China - Reports
There is no section in the Action Plan dedicated to press freedom. But the most striking omissions can be found in the text itself, says CPJ.
The expansion comes as other, predominantly Western media houses are shrinking their media presence in East Africa.
IFJ continues to receive complaints from media all over China that they have been subjected to various kinds of pressure that prevent them from carrying out their duties.
IFJ issues its March 2012 bulletin on the state of press freedom in China.
RSF is alarmed at the blackout imposed on the provinces of Sichuan and Qinghai, as well as the autonomous region of Tibet, preventing all media coverage of protest movements.
As the scent of the Jasmine Revolution in the Middle East and North Africa drifted towards China, central authorities tightened restrictions on the press, and stepped up intimidation of journalists.
The book examines the legal framework for accessing environmental information and juxtaposes the Chinese model with international standards and best practices from around the world.
Despite the expression of support by elements within the government to end black jail-related abuses, the authorities failed to stop the practice.
The US ambassador to the World Trade Organization says that China's "national firewall" and website blocking violate WTO rules.
The public's enthusiasm for the Internet and the government's fear of online protests has resulted in constant advancements in online censorship, reports RSF.
IFJ's report documents grave breaches of human rights occurring with increasing frequency and recommends urgent action be taken by international organisations to bring China's authorities to account.
The restrictive orders outlined in the report are a mere sample of the vast array of controls on information that journalists and media workers are known to grapple with.
The government has undermined many of the key goals by tightening restrictions on rights of expression, association and assembly over the past two years, notes Human Rights Watch.
"Environmental agencies may have been unwilling to release information on pollutant emissions for fear of affecting economic development or generating negative press, but such an approach is unsustainable," says ARTICLE 19.
"With perseverance and courage, journalists, Internet users, bloggers, artists, lawyers and intellectuals are managing to open breaches in China's censorship," RSF said.
The report highlights the battle by local censors to control media commentary on a wide range of topics in 2009.
More than 85 per cent of the surveyed sites were blocked, censored or otherwise unreachable.
RSF participates in the anniversary by highlighting some dates that shed light on the media's evolution in China.
A year after the Beijing Olympics, RSF regrets that the limited progress China has made in free expression has largely evaporated.
When Chinese Internet users search for 4 June in the photos section of Baidu, the country's most popular search engine, they get this message: "The search does not comply with laws, regulations and policies."
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