The Impact of the Internet on Press Freedom Blogging, Citizen Journalism, Internet News…

Chapter 13 “Frontlines and Deadlines  What’s the difference between a “citizen journalist” and a journalist?  Do you comment on stories? Do you think comments should be edited?  Distribution and production costs are being driven toward zero. So where do we spend all that money we are saving?  Key point: stylistic change vs. technological change

From zero to everywhere  Took 38 years for radio to amass 50 million users in the U.S.  Took 15 years for television to amass the same number of users  Took the Internet four years to get to 50 million users—just in the U.S.  Facebook about three years to gain 350 million users worldwide.  Twitter???

What does this mean for journalism?  Newspapers are losing 41 jobs a day  But Talking Points Memo is hiring  Shifts the control from a few to the many.  Media is no longer a lecture hall, but a multi- dimensional conversation between millions, if not billions of people.  But the Internet is also the proverbial “Tower of Babel”—everyone talking and no one listening.  An almost-overwhelming amount of information requires a new model for “curating” the news.

What do you think?  Does the ‘net empower individuals and diminish the power of the gatekeepers?  Freedom of the press today isn’t about who owns a printing press—but who can “shout” the loudest online?

What does it mean for press freedom, globally and in the U.S?  The ‘Net was hailed as a great liberator when it first took hold, but as we’ve seen it can be controlled.  Turkey, Syria, China, Thailand, Saudi Arabia all censor the Internet  Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN: How are they different from Sulzberger, Murdoch…they control the headlines you see on your home page…  Bloggers who once flew under the radar now face the same constraints as journalists  Burmese blogger sentenced to 20 years in prison for posting a cartoon of military leader Than Shwe

But are there good reasons to control the Internet?

Reasons to control  Illegal or harmful content  In the U.S., pornographic, V-chip controls  In Europe, hate media is controlled—Danish Muhammed cartoon  In Africa, hate speech controlled  In China, national security, social control defined as reasons for control Reasons to control  Ireland found ten categories worth controlling—but what does this do to the open nature of the Internet, including:  National security  Damage to reputation  Gambling  Infringements on intellectual property

Reasons to control  In Germany, controls on issues related to the Internet--Internet sites can’t sell Nazi related items  In Singapore, control anything that possibly disrupts social order or incites disaffection with the government

 Can we really control the Internet, while remaining consistent with its ideals of openness?  Should we separate the words illegal and harmful from the debate over controlling the Internet?  Should the Internet self-regulate or be controlled by laws?  If access to information is a basic human right, then controlling the Internet denies that right, or not?

The problems and promise of the Internet U.S.  Tower of Babel  Only looking at the information that is relevant to “my” life  Internet may lead to a lack of civic engagement—instead of what we had hoped for.  Who do we believe? Fake news story about Sarah Palin. World  Censorship and control— when we thought it wouldn’t be possible  Blogging in countries where traditional journalism ethics still haven’t grown up.  Internet access still is a problem in many parts of the world, especially Africa

What’s the upside? U.S.  The Internet is the perfect medium for journalism—if we can figure out how we get paid.  New models of journalism will bring new energy to the industry  Traditional media informed—new media empowers World  Citizen journalism has brought us more information and news than ever before  A drive for modernity— including embracing the Internet—is driving countries to rethink their censorship policies.  Creation of journalism is far cheaper than ever before

Africa and Press Freedom Where access to information can mean life or death.

Colonialism to war lords, democracy, anarchy….

African countries

From more free than the U.S. to …  Namibia—more free  Ghana—more free  Somalia—less free  Democratic Republic of Congo—less free What are the consequences of such a range of freedoms? How could one country affect another? Kenya— more free—shares a border with Somalia—very restrictive?

External issues facing African media  Lack of interest from the world— despite a combined population of almost 1 billion with natural resources of gold, oil, diamonds, etc.  War, poverty, disease tend to take the headlines  Focus shifts quickly when a new war, famine, disease spreads  One bureau—often located in Johannesburg, South Africa is the only outpost of Western media in Africa  Coverage is too often “superficial and cliched” in the words of Laura Pawson, who worked as the BBC’s Angola correspondent in the 1990s.

Internal issues facing Africa’s press  Each country has a different set of laws governing the media—ranging from South Africa with its Western-style media to Zimbabwe where broadcasters are state- controlled and reporters are jailed and harassed.  Use of “hate media” has forced discussion of how much control a government should have over media. In Rwanda, journalists have been found guilty of inciting violence during the 1994 genocide.  While most countries have enshrined press freedom as a right in their constitutions—as well as signing on to the UN Charter—how press freedom is practiced is driven by social, cultural, and historical imperatives  Lack of funding for the press is a major issue with only a few countries such as Kenya and South Africa having a middle class that will support an advertising-based model of the press

Kenya—Moving toward a more democratic press

Kenyan press freedom…or?  President Mwai Kibaki refuses to sign media legislation that included a requirement for journalists to name their sources  Onerous media legislation has been voted against…  Kibaki appears to support a more open media system with few controls by gov’t.  One man’s story of life in Kenya One man’s story of life in Kenya  But following his Kibaki’s election there was a media blackout ostensibly to keep election violence from getting out of control—but news got out through SMS messages  Jail sentences and fines still remain for defamation  The government told public sector groups not to advertise in the papers of the Standard Group. This followed stories that a government minister had had discussion with Armenian crime syndicates to have the former president’s son murdered.  Politics and media are intertwined.

Somalia—from international news story to deadliest place for journalists outside Iraq

Somalia—press battleground  Seven journalists killed in 2008, second only to Iraq  Journalists die in crossfire covering the fighting, but also are targeted specifically by the various factions  60 journalists arrested, many with no formal charges  Often are subject of attacks after reporting on human rights abuses on both sides of the conflict

Somalia—can anarchy uphold press freedom?  No effective government sinc 1991—ruled by transitional government backed by Ethiopia—but the capital and country often raided by Islamic militants and various militias  Declaration of martial law has caused the shutdown of numerous television and radio stations  Journalists often caught in the crossfire between militant groups. Also have been kidnapped and held for ransom  Stations were allowed to start broadcasting again…if they would “protect national security interests and to cooperate with the government.”  Al-Jazeera has been targeted, told to shut down not long after it had requested a debate between a person who was against Ethiopia’s intervention and the chairman of the ousted Islamic group that had held sway in Mogadishu.  The impact of Somalia in America The impact of Somalia in America

Somalia—and by extension all of Africa— is the place that desperately needs an independent press  The competing interests in the region make it difficult to make sense of—who is right, who is wrong?  Access to independent, neutral information could help Somalis determine what government would be good for them.  Access to information can help get drugs, food, and clean water to people  But in 2007, RSF painted a dismal picture of Africa. Even countries that had been models of press freedom have backed away from support of an independent media.  The idea of an independent media as benefit may be slipping away as leaders see advantage in controlling the press.

Sources  International Press Institute country=/KW0001/KW0006/ country=/KW0001/KW0006/  Committee to Protect Journalists press-2007-somalia.php press-2007-somalia.php

The final questions Is access to information a basic human right? In regions where it will keep you alive Is distributing information a basic human right— now made possible with the Internet?