bitchy!. This is a press release issued by Australia’s major telco Telstra, attacking its opposition Optus, and as usual taking the opportunity of using the race card by raising Optus’ Singapore and therefore Asian ownership.
The press release reads,
"Optus must apologise to the Queensland public for grossly misleading them about the cause of its massive network failure last month.
'When it occurred, Optus' spokesman claimed it was a "one in a million" circumstance, giving Queenslanders the false impression it could never happen again.
"Now Optus has been forced to let the cat out of the bag, announcing it needs to build a whole new back-up fibre optic link to try and bring its network up to a reliable standard.
"This shows that last month's state-wide Optus failure was not a "one in a million" situation at all, but the result of a fundamental deficiency in its network capability, redundancy and planning.
"Optus has a tawdry track record of announcing things but not following through, so one must ask whether this additional fibre optic link is just another Optus "gunna".
"Today, we see in the media that Optus is blaming competition with Telstra for its fundamental failure to invest. What a laughable excuse.
"Optus is owned by Singtel - a Singapore Government-owned company with very deep pockets which chooses to invest around Asia rather than in Australia, despite nearly $8 billion in annual sales in Australia.
"It is time that Optus realised what every other business knows - that competition comes about as a result of investment.
"Despite the deep pockets of Singtel, for years Optus has tried to get away with the absolute minimum levels of investment, relying instead on regulatory free-kicks.
"Optus' anti-investment strategy is now coming back to haunt it, with its customers voting with their feet.
"This is a critical time when Australia must make a multi-billion investment in a world-class high-speed broadband network. If Optus chooses not to invest in its existing fibre network in Queensland, how will it afford to build a nationwide high-speed broadband network?
"Optus' mounting litany of embarrassing failures shows it is not fit to be considered as a builder of such an important network for this country's future."
RUPERT MURDOCH GETS A HANDY LITTLE 9 PERCENT ANNUAL SALARY RISE
The Wall Street Journal reports that News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch's salary, bonus and stock compensation rose about 9 percent in the company's last fiscal year to US$27.1 million, according to the company's proxy statement.
But Murdoch's overall compensation fell 14 percent because of an accounting change that eroded the value of his retirement savings.
In addition to an $8.1 million salary for the year ended June 30 – unchanged from the prior year – Murdoch received a $17.5 million bonus tied to an increase in News Corp.'s earnings. His bonus was $15.8 million the year earlier.
The company also awarded him stock it valued at more than $1.5 million, and perks amounting to about $400,000, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.
The value of his pension plan rose $6.9 million in the prior fiscal year, but News Corp. said in the filing it changed the discount rate used to calculate its pension plan.
CAMBODIA’S NEW DAILY, THE PHNOM PENH POST IMPLEMENTS WOODWING EDITORIAL WORKFLOW SYSTEM
The Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia’s ‘Newspaper of Record,’ implemented WoodWing's Smart Connection publishing solution to switch from a bi-weekly edition to a new daily edition.
First published in July 1992, the Post is read by thousands of foreigners and Cambodians, throughout the country and by subscribers in more than 35 countries around the globe. The Phnom Penh Post is the oldest existing independent newspaper in any language in Cambodia.
"We needed a robust and cost-efficient solution for our new daily edition. After careful evaluation of available editorial solutions, we decided to adopt WoodWing Smart Connection, as it fits our requirements best,” said Michel Dauguet, ceo of the Phnom Penh Post.
“It used to be that only wealthy, high-circulation newspapers could afford an editorial workflow system,” Dauguet added. “By producing an affordable, open-source editorial workflow system, WoodWing has given many small to medium-sized publications access to the latest in newsroom technology. “Their partner in the region, Serioustec, does a terrific job with installation, and they’re extremely responsive when it comes to customer support. All of this allowed us to accomplish what might have seemed impossible: Switching from bi-weekly to daily publication, going from 50 pages a month to 500, and doing it overnight.”
John Fong, ceo of Serious Technology, said, “This is our third installation of a new daily newspaper in 18 months. It is a privilege to see a new daily being born, and we at Serioustec have been lucky enough to play a part in some of them lately.
"Phnom Penh Post is our first installation in the Cambodian market, and we are delighted with the successful implementation by Serioustec's team.”
Remco Koster, managing director of WoodWing Asia Pacific, said, “Congratulations to the Phnom Penh Post for successfully launching their first daily edition on August 8, 2008.”
WoodWing continues to provide editorial solutions to more and more newspapers around the world.
Company officials pointed out that it’s especially noteworthy that many of these start-ups, which are not tied to old systems, chose WoodWing after evaluating the available options. The reasons they most often cite for choosing WoodWing include “best value for the money” and “best system to meet our needs well into the future.”
WoodWing Software is located in Zaandam, The Netherlands, and has regional sales companies for Europe, the US, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Customers are served through select partners.
Serioustec focuses on online and offline publishing solutions ranging from web and print to mobile platform. Working with Adobe, WoodWing and other solution partners, Serioustec is the market leader in editorial and publishing solution in Southeast Asia.
*
CHINESE AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO JAM CHINESE. TIBETAN AND UYGHUR LANGUAGE BROADCASTS ON INTERNATIONAL RADIO STATIONS
The Chinese authorities are continuing to jam the Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur-language broadcast of several international radio stations.
Various sources in China confirm that the jamming of Chinese-language broadcasts by the BBC, VOA, RFA and Sound of Hope (a station linked to the Falun Gong) and Tibetan and Uyghur-language broadcasts by RFA and Voice of Tibet has not stopped before or during the Olympic Games. The jamming of Tibetan-language programs has even been stepped up in recent months.
Except for one reporter with RFA's Tibetan service, journalists with the BBC, VOA and RFA have been able to get visas to go to China during the Olympic Games but their potential listeners have not been permitted audible reception of their broadcasts.
The staff of Voice of Tibet, a station based in Norway that broadcasts Tibetan and Chinese-language programmes to Tibet, report an increase in jamming of their three short-wave frequencies. The Chinese authorities use eight broadcasts from six different points within China (Beijing, Xian, Urumqi, Kashi, Hainan and Fuzhou) to make Voice of Tibet inaudible. Around 100 antennae have been installed in Tibet to jam international radio broadcasts.
"Our three frequencies are registered internationally for exclusive use for the broadcasting of our station's programming," Voice of Tibet director Oystein Alme said. "But no one is capable of defending us against the Chinese jamming and, what's more, our website is still blocked."
Complaints have been filed with the international body that regulates broadcasting but the Chinese government cites "technical problems" and has never kept its promises to respect the relevant international regulations.
MORE CALLS FOR FILIPINO COPS TO INVESTIGATE ONGOING KILLING OF JOURNALISTS
Reporters Without Borders called for more police to investigate the killings of five journalists in the Philippines this year, including the latest victim, former radio presenter Rolando Anjo Julia, in the central province of Camarines Sur.
"Until the motives for these crimes have been discovered and their authors punished, people will continue to doubt the ability of the authorities to end this violence against journalists," the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
"The Task Force set up in 2001 to investigate killings of journalists and political activists must be strengthened."
Julia, who worked for local FM radio station DZGE and was the brother of Magarao mayor Nelson Julia, was shot dead by motorcycle gunmen on his way home on 15 August. He died in hospital the same day.
The chief suspect is a man Julia had quarrelled with two days earlier, according to the police officer in charge of the enquiry, Victor Asuela. The man, a friend of a political rival of Julia's family, went to police two days after the murder but was let go.
The killing came 11 days after the August 4 shooting of Radio Mindanao Network journalist Dennis Cuesta, who died on August 9 from his wounds. A policeman, Redempto Acharon, from the town of General Santos, was indicted on August 18 for the murder.
The Task Force coordinator in charge of investigating the murders, Ricardo Blancaflor, has announced that two suspects, Kristian E. Bronzage and Joenel V. Lastimoso, were arrested last week for the killing of Martin Rojas, another Radio Mindanao Network journalist, shot dead on August 7 in Capiz.
Rey Bayoging, assistant vice-president of Radio Mindanao Network, said Cuesta and Rojas were both killed because of their work.
"The arrests show the government's determination to end these killings," said Blancaflor. "No effort will be spared to give justice to their families."
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines declared August 20 a national day of mourning for the media.
INDIAN GOVT ISSUES SHOWCAUSE TO THREE TV CHANNELS OVER PROGRAM CODE VIOLATIONS
The Times of India reports that the Indian government has issued showcause notices to three television channels for violating the program code. They include music channel MTV and news channels IBN-7 and Headlines Today.
MTV has been issued notice for "denigration" of women in its hugely popular reality show 'Splitsvilla'.
The program has 20 teenage girls seeking the attention of two boys who are the judges and must choose between the girls.
The information and broadcasting ministry received a complaint about an episode telecast on July 12 that was found to be in bad taste and denigrated women by objectifying the girls. It has issued a notice to the channel demanding an explanation within 15 days.
The government has also issued notices to news channels IBN-7 and Headlines Today. IBN-7 has earned ministry's ire for a program aired on June 27. An explanation has been sought as to why the channel was "encouraging superstition" by claiming that Lord Ram and Hanuman had appeared in the form of a ball of fire. The program had shown that the two deities had appeared in a village called Nero, 200 km from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Headlines Today's program on July 6 on the bikini completing 62 years was found to be "objectionable and indecent". The channel had, according to the complaint, featured pictures of models in bikinis and photographs of topless women.
The Times of India reported, “This is not the first time that the ministry has come down heavily on television channels. Most such violators are asked to run a public apology as a scroll for a few days but there have been instances when the ministry has banned the channel for a short period.
“The government banned fashion channel FTV and AXN for short periods last year.”
US JOURNALISM STUDENT PROJECT SEEKSS TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED DANIEL PEARL
Six and a half years ago, journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Karachi, Pakistan. The beheading of the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief made headlines around the world because of its barbarity and because the man himself was photogenic, likeable and talented. The incident also raised doubts about whether Pakistan was the reliable ally of the West we had been told it was.
Years later, most of the basic facts in the case remain uncertain.
But at a journalism course at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies is engaged in the Pearl Project, in an attempt to gather more information about the case and perhaps, as one student in the class declares, “to make history.” The course is co-taught by Asra Nomani and associate dean Barbara Feinmann Todd.
Nomani was a personal friend of Pearl’s (they were co-workers at the Journal) and sees herself as carrying on his legacy through her teaching. The class, which is in its second year, is attended by students from around the world, mostly young women. Nomani is herself a respected journalist and women’s rights activist, who is particularly concerned with difficulties faced by American Muslim women.
The Pearl Project is relevant because the exact motive for Pearl’s murder and who was responsible is unknown.
* DISCLOSURE RE CAMBODIAN CONTENT: MediaBlab’s editor is employed by Post Media Co Ltd, publisher of The Phnom Penh Post
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