Media News - Wednesday, August 06, 2008

China to reporters: Don’t look too close

The beating of two Japanese journalists by police in western China drew an official apology Tuesday, but Beijing also set new obstacles for news outlets wanting to report from Tiananmen Square in the latest sign of trouble for reporters covering the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee, which last week only partially succeeded in getting China to unblock some Internet sites after journalists raised a furor, said it would look into the new rules that require reporters to make appointments to do reports at Tiananmen. The Japanese government condemned the roughing up of the Japanese newsmen who were covering an attack by alleged Muslim separatists on police. The separate incidents added to the impression that China is not living up to promises that foreign media would have unrestricted access during the games and has reverted to the tight controls that the communist government keeps over the press in normal times. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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Belarus: Despite protests, Lukashenko signs restrictive media law

Alexander Lukashenko has signed a restrictive new media law, which, according to research of the Committee to Protect Journalists, will allow authorities to further restrict press freedom in Belarus. The Belarusian parliament—before its adjournment in late June—rushed the bill through in three consecutive readings and passed it to the Constitutional Court for review. According to the local press, the court rubberstamped the bill in July and Lukashenko signed it into law Monday. Among other provisions, the law equates the Internet with regular media, making sites subject to the same restrictions; bans local media from accepting foreign donations; allows local and state authorities to shutter independent publications for minor violations; and requires accreditation for all foreign journalists working in the country. The new media law places control over the Internet-based media in the hands of the Council of Ministers. Aside from Internet control, the new media law also requires Belarusian and international journalists to seek individual accreditation from multiple state agencies, creating further hurdles. It also obliges Belarusian media to seek re-registration from state authorities—a process that could be fatal for outlets critical of state officials. (CPJ)

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Google offers free music search in China

Google announced Tuesday that it has launched a free music search service in China that will give users access to free downloads of licensed songs. Google said its service would let users search tens of thousands of Chinese songs by singer or song title on its Web site and download them from partner Top100.cn, a Chinese music site that has financial backing from NBA star Yao Ming. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google said the service will be supported by advertising revenue to be split with music companies and Top100.cn. The service is being touted as a way to legally monetize music in China, which is well known as a hot bed for rampant piracy. Analysts have estimated that more than 90 percent of Internet users in China download unlicensed music every day via search engines. Users outside of China won't have access to the service, Google said. The service could pose a challenge to Baidu.com, which dominates China's Internet search business with 64 percent of the market, compared with Google's 26 percent. (CNET)

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Online newspaper chief flees Russia

The editor-in-chief of an independent online newspaper in the Caucasus region of Ingushetia has fled Russia and will seek political asylum in Europe. Roza Malsagova, who works for Ingushetiya.ru, decided to leave after a number of criminal cases were launched against her. Her website, which is known for its independent reporting, frequently airs opposition views. Magomed Khazbiev, an opposition activist in the region, confirmed Malsagova’s flight to the Sobkor®ru news agency. According to Khazbiev, Malsagova is currently in a European country outside of Russia with her three children. Khazbiev went on to describe the criminal proceedings launched against Malsagova for her work on Ingushetiya.ru. One of her offenses was publishing an interview with Musa Keligov, a leader of the Ingush opposition. A court found the text, which criticized the current Ingush administration, to be extremist. Authorities have had a contentious relationship with Ingushetiya.ru for years. The site, which allows a forum for a wide range of opposition views, was even ordered shut by a Moscow court for hosting materials of an extremist nature earlier this year. The independent news portal now uses an internet host located in the United States. For more: Global Voices. (The Other Russia)

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Singapore: Bandwidth hogs may force ISPs to adopt volume-based charges

Monthly fees for so-called bandwith hogs are no different from many average users who use the same connection to check their e-mail and surf the web. But while the hogs are using ever more bandwidth as more complex functions go online, Internet service providers are struggling with growing bandwidth costs because of their insatiable appetites. It has raised the prospect of charging these 'power users' more. Such metered charging is already in force overseas and ISPs here, including SingNet, StarHub, and Pacific Internet, say they are also looking at this, though there are no plans yet to implement this here. Research director David Kennedy of international technology consultants Ovum told The Straits Times that 'some form of usage charging will become the global norm'. In the past three months, American firms Comcast, AT&T and Time Warner Cable, Canada's Rogers Communications and Bell as well as NTT in Japan have either announced or rolled out volume-based plans. Singapore, Kennedy added, 'has a competitive ISP market that will prevent significant exploitation' of consumers. He also dismissed the possibility of collusion. (Asia Media)

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DAG hands out cameras

Free Dutch daily DAG hands out 1000 Kodak cameras Wednesday. Everyone who receives one is asked to make one picture and to pass it on to the next person. The last (27th) person who takes a picture can send the camera back - and maybe receive a prize. DAG will later publish some of the photos (if the cameras are returned indeed). The cameras can only be used once. (Newspaper Innovation)

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