Media News - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Burma must abolish censorship department: journalism group

Burma should dismantle its censorship department and repeal all laws that continue to allow suppression of news in the name of national security, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday. The CPJ said it considers the government’s announcement that it will abolish prior censorship a partial measure in addressing the country's restrictive practices. Tint Swe, the head of the Burmese government's censorship arm, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), told a group of newspaper editors in Rangoon on Monday that they would be no longer required to submit advance copies of their publications for government review. An announcement was also carried on the PSRD's website. News journals will now be required to submit copies of their publications to the PSRD after publication. Authorities had earlier vowed to abolish the PSRD after ending pre-publication censorship, but Monday's official announcement indicated the censorship body would remain in place and wield the same powers to sanction and suspend publications after the fact for alleged violations of the government's press scrutiny policies and other laws, according to reports by observers of Burma’s media. (Mizzima)

Japanese TV journalist killed in Aleppo gunfight

A Japanese woman journalist died of wounds sustained in a gunfight between Syrian forces and rebels in Aleppo on Tuesday, becoming the first Japanese national killed in the 17-month-old conflict. Mika Yamamoto, a 45-year-old award-winning journalist working for Tokyo-based independent news wire Japan Press, was fatally wounded while travelling with the Free Syrian Army, a Japanese foreign ministry official said. In a telephone interview with a Japanese TV news programme, fellow Japan Press reporter Kazutaka Sato, who was travelling with Yamamoto, said it appeared she was shot by government forces. Yamamoto's Iraq reporting won a Vaughn-Ueda prize given by the Japanese Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association and modeled after the U.S. Pulitzers media awards. In April 2003 she narrowly escaped a U.S. tank's attack on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, Jiji news agency said, while news agency Kyodo described her as a "pioneer video journalist". Yamamoto's death underscores the hostile environment in which journalists operate to cover the Syrian conflict. According to the Reporters Without Borders organization, Syria and Somalia rank as the world's most dangerous countries for media this year, with five journalists and three media assistants killed in Syria by early August and eight journalists killed in Somalia. (Reuters)

Apple becomes the most valuable company of all time

Apple - the world's most valuable firm - is now the most valuable company of all time, with a market value of approximately USD 623bn. The consumer gadget and computer maker has now surpassed Microsoft's record of USD 620.58bn set in 1999. However that figure is not adjusted for inflation. The news comes ahead of the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5, and possibly a smaller and cheaper iPad. There is also speculation that Apple plans to make a TV set. However, despite its market valuation, Apple, like many US companies, faces a number of challenges. The strength of the US dollar against the euro and other currencies makes US-made goods more expensive overseas. Added to that, the faltering economic recovery in the United States, combined with recession in major markets such as Europe, is also making it more difficult to sell consumer electronics. Apple also faces stiff competition from Samsung's Galaxy S3 and HTC's One X smartphones. (BBC News)

Plaza Publica aims to challenge and improve Guatemala’s journalistic culture

It’s not uncommon for news sites in the United States to evolve into a series of verticals: technology, politics, celebrity news, sports, and the like. In Guatemala, Plaza Publica is also built around a series of verticals. But here, they’re equity, environment, social cohesion, cultural diversity, and corruption. “We audit the private sector as part of our mandate,” site director Martin Rodriguez-Pellecer said. “Traditional media does not cover these issues because they’re afraid companies would remove ads.” Plaza Publica stands out for a few other reasons. It’s a digital native, but reluctant to set its pace against the 24-hour news cycle. It’s mainly funded by a private university, but it’s seeking a national audience. The site’s name and concept were inspired by Jurgen Habermas’ idea of the public sphere, where private citizens come together to discuss matters of public relevance. Plaza Publica, which translates to “Public Square” in English, wants to be the place where such conversations not only take place (it has 80 blogs) but where they’re provoked by news stories. Investigative data journalism is a big part of what Plaza Publica does, though its editors prefer to call it in-depth precision journalism. (Nieman Lab)

China’s Youku and Tudou’s shareholders back merger plan

Shareholders of China's two largest online video firms, Youku and Tudou, have approved their plan to merge and create the biggest online video firm in China. The plan, announced in March, will see Youku acquire rival Tudou via a stock swap deal valued at USD 1bn. Rising costs of acquiring and streaming video content have seen losses widen at both the companies. Their merger is likely to cut costs as well as boost their market share. The joint operation is expected to help the firms cut costs in areas such as copyrights, bandwidth and server purchases. According to some estimates, the tie-up may help the firms save between USD 50m to USD 60m over the next 18 months. At the same time, the combined entity is expected to have a market share of more than 35 percent giving it more bargaining power with potential advertisers. That is likely to help increase their revenues and help reduce their losses. Earlier this month, Youku reported a net loss of CNY 62.8m (USD 9.9m) for the April to June period, compared with a loss of CNY 28.1m during the same period last year. Meanwhile, Tudou said that its net loss for widened to CNY 154.7m during the second quarter, from CNY 78.9m during the same period last year. The two firms have been fierce rivals for years and have even taken each other to court. (BBC News)

German publishers in online copyright fight

While the traditional press is relatively buoyant here, some of Germany's biggest publishing firms are now pushing for a "neighbouring right" which could fundamentally alter how their content can be shared and accessed online. Two successive draft amendments to the federal Copyright Law prepared by Germany's coalition government are under consideration. The first draft, released in June, proposes wide-ranging restrictions on how individuals and organisations can link to copyrighted material if they are deemed to be using the content for "commercial purposes". The major publishing houses say they should be able to charge a licence fee for the reproduction of their material on other sites - including the headline and opening sentences that are currently deemed to be in the public domain under copyright law. Internet freedom activists, search engine companies and bloggers were among those who led opposition to the proposals, and within weeks a second draft amendment was published by the German Ministry of Justice. While much narrower in its range, it maintains pressure on search engine providers and news aggregators by requiring that they pay a licence fee for any portion of material already published on a German website. Although German newspaper and magazine sales are holding up well in comparison with other European titles, publishers here are grappling with how to bring money in from the online side of their businesses. (Al Jazeera)

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