For Better or Worse… The Perils and Promises for Global Press Freedom in the 21 st Century Fara Warner

News of the Day  Google and China  What are the ramifications of Google’s decision to “reconsider” its presence in China?  Can Google change China? Or will China change Google?  New York Times decides to charge for content beginning in 2011

Questions we will ponder this semester…. Which infringes on press freedom more: government censorship or corporate ownership? Is access to information a basic human right? Does embedding journalists (either in Iraq or elsewhere such as examples ofJudith Miller and Maria Bartiromo we will discuss later in the semester) infringe on the First Amendment or does it expand freedom of press and speech? Does the Internet expand or infringe on press freedom and free speech? How does self-censorship undermine journalists’ ability to do their jobs and uphold the principles of free speech and free press around the world? Is it worse than state censorship?

Obama’s relationship with the press

There can be no liberty for a community which lacks the information to detect lies—Walter Lippmann

The United Nations Charter  Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.  All UN signing nations have signed Article 19, but how many of them uphold the Article?

Changing ideologies of press control (these will be on the final)  Authoritarianism: definition? Country?  Western/Libertarian: definition? Country?  Communist: definition? Country?  Revolutionary: definition? Country?  Developmental: definition?  Social responsibility: definition? country

Press systems  Authoritarian—press is under the control of the state. Press is controlled from the top down.  Western/Libertarian: more than just a free press, but also a series of laws that support and protect those freedoms.  Communist: media in the hands of the proletariat. But it was centrally planned and used by the party to control the people.  Revolution: the press as a tool for change; the pen is mightier than the sword.  Developmental: press is used for social change, or social control.  Social responsibility: government involvement, but little or not control in theory

International news tradition  A Western, developed country tradition built on the ideals of a free press.  Gives rise to international press syndicates such as the Associated Press, corps of foreign correspondents, the world seen through the eyes of the West.  Primarily dominated by the West (until the rise of regional news organizations such as Al-Jazeera and Chinese Central Television.)  Now that domination is being attacked by other press models from countries or regions with the money, expertise to present journalism with different traditions.

International news tradition  “…a Westerner’s right to know is the world’s right to know.”  What problems exist under this theory of international news?  What’s wrong with seeing the world through the eyes of the American press?wrong with seeing the world  What happens when you see it through a different view? different view?

From satellites to social media…  Is technology breaking the hold on the way the West controls how international news is framed?  Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or simply reality?  Satellites as a quantum leap in expanding our communication.  Satellites—and the technologies created after them—are what have made our Internet “revolution” possible.  Right now, I can see what a person in Haiti sees without Anderson Cooper telling me what to watch or how to watch it.

The clash of controlled media with uncontrolled chaos of cyberspace? Or is it collaboration  BBC spends $27 million on its website or sites …it has 525…extending this British news organization research exponentially beyond where it used to be heard.  1.6 million visitors in 2000 to 7.8 million in  Its competition is no longer the national U.K newspapers, but the entire world.  It also has been a first-mover in collaborating with “citizen journalists.”

Bloggers: friend or foe?  900,000 blog postings a day—how do journalists compete with that?  Is the blogosphere really what Posner states: “It is a collective enterprise –not 12 million separate enterprises—but one enterprise with 12 million reporters, feature writers, editorialists.” But where are the editors? Who are the editors? From scarcity of content to an oversupply with little idea of the demand for this content—or even the ability for humans to adapt to information overload.

First media journal: Due Tuesday by 5 p.m.  Any questions on creating your blogger accounts and adding them to the course website? Other questions/concerns?  The first media journal should include a statement on why you chose your country, why did you choose this specific media, and anything else you’d like me to know about your choice.  Then take a look at two articles regarding the Haitian earthquake. Choose one from your news media and one from the U.S. news media and discuss it. Things to consider: did you learn something from it that you wouldn’t have from the U.S. press; does anything surprise you about the article— who is quoted and who isn’t; is the article slanted toward a particular political party or position. Look for word choice, photographs, who is quoted, who isn’t quoted?  For example, the French press may be covering the inclusion of U.S. Marines in the rescue attempts as an “occupation.”  See course website for an instruction guide on writing media journals

Jan. 25, 2010  Monday, Jan. 25: Lecture: The Good, the Bad, the Really Ugly: Press Freedom Around the World.  Readings: Read the 2009 report from Reporters without Borders  First international news of the day/student posting on Facebook  First posting on Afghanistan Blog