Press Gazette - New media breaks down old divisions

How are the changes in the nature of the media changing the structure of the National Union of Journalists and how is the union adapting to these changes? Read my article for the Press Gazette looking at these issues.

Chomsky in Dublin

I just found this on Youtube, part one of five parts of Chomsky's speech in Dublin last year:



Watch the rest on Youtube:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Amnesty International blogs its report launch

Amnesty International's Report 2007 gives the organisation's view of the state of the world's human rights. This blog gives the human side - a combination of posts by people remembering key moments in their work as well as posts about preparing for, launching and promoting the report. An interesting mix to topics and voices.



read more | digg story

NUJ launches Commission on Multi-Media Working

The NUJ launched its Commission on Multi-Media Working at a conference at the union’s London headquarters on 5 May 2007.



read more | digg story

Blogging from the NUJ's Vice President

The Vice President of the National Union of Journalists in the UK and Ireland, James Doherty, blogs his year as VP.



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Press Freedom Day: Global action needed to protect journalists

"All of society pays the price when journalists are killed with impunity and censorship and fear stifle expression. These are the conditions under which abuse of power and injustice will thrive." A major Amnesty International feature for Press Freedom Day, looking at attacks on journalists and press freedom around the world.



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New Media news from the National Union of Journalists' ADM 2007

"The National Union of Journalists Centenary Annual Delegate Meeting has already received quite a lot of international attention for one issue, but for those of us in the New Media sector, there was amidst the three days of serious business, a number of key issues addressed." A round-up of new media news from the NUJ's Annual Delegate Meeting.



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Robert Anton Wilson London memorial

Bob Wilson's passed

I'll update this tomorrow when I've slept off the drink, but the great teacher - Robert Anton Wilson - has left the planet.
http://robertantonwilson.blogspot.com/2007/01/raw-essence.html

Robert Anton Wilson's blog

Amnesty International: Close Guantánamo

On 11 January 2007, the Guantánamo detention centre will be five years old. Outraged by this symbol of US abuse and injustice, human rights activists worldwide are joining together in solidarity with the detainees and their families, to demand once more that the US government close Guantánamo.

Read what those actitvists are doing on a new Amnesty International blog
http://blogs.amnesty.org/blogs/closeguantanamo

Yahoo! recruitment action

The New Media Council carried out a recruitment action at Yahoo!'s London headquarters yesterday (Tuesday). As part of our on-going campaign about Yahoo!'s involvement in the imprisonment of journalists and activists in China, we wanted to invite member of Yahoo! staff to join the union and our campaign for human rights.

John and I started out with 300 flyers entitled "Yet Another Hypocritical Online Organisation" in the well-known Yahoo! colours (purple and yellow) just after five o'clock. By seven, we had none left. 100 or so invitations to the social event on Thursday ran out far sooner.

We got a range of reactions, from people who agreed with our position and said that they had contacted their own management about it, to people who were more defensive. A couple of people asked us how we could do what we were doing and marched back in, presumably to ask security to remove us. However, while laws in this country are getting more restrictive, I don't think there's yet anything that prevents us standing on a public footpath and asking people if they'd like to take a flyer!

A number of people did engage with us, including a number of managers. They gave the corporate line that they had no option but to comply with Chinese law, to which we responded that they did have an option about doing business in a country that has a dreadful record on freedom of speech. We followed that up, though, with an explanation that we are willing to engage with the company and see how we might be able to work together to campaign for freedom of speech in China and elsewhere in the world. We pointed out that, as a trade union, the way we engage with companies is by recruiting their employees.

Now it's time sit back and let the emails (hopefully) flood in.

RSF and the OSCE propose six recommendations to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet

PRESS RELEASE - INTERNATIONAL

21 June 2005

RSF and the OSCE propose six recommendations to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 20 June 2005 RSF press release:

Reporters Without Borders and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) make six recommendations to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet

This declaration by Reporters Without Borders and the representative of the OSCE on Freedom of the Media aims to deal with the main issues facing countries seeking to regulate online activity. Should the Web be filtered? Can online publications be forced to register with the authorities? What should the responsibility of service providers (ISPs) be? How far does a national jurisdiction extend?

Reporters Without Borders thinks these six recommendations go beyond Europe and concern every country. It hopes they will provoke discussion in the run-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

Full text of the Declaration:

1. Any law about the flow of information online must be anchored in the right to freedom of expression as defined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

2. In a democratic and open society it is up to the citizens to decide what they wish to access and view on the Internet. Filtering or rating of online content by governments is unacceptable. Filters should only be installed by Internet users themselves. Any policy of filtering, be it at a national or local level, conflicts with the principle of free flow of information.

3. Any requirement to register websites with governmental authorities is not acceptable. Unlike licensing scarce resources such as broadcasting frequencies, an abundant infrastructure like the Internet does not justify official assignment of licenses. On the contrary, mandatory registration of online publications might stifle the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and information on the Internet.

4. A technical service provider must not be held responsible for the mere conduit or hosting of content unless the hosting provider refuses to obey a court ruling. A decision on whether a website is legal or illegal can only be taken by a judge, not by a service provider. Such proceedings should guarantee transparency, accountability and the right to appeal.

5. All Internet content should be subject to the legislation of the country of its origin ("upload rule") and not to the legislation of the country where it is downloaded.

6. The Internet combines various types of media, and new publishing tools such as blogging are developing. Internet writers and online journalists should be legally protected under the basic principle of the right to freedom of expression and the complementary rights of privacy and protection of sources.

For further information, contact Julien Pain, RSF Internet Desk, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 71, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: internet@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.internet.rsf.org

The information contained in this press release is the sole responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF. _________________________________________________________________
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