Time to increase media freedom!

For discussion of life's issues: current events, social trends and personal opinions.

Moderators: Tunnelcat, Jeff250

Post Reply
User avatar
Mobius
DBB_Master
DBB_Master
Posts: 7940
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2001 2:01 am
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Contact:

Time to increase media freedom!

Post by Mobius »

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3882-3809723,00.html

No matter where your country appears on the list IT AINT HIGH ENOUGH! (Mine is 9th :))
User avatar
DCrazy
DBB Alumni
DBB Alumni
Posts: 8826
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2000 3:01 am
Location: Seattle

Post by DCrazy »

22nd... not bad, considering Austrailia was considered #41. :P
User avatar
roid
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 9996
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2001 3:01 am
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Contact:

Post by roid »

for the record... MSN is affiliated with australian channel 9 and Kerry Packer: Murdock's main competition in australia. not that it matters coz msn didn't do the study.

yes the detainees thing is stupid. it's our own little bit of craziness :(.
can i please film inside one of usa's military detention facilities? no? gaspola.

but we have channels that actually work, with journalists that do their job. we regularly interview our politicians FFS. we ask the hard questiosn.

i'd think that would put our journalists higher up than the usa's journalists, who when face to face with their leaders treat them like holy gods.
User avatar
Top Gun
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 8099
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2002 3:01 am

Post by Top Gun »

Hehe; Cuba and North Korea are rock bottom. "But I though it was the Democratic People's Republic of Korea?" :P
User avatar
Sirius
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 5616
Joined: Fri May 28, 1999 2:01 am
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Post by Sirius »

The media is overrated...
User avatar
Iceman
DBB Habitual Type Killer
DBB Habitual Type Killer
Posts: 4929
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2000 2:01 am
Location: Huntsville, AL. USA
Contact:

Post by Iceman »

Red Flag ... "The French media watch-dog, Reporters Without Borders, places ..."
Birdseye
DBB DemiGod
DBB DemiGod
Posts: 3655
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 1998 12:01 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Birdseye »

Yeah, let's continue pointless french hating. Great.
Fusion pimp
DBB Admiral
DBB Admiral
Posts: 1618
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2000 2:01 am

Post by Fusion pimp »

Okay. Eff the french. ;)
User avatar
Top Gun
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 8099
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2002 3:01 am

Post by Top Gun »

Birdseye, they're French. Therefore, they asked for it. :P
Ford Prefect
DBB Admiral
DBB Admiral
Posts: 1557
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2001 2:01 am
Location: Richmond,B. C., Canada

Post by Ford Prefect »

The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.
Yea Canada!! :D

Strangely they have a rating for the U.S. Media in Iraq. Down at 108.

104 Central African Republic 32,50
- Qatar 32,50
106 Chad 33,25
107 Kyrgyzstan 35,25
108 United States of America (in Iraq) 36,00
109 Cambodia 36,50
- Sri Lanka 36,50
111 Philippines

Read the list (if you care)
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11715
Otherone
DBB Alumni
DBB Alumni
Posts: 393
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 1999 3:01 am
Location: Who knows?
Contact:

Post by Otherone »

Yep, things are looking just great for press freedom in over in EUtopia...
The European Court has quietly brushed aside 50 years of international case law in a landmark judgment on press freedom, ruling that Brussels does not have to comply with European human rights codes.

In a judgment with profound implications for civil liberties, Euro-judges backed efforts by the European Commission to obtain the computers, address books, telephone records and 1,000 pages of notes seized by Belgian police - on EU instructions - from Hans-Martin Tillack, the former Brussels correspondent of Germany's Stern magazine.

It is a test case of whether the European Court will adhere to the democratic freedoms and liberal principles upheld for the last half-century by Europe's top rights watchdog, the non-EU Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, or whether it will pursue a more authoritarian line as it grows in power.

Mr Tillack had written a series of hard-hitting exposes of EU fraud and skulduggery, relying on inside sources. By obtaining his archive of investigative files amassed over five years, the commission can identify key sources and "burn" a generation of EU whistleblowers.

He was arrested by the Belgian police in March and held incommunicado for 10 hours for allegedly bribing an official to obtain internal EU documents.
This is a far more serious violation than anything you'll find in the US (the closest here today would be the Judith Miller thing which doesn't even come close to the level of tossing a reporter in jail and confiscating his files to stop an investigation into government corruption). Heck, if our reporters in Iraq were treated like this half of them would be in jail over there reporting, wouldn't they?

This court has jurisdiction over all of the EU countries, which includes the vast majority of the top 20 on the RsF list. Note from the article that it was the Belgian (#22) police that arrested the reporter and siezed his notes on orders from the (unelected, unaccountable) EU high court.

Methinks the RsF report is a bit biased.
User avatar
Mobius
DBB_Master
DBB_Master
Posts: 7940
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2001 2:01 am
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Contact:

Post by Mobius »

Top Gun wrote:Hehe; Cuba and North Korea are rock bottom. "But I though it was the Democratic People's Republic of Korea?" :P
DUH!

Did you ever hear of the KOREAN WAR? When the USA fought the stinky COMMUNISTS? Ever see M*A*S*H? Yeah - that's right, MASH was set in KOREA, during the WAR...

There are two "Koreas":

1) South Korea = industrialised, westernised, secular, wealthy and scared. Protected by Billions of dollars worth of fine US military technology.

2) North Korea = Totalitarian communist state run by madmen. Population scared, poor, unhealthy. Constantly threatening to launch missiles against South Korea.

Got that? Good!
User avatar
Top Gun
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 8099
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2002 3:01 am

Post by Top Gun »

Mobius, I didn't think it was possible for someone to misread my post, but once again, you've upheld my faith in the Kiwi intellect. :P Take a look back and read what I said. The Communist government of North Korea (OMG I know there are two Koreas!!!11 :P), last on the list of freedom of press, has the official name of "Democratic People's Republic." See, Mobius, that's what we call "irony." Now that that's over, I think there's only one thing left to do...

Image

:P
User avatar
fliptw
DBB DemiGod
DBB DemiGod
Posts: 6459
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 1998 2:01 am
Location: Calgary Alberta Canada

Post by fliptw »

South Korea = Republic of Korea.
North Korea = Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Im with Top Wop on this one, WTF are you smoking Mobi?

Ok, the last three words of each offical name are "Republic of Korea"...
User avatar
Top Gun
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 8099
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2002 3:01 am

Post by Top Gun »

fliptw wrote:Im with Top Wop on this one, WTF are you smoking Mobi?
Meh, close enough. :P
User avatar
Top Wop
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 5104
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2000 3:01 am
Location: Far from you.
Contact:

Post by Top Wop »

Shhhh! I like attention!

The EU has passed alot of scary laws just like that. Yet no one seems to care. Know the funny thing is? The American media makes no mention about anything regarding the EU. All of my info regarding the EU comes from direct European sources, and it does not look good. :(
User avatar
Ferno
DBB Commie Anarchist Thug
DBB Commie Anarchist Thug
Posts: 15162
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 1998 3:01 am

Post by Ferno »

Can someone tell me what the french did to deserve all this hate?

did they screw your sister without your permission or something?
User avatar
Sirius
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 5616
Joined: Fri May 28, 1999 2:01 am
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Post by Sirius »

They disagreed with America's foreign policy. Apparently a big no-no.
User avatar
Top Gun
DBB Master
DBB Master
Posts: 8099
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2002 3:01 am

Post by Top Gun »

Ferno wrote:Can someone tell me what the french did to deserve all this hate?

did they screw your sister without your permission or something?
They exist. :P
User avatar
Ferno
DBB Commie Anarchist Thug
DBB Commie Anarchist Thug
Posts: 15162
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 1998 3:01 am

Post by Ferno »

ah.. so I guess the french took a look at the policy, said it was a big turd and now the americans hold a grudge.

It's so clear now.
Post Reply