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Articles - United States

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United States

Journalists covering Occupy Wall Street detained, beaten and pepper sprayed

With the New York Police Department (NYPD) having the right to decide who does and who does not qualify as a journalist, at least three reporters have been arrested and two others assaulted while covering the Occupy Wall Street protests, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

United States

Justice served in Chauncey Bailey case thanks to journalist collective

Four years ago, U.S. journalist Chauncey Bailey was gunned down on his way to work. Within weeks, local journalists, including a representative from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), came together as the Chauncey Bailey Project to finish his work looking at criminal activity at a local bakery and to investigate his death. On 9 June, victory finally came: the manager and employee of the business were convicted of first-degree murder, report CPJ and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

United States

Reporters arrested for covering protest against military

A reporter and cameraman for an English-language, Moscow-based TV channel were arrested while covering protests near the Fort Benning military base in Columbus, Georgia, last week, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). A local community radio journalist was also arrested, despite having press credentials, says RSF.

United States

President Obama signs law blocking "libel tourism" in US courts

President Barack Obama recently signed new legislation that will protect journalists, authors and publishers from becoming victims of defamation lawsuits filed in countries with harsh libel laws that discourage critical media, reports Freedom House. The practice of filing libel lawsuits in foreign countries with weak libel protections is called "libel tourism." Countries like England continue to permit this practice with foreign plaintiffs bringing libel actions against foreign defendants in British courts, regardless of where the alleged offense occurred.

Colombia / United States

Journalist Hollman Morris permanently barred from entering the US

Prominent Colombian journalist Hollman Morris has been denied a visa to the US based on a "terrorist activities" provision of the Patriot Act, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the PEN American Center, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). IFEX members are urging the US to lift the travel ban.

United States

U.S. Secretary of State defends unfettered access to the Internet

In a historic speech on Internet freedom last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared her support for freedom of expression and acknowledged that unrestricted access to the Internet is integral to human rights, economic development and political stability, report Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

United States

Government reading over citizen's shoulders

The USA Patriot Amendments Act of 2009 introduced on 20 October prohibits the U.S. government from carrying out searches to monitor its citizens' choice of books from libraries and bookstores, reports the Pen American Center, a member of the Campaign for Reader Privacy.

North Korea / United States

Bill Clinton returns to U.S. with pardoned journalists

IFEX members the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomed last week's release of U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were jailed since March in North Korea. Following rare talks with reclusive leader Kim Jong-il, who pardoned the women, former U.S. President Bill Clinton brought the journalists home on 5 August.

North Korea / United States

U.S. journalists sentenced to 12 years hard labour

U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labour in North Korea after a closed-door trial from 4 to 8 June, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Iran / United States

Roxana Saberi freed

IFEX members welcomed the release of U.S. Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, whose eight-year jail term for spying for the U.S. was this week reduced to a suspended two-year sentence and a five-year ban on reporting from Iran.

Iran / United States

Freelancer Roxana Saberi convicted of spying

Iran convicted an American-Iranian journalist of spying for the United States and sentenced her to eight years in prison, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

United States

RECLAME LA LIBERACIÓN DE DOS MUJERES PERIODISTAS DETENIDAS EN COREA DEL NORTE

United States

EXIGEZ LA REMISE EN LIBERTÉ DE DEUX FEMMES JOURNALISTES DÉTENUES EN CORÉE DU NORD

United States

DEMAND RELEASE OF TWO WOMEN JOURNALISTS DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA

Two U.S. women journalists who were reporting on the fate of North Korean women being smuggled and sold to China have been detained in North Korea for more than a week on charges of entering the country illegally and carrying out "hostile" activities. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) have launched a petition calling for their release.

United States

OBAMA S’ENGAGE À FAIRE PREUVE D’OUVERTURE ET DE TRANSPARENCE

United States

OBAMA PROMETE APERTURA Y TRANSPARENCIA

United States

OBAMA PLEDGES OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY

IFEX members ARTICLE 19 and Privacy International (PI) welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama's new policies that enhance public access to government information - announced on his first day of office.

United States

LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX AUX ÉTATS-UNIS PRESSENT OBAMA DE RÉAFFIRMER LE LEADERSHIP DE SON PAYS EN MATIÈRE DE DROITS DE LA PERSONNE

United States

LOS MIEMBROS DE IFEX INSTAN A OBAMA A REAFIRMAR SU LIDERAZGO EN DERECHOS HUMANOS

United States

IFEX MEMBERS IN U.S. URGE OBAMA TO REAFFIRM LEADERSHIP IN HUMAN RIGHTS

New U.S. President Barack Obama must retake leadership of the global agenda that has been hijacked by "spoiler" states like China, Egypt and Russia, and put human rights at the heart of it, said Human Rights Watch in issuing its annual world report. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) voiced a similar sentiment in a letter to Obama.

United States

REPORTEROS ARRESTADOS MIENTRAS CUBRÍAN CONVENCIONES POLÍTICAS

United States

DES REPORTERS ARRÊTÉS TANDIS QU'ILS COUVRAIENT DES CONVENTIONS POLITIQUES

United States

REPORTERS ARRESTED WHILE COVERING POLITICAL CONVENTIONS

Three journalists from the popular U.S. public TV and radio programme "Democracy Now!" and a photographer from The Associated Press (AP) were manhandled and arrested while covering anti-war demonstrations at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota on 1 September, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and local media groups.

United States

U.S.: RIGHTS GROUPS CHALLENGE SPYING LAW

PEN American Center has joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other leading rights organisations in challenging the U.S. government over the constitutionality of a new surveillance law.

United States

BLOG ESTADOUNIDENSE "TALKING POINTS MEMO" GANA PREMIO PIONERO DE MEDIOS LIBRES

United States

LE BLOGUE AMÉRICAIN « TALKING POINTS MEMO » REMPORTE LE PRIX PIONNIER DE LA LIBERTÉ DES MÉDIAS

United States

U.S. BLOG "TALKING POINTS MEMO" WINS FREE MEDIA PIONEER AWARD

The New York-based political blog "Talking Points Memo" has won the 2008 Free Media Pioneer award of the International Press Institute (IPI). Managing editor David Kurtz received the prize at an award ceremony on 17 June during IPI's world congress in Belgrade, Serbia.

United States

LE CAMÉRAMAN D'AL-JAZIRAH EST LIBÉRÉ DE GUANTÁNAMO

United States

CAMARÓGRAFO DE AL YAZIRA LIBERADO DE GUANTÁNAMO

United States

AL JAZEERA CAMERAMAN FREED FROM GUANTANAMO

An Al Jazeera cameraman held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay for six years without charge was freed on 1 May, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Al Jazeera.

United States

LE PHOTOGRAPHE DE L'AP SERA RELÂCHÉ

United States

AP PHOTOGRAPHER TO BE RELEASED

The U.S. military has promised to release Associated Press (AP) photographer Bilal Hussein on 16 April, after two years of detention without charge for his alleged links to insurgents, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and AP.

United States

DECLARAN COMBATIENTE ENEMIGO A PERIODISTA AFGANO

United States

UN JOURNALISTE AFGHAN DÉCLARÉ COMBATTANT ENNEMI

United States

PROGRAMME DE BOURSES D'ÉTUDES EN JOURNALISME SUR LES AFFAIRES MONDIALES

United States

PROGRAMA DE BECAS DE PERIODISMO SOBRE SUCESOS MUNDIALES

United States

WORLD AFFAIRS JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME

The International Center for Journalists is currently accepting applications for the World Affairs Fellowship, which enables U.S. newspaper reporters to travel overseas and report on international stories that will have an impact in their local communities.

United States

RATIFICATION DES MODIFICATIONS APPORTÉES À LA LOI D'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION

United States

RATIFICAN CAMBIOS A LEY DE LIBERTAD DE INFORMACIÓN

United States

CHANGES TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT RATIFIED

President George W. Bush has signed into law amendments to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that improve public access to federal government information. But his move comes "so late in an administration that has shown little respect" for freedom of information, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

United States

AGISSEZ ! ENRAYEZ L'AUGMENTATION DES TARIFS POSTAUX AUX ÉTATS-UNIS

United States

¡ACTÚE! AYUDE A DEROGAR AUMENTOS EN TARIFAS POSTALES ESTADOUNIDENSES

United States

TAKE ACTION! STAMP OUT U.S. POSTAL RATE HIKES

Today, on 30 October, the U.S. Congress is holding a hearing on the recent postage rate hike that has brought some small and independent publications to the brink of financial disaster. Take a stand: help Free Press, a non-profit org dedicated to promoting democratic media policy, collect 100,000 signatures to stamp out the rate hikes.

United States

NUEVA LEY PROTEGERÍA FUENTES Y LIBERTAD EN INTERNET

United States

UNE NOUVELLE LOI PROTÉGERAIT LES SOURCES ET LA LIBERTÉ DE L'INTERNET

United States

NEW LEGISLATION WOULD PROTECT SOURCES AND INTERNET FREEDOM

Two new pieces of legislation in the United States would help protect reporters' sources and promote Internet freedom.

United States

« PAS D'HABEAS CORPUS », LA NOUVELLE QUI ARRIVE EN TÊTE DE LISTE DES REPORTAGES CENSURÉS EN 2006-2007

United States

"NO HABEAS CORPUS" ENCABEZA LA LISTA DE ARTÍCULOS CENSURADOS EN 2006-2007

United States

"NO HABEAS CORPUS" TOPS LIST OF CENSORED STORIES IN 2006-07

For the 31st year running, Project Censored has released the top 25 stories the U.S. news media missed in the past year. According to the "San Franciso Bay Guardian", the picture isn't pretty: together, the stories "present a chilling portrait of a newly empowered executive branch signing away civil liberties for the sake of an endless and amorphous war on terror."

United States

¡ACTÚE! PIDA QUE SAMI AL-HAJ SEA LIBERADO DE GUANTÁNAMO

United States

AGISSEZ ! DEMANDEZ LA REMISE EN LIBERTÉ DE SAMI AL-HAJ DE GUANTANAMO

United States

TAKE ACTION! CALL FOR SAMI AL-HAJ TO BE RELEASED FROM GUANTANAMO

Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who has been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for more than five years without charge, is in failing health. Petitions continue to be organised worldwide demanding his release.

United States

EDITOR MUERTO POR ARTÍCULO QUE CRITICABA A PANADERÍA

United States

UN RÉDACTEUR EST TUÉ POUR UN ARTICLE QUI CRITIQUAIT UNE PÂTISSERIE

United States

EDITOR KILLED FOR ARTICLE CRITICISING BAKERY

A newspaper editor was shot to death on a downtown street in California for writing negative reports of a local bakery, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports.

United States

¡ACTÚE! SALVE A MEDIACHANNEL.ORG

United States

AGISSEZ ! SAUVONS MEDIACHANNEL.ORG

United States

TAKE ACTION! SAVE MEDIACHANNEL.ORG

After seven and a half years, MediaChannel.Org (http://www.mediachannel.org), the United States-based media monitoring network, is threatening to close its doors because of lack of funds.

United States

UN BLOGUEUR EST LIBÉRÉ APRÈS 224 JOURS DE PRISON

United States

AUTOR DE BLOG LIBERADO DESPUÉS DE 224 DÍAS EN LA CÁRCEL

United States

BLOGGER RELEASED AFTER 224 DAYS IN PRISON

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) welcomed the release last week of a blogger who had spent more time in jail than any other journalist in the United States because he wanted to protect his sources.

United States

LES CLIMATOLOGUES DU GOUVERNEMENT FÉDÉRAL SONT MUSELÉS

United States

SILENCIAN A METEORÓLOGOS FEDERALES

United States

FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENTISTS MUZZLED

PEN American Center has joined eight prominent free expression and academic organisations in calling for more congressional monitoring of the censorship of government scientists in the United States, following a government hearing in January 2007 that examined allegations that officials edited scientific reports and took other actions to downplay the significance of climate change.

United States

AGISSEZ ! UN CAMÉRAMAN D'AL-JAZIRAH EST DÉTENU À GUANTÁNAMO

United States

TAKE ACTION! AL-JAZEERA CAMERAMAN DETAINED AT GUANTANAMO BAY

28 November 2006

United States

LE PEN TIRE LA SONNETTE D'ALARME SUR LA SURVEILLANCE GOUVERNEMENTALE

United States

PEN DA VOZ DE ALARMA POR ESPIONAJE GUBERNAMENTAL

United States

PEN RAISES ALARM OVER GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE

PEN American Center (PEN) has joined more than 1,100 writers and free expression advocates in the United States to raise grave concerns over government surveillance and threats against the press, saying authorities are intruding too much on privacy in the name of national security.

United States

Des doyens d'écoles de journalisme des États-unis se portent à la défense de la publication des "secrets" de l'administration Bush

United States

U.S. Journalism Deans Defend Publication of Bush Administration "Secrets"

18 July 2006

United States

RSF DOCUMENTA DIFÍCIL SITUACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS DETENIDOS EN BASES ESTADOUNIDENSES

United States

Legisladores estadounidenses forman bloque de libertad de prensa

United States

Des législateurs américains forment un groupe parlementaire consacré à la liberté de la presse

United States

U.S. Lawmakers Form Press Freedom Caucus

6 June 2006

United States

UNE JOURNALISTE DU « NEW YORK TIMES » EST REMISE EN LIBERTÉ

United States

REPORTERA DE NEW YORK TIMES SALE DE CÁRCEL

United States

NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER RELEASED FROM JAIL

"New York Times" reporter Judith Miller was released from prison on 29 September 2005 after agreeing to testify before a U.S. grand jury about the leaking of a CIA operative's identity in 2003, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

United States

ORGANISMO FEDERAL INTENTA CENSURAR COBERTURA TRAS HURACÁN KATRINA

United States

UNE AGENCE FÉDÉRALE TENTE DE CENSURER LA COUVERTURE DE L'APRÈS-KATRINA

United States

FEDERAL AGENCY TRIES TO CENSOR POST-KATRINA COVERAGE

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. authorities have attempted to prevent several journalists from covering rescue efforts, say Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

United States

LA CONFIDENTIALITÉ DES SOURCES DES JOURNALISTES EST MENACÉE

United States

CONFIDENCIALIDAD DE FUENTES DE PERIODISTAS AMENAZADA

United States

CONFIDENTIALITY OF JOURNALISTS' SOURCES UNDER THREAT

Press freedom in the United States was dealt a blow last week with the Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal by two journalists who face jail for refusing to reveal their confidential sources and ignoring subpoenas to testify before a grand jury. The decision has several IFEX members concerned that the decision gives authoritarian regimes further ammunition to justify crackdowns on the press.

United States

LA SIP S'ATTAQUE AU JOURNALISME « PAYOLA »

United States

SIP ARREMETE CONTRA PERIODISMO DE SOBORNO

United States

IAPA ASSAILS "PAYOLA" JOURNALISM

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has criticised the Bush administration for secretly paying journalists to propagate its policies and pressuring reporters to reveal their sources.

United States

Película investiga fracaso de medios estadounidenses sobre cobertura de Irak

United States

Film Probes US Media's Failure over Iraq Coverage

8 March 2005

United States

UN FESTIVAL D'ÉCRIVAINS POUR PROMOUVOIR LE DIALOGUE INTERCULTUREL

United States

FESTIVAL DE ESCRITORES PROMOVERÁ TO DIÁLOGO INTERCULTURAL

United States

WRITERS FESTIVAL TO PROMOTE INTER-CULTURAL DIALOGUE

For one week in April, New York will be the centre of the literary world when it plays host to PEN World Voices, a week-long festival of readings, debates and programmes involving more than 70 of the world's leading writers.

United States

PREMIO NOBEL DEMANDA A GOBIERNO ESTADOUNIDENSE

United States

LA LAURÉATE IRANIENNE DU PRIX NOBEL POURSUIT LE GOUVERNEMENT DES ÉTATS-UNIS

United States

IRANIAN NOBEL LAUREATE SUES US GOVERNMENT

Iranian human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has filed a lawsuit against the US Treasury Department for preventing her from publishing a book in the United States, reports PEN American Center (PEN).

United States

LE DROIT DES JOURNALISTES DE PROTÉGER LEURS SOURCES EST MENACÉ

United States

AMENAZAN DERECHO DE PERIODISTAS A PROTEGER FUENTES

United States

JOURNALISTS' RIGHT TO PROTECT SOURCES THREATENED

One of the indicators of a free press is the degree to which journalists are able to protect their sources. In the United States, that privilege is being sorely tested, with prosecutors compelling more journalists to reveal their sources this year than in decades, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

United States

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX INSISTENT POUR QU'ON MODIFIE LA POLITIQUE DE DÉLIVRANCE DE VISAS AUX JOURNALISTES

United States

MIEMBROS DE IFEX PIDEN CAMBIOS A REGLAS DE VISADO PARA PERIODISTAS

United States

IFEX MEMBERS URGE VISA RULE CHANGES FOR JOURNALISTS

The United States' reputation as a "beacon of press freedom" is being tarnished by a pattern of incidents in which at least 13 foreign journalists have been detained and deported from the country in the past 18 months because of unfair visa regulations, say four IFEX members.

United States

CAMPAÑA DE PEN INSTA A REVISIÓN DE LEY PATRIÓTICA DE ESTADOS UNIDOS

United States

CAMPAGNE DU PEN EN FAVEUR D'UNE RÉVISION DU « PATRIOT ACT »

United States

PEN CAMPAIGN URGES REVIEW OF U.S.A. PATRIOT ACT

PEN American Center (PEN) has launched a campaign calling for a review of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, saying the legislation has compromised core American values and damaged U.S. credibility internationally.

United States

Organizaciones de periodismo de 11 países crean red

United States

AMÉRIQUES : DES GROUPES DE JOURNALISTES DISCUTENT DE LA FORMATION D'UN RÉSEAU

United States

LE PEN SE JOINT AUX LIBRAIRES ET AUX BIBLIOTHÉCAIRES DANS UNE CAMPAGNE CONTRE LE « PATRIOT ACT »

United States

PEN SE UNE A LIBREROS Y BIBLIOTECARIOS EN CAMPAÑA CONTRA LEY PATRIÓTICA

United States

PEN JOINS LIBRARIANS, BOOKSELLERS IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST PATRIOT ACT

PEN American Center (PEN) has joined librarians, writers and booksellers across the United States to launch a nation-wide campaign in support of legislation to amend the controversial USA Patriot Act.

United States

L'érosion des libertés aux États-Unis représente une « nouvelle norme », dit un rapport

United States

Erosión de libertad estadounidense es "nueva norma", dice informe

United States

Erosion of US Freedoms a "New Norm," says Report

7 October 2003

United States

LE TRIBUNAL BLOQUE LES RÉFORMES SUR LA PROPRIÉTÉ DES MÉDIAS

United States

TRIBUNAL OBSTACULIZA REFORMAS A PROPIEDAD DE MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN

United States

COURT BLOCKS MEDIA OWNERSHIP REFORMS

A United States Federal Court has blocked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from proceeding with media ownership reforms allowing companies to increase ownership of local television and radio stations, reports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United States

INDEX ON CENSORSHIP EXAMINE LA LIBERTÉ DE PAROLE AUX ÉTATS-UNIS

United States

ÍNDICE DE LA CENSURA EXAMINA LIBERTAD DE PALABRA EN ESTADOS UNIDOS

United States

INDEX ON CENSORSHIP EXAMINES FREE SPEECH IN AMERICA

Index on Censorship, the quarterly magazine on freedom of expression, has devoted its latest issue to America, a country where free speech is considered sacred yet now appears "inconvenient or unpatriotic" in the wake of September 11. "Rewriting America" looks at the most powerful country in the world through the words of local people on the frontlines of free expression.

United States

UNE CONFÉRENCE DEMANDE AU SOMMET MONDIAL SUR LA SOCIÉTÉ DE L'INFORMATION DE SOUTENIR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION SUR INTERNET

United States

CONFERENCE CALLS ON WSIS TO SUPPORT INTERNET FREE EXPRESSION

More than 100 participants at a New York City conference on "Press Freedom and the Internet" have endorsed the demand that the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) be rooted in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Rights, reports Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).

United States

IFJ SOUNDS ALARM ON MEDIA CONCENTRATION

Some of the world's largest media conglomerates in the United States could become more powerful at the expense of democracy and pluralism if secret proposals to amend media ownership regulations are approved, warns the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

United States

US MEDIA GIVE SHORT SHRIFT TO GOVERNMENT'S SECRET ATTACK ON CIVIL LIBERTIES: FAIR

The United States government has secretly drafted amendments to the USA Patriot Act that would fundamentally jeopardise civil liberties afforded American citizens by the Constitution -- yet it has been virtually ignored by mainstream media, reports the US media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).

United States

L?EXPERT DES MÉDIAS DE L?OSCE CRITIQUE LE « PATRIOT ACT »

United States

EXPERTOS EN LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN DE OSCE CRITICAN LEY PATRIÓTICA DE EE.UU.

United States

OSCE MEDIA EXPERT CRITICISES USA PATRIOT ACT

The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has come under criticism from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation's (OSCE) Media Freedom Representative for investigating library records, newspaper subscriptions and bookstore receipts under the pretext of anti-terrorism.

United States

US "WAR ON TERRORISM" UNDERMINES HUMAN RIGHTS: HRW

The United States government is undermining human rights principles by ignoring the abuses of its allies in the "war on terrorism," said Human Rights Watch (HRW) today in releasing its 2003 World Report. The report documents the state of human rights, including freedom of expression, in 58 countries during 2002.

United States

LE CONGRÈS DÉPOSE LE PROJET DE LOI SUR LA LIBERTÉ DE L?INTERNET

United States

CONGRESO PRESENTA PROYECTO DE LEY DE LIBERTAD EN INTERNET

United States

CONGRESS TABLES INTERNET FREEDOM BILL

Internet free-expression campaigners may have cause for hope: the United States Congress is considering a bill calling for the creation of a special office to combat Internet censorship in authoritarian regimes around the world, report International Journalists' Network (IJNet) and the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER).

United States

UNE JOURNALISTE EST RELAXÉE

United States

PERIODISTA LIBERADA DE LA CÁRCEL

United States

JOURNALIST RELEASED FROM JAIL

Freelance reporter Vanessa Leggett has been released from prison in Texas after more than five months of detention, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA). The reporter was released on 4 January after the federal grand jury overseeing her court case ended its term on 3 January. According to CPJ, Leggett had been in jail since 20 July 2001 after a district court judge found her guilty of contempt of court for refusing to hand over information she had compiled while researching a local high-profile murder case. Leggett had cited the need to protect the confidentiality of her sources in refusing to hand over her information. On 17 August 2001, a United States Court of Appeals upheld the lower court ruling.

United States

PUBLIENT UN RAPPORT SUR LA COUVERTURE PAR LES MÉDIAS DE LA GUERRE AU TERRORISME

United States

PUBLICAN INFORME SOBRE COBERTURA DE LOS MEDIOS DE LA GUERRA CONTRA EL TERRORISMO

United States

RSF, CPJ, IFJ ISSUE REPORTS ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF WAR ON TERRORISM

US PRESS FREEDOM GROUPS HAVE BEEN MUTED, SAYS RSF

United States

PRESSURES QATAR TO REIN IN ARAB NEWS CHANNEL;BRITISH JOURNALIST RELEASED

UNITED STATES PRESSURES QATAR TO REIN IN ARAB NEWS CHANNEL

United States

FBI CRACKS DOWN ON US-BASED ARABIC WEBSITES

According to an article in the "New York Times", an 80-strong terrorism task force from the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Texas-based InfoCom Corporation, which hosts Arabic websites, although its clients are not uniquely Arabic or Muslim. The raid resulted in a service interruption that affected InfoCom's clients, including Qatar's Al-Jazeera television, which has been called the "Arab CNN," and "Al-Sharq" newspaper, both of which rely on the company's services.

United States

GOBIERNO INFRINGE DERECHOS DE LOS PERIODISTAS A CONFIDENCIALIDAD

United States

LE GOUVERNEMENT EMPIÈTE SUR LE DROIT DES JOURNALISTES À LA CONFIDENTIALITÉ

United States

GOVERNMENT INFRINGES JOURNALISTS' RIGHTS TO CONFIDENTIALITY

One month after a journalist in Texas was imprisoned for refusing to hand over confidential information, the issue of journalists' rights to protect the confidentiality of their sources received attention from another incident last week.

United States

PERIODISTA ENCARCELADA POR REHUSARSE A ENTREGAR NOTAS

United States

UNE JOURNALISTE EST EMPRISONNÉE POUR AVOIR REFUSÉ DE REMETTRE SES NOTES

United States

JOURNALIST JAILED FOR REFUSING TO HAND OVER NOTES

Freelance journalist Vanessa Leggett has been jailed for refusing to hand over her research notes to a US federal grand jury, report the International Press Institute (IPI), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Leggett was found in contempt of court by District Court Judge Melinda Harmon and jailed without bail in Houston, Texas on 20 July. She has refused to give prosecutors notes from her investigation into the 1997 murder of socialite Doris Angleton. Under the law, Leggett could remain in custody for up to 18 months, the length of the grand jury's term, if she decides not to hand over the notes or if her appeal is rejected, notes IPI.

United States

DE "LA GUERRA DE LAS GALAXIAS" PODRÍAN ENFRENTARSE A SENTENCIAS DE DIEZ AÑOS

United States

PROJET MILITAIRE AMÉRICAIN SERAIENT PASSIBLES DE DIX ANS DE PRISON

United States

JOURNALISTS ARRESTED AT "STAR WARS" PROTEST COULD FACE TEN-YEAR SENTENCES

Steve Morgan, a British photographer, and Nick Clyde, an Australian videographer, were arrested on 14 July while covering a protest by 15 Greenpeace activists against American anti-missile tests, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The protestors entered the military's exclusion zone at Vandenberg Air Force base in California and delayed a test of the "Star Wars" missile defence system, says Greenpeace.

United States

REVELAN LAS 25 PRINCIPALES HISTORIAS CENSURADAS DE 2000

United States

LES 25 PRINCIPAUX SUJETS CENSURÉS EN 2000 SONT DÉVOILÉS

United States

TOP 25 CENSORED STORIES OF 2000 REVEALED

For the twenty-fifth year, Project Censored, a US-based media watchdog, has released its list of the "top 25 censored media stories for 2000." The controversial list covers important stories that, according to Project Censored, go unreported or under-reported by the mainstream media in the United States. Alongside it, the organisation has issued its annual report on the "Junk Food News" served to the public in the place of more substantive reporting.

United States

CONTROVERSIA POR DIFAMACIÓN CRIMINAL EN KANSAS

United States

À PROPOS DE POURSUITES EN DIFFAMATION PÉNALE

United States

CRIMINAL DEFAMATION CONTROVERSY IN KANSAS

Two journalists are facing criminal defamation charges in the state of Kansas, reports the International Press Institute (IPI), in contradiction with international principles stating that defamation should be dealt with using civil rather than criminal law. David Carson and Edward H. Powers Jr, publisher and editor of "The New Observer", respectively, will appear in court on 10 April to face ten misdemeanour charges for criminal defamation, says IPI. They could face a fine of up to US$ 2,500 and one year in prison. Eight of the charges are based on statements in "The New Observer" that Carol Marinovich, the mayor of Wyandotte County's Unified Government, and her husband, a District Court judge, do not live in the county and therefore cannot hold public office in it. In the past, the newspaper has criticised both Marinovich and Wyandotte County District Attorney Nick Tomasic, who filed the charges. Tomasic denies that his decision is politically motivated, claiming that he filed charges because the allegations made by Powers and Carson were "false and malicious".

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CRITIQUENT VERTEMENT LES INEXACTITUDES DES MÉDIAS

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ATACA VIOLENTAMENTE A MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN POR IMPRECISIONES

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WATCHDOGS SLAM MEDIA FOR INACCURACIES

The United States media's "rushed and faulty projections for election results were dramatic manifestations of the kind of intrinsically flawed coverage of politics" and elections in the country, states Norman Solomon in the electronic bulletin "AlterNet" of 8 November. In his article, "TV Networks Compound the Voting Crisis", Solomon argues that the US media has played more than an observer role in national politics. In fact, he states that journalists "shape the media terrain through which politicians walk." Solomon observes that the independence of journalists institutions is challenged by the fact that they are often financed "by many of the same business interests" that finance political parties. Solomon charges that the media companies' rush to give election results appeared to be more motivated by competition and profit than to provide accuracy in reporting.

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FUSIÓN AOL-TIME WARNER PODRÍA PLANTEAR AMENAZA A DIVERSIDAD DE MEDIOS

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POURRAIT CONSTITUER UNE MENACE POUR LA DIVERSITÉ DES MÉDIAS

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AOL-TIME WARNER MERGER COULD POSE THREAT TO MEDIA DIVERSITY

The merger of the Internet service provider American Online (AOL) with the media and entertainment company Time Warner could "threaten democratic values and freedom of expression unless action is taken to protect editorial independence from corporate influence," warns the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). According to IFJ, the recently announced merger has the potential to re-define "the worlds of entertainment, communication and commerce... but it may also threaten democracy, plurality and quality in media." IFJ cautions that the merger could decrease media diversity, noting that this move grants more control of information to fewer companies, and that it could widen the gap between the "information rich" and the "information poor." With respect to this gap, IFJ says that "half the world's population still have no access to a telephone. The information gap between rich and poor is already intolerable and now may be made much worse with a greater concentration of technology and information resources in rich, northern countries."

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HRW PIDE INVESTIGACIÓN DE VIOLENCIA POLICIACA

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HRW DEMANDE LA TENUE D?UNE ENQUÊTE SUR LA VIOLENCE POLICIÈRE

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HRW CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF POLICE VIOLENCE

The actions of police and city officials in their recent clash with protesters at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Seattle, United States, should be investigated by an impartial and independent panel, urges Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW issued this statement in a 2 December press release that responds to allegations that the police used excessive and indiscriminate "force and city officials placed unwarranted restrictions on the rights to free expression and assembly of peaceful protesters in violation of constitutional and international standards." While HRW condemns the destructive or violent acts of some of the protesters, it emphasises that those named as responsible for abuses or wrongdoing by the aforementioned panel must be held accountable.

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AMARC EXIGE JUICIO JUSTO PARA MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

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L'AMARC EXIGE UN PROCÈS ÉQUITABLE POUR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

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AMARC DEMANDS FAIR TRIAL FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

In solidarity with other international groups, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is demanding that United States journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal's death sentence be suspended and that he receive a fair trial. The international movement in solidarity with Jamal has recently stepped up its pressure on the US courts and government in light of the recent announcement of the 2 December date for Jamal's execution. While Jamal has received a stay of execution pending a Federal Judge's review of his case, the outcome of this stay is unknown.

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SENTENCIAS DE CÁRCEL

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MUMIA ABU-JAMAL PIERDE APELACIÓN

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REJET DE L'APPEL DE MUMIA ABOU-JAMAL