Slashdot Mirror
Blogging as Press Freedom in Repressive Places
museumpeace writes "CNN is carrying an AP story from France on the release of guidelines to help bloggers working under threat of suppressive governments to get out their stories without getting caught. "Reporters Without Borders' 'Handbook for Blogger and Cyber-Dissidents" is partly financed by the French government and includes technical advice on how to remain anonymous online.' Makes me proud to be a developer of communication software."
The problem may be more keeping the content accessible, once you've sufficiently annonymized yourself so you can keep publishing. Because for every One blogger in an oppressive country, there will be 3 government workers with the task of silencing that person, and making sure anyone who reads the subversive material will be afraid to pass on the information to others.
... has a maximum online life of about half an hour," Pain writes of censorship in China."
""A call for free elections
We don't know how lucky we are to be in areas that still have an essentially free [although lackluster] press.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
"We should rename TV to the propaganda box."
If I'd grown up with only American media I'd probably think you were kidding, but since I'm from Canada and have seen both Canadian local, national, and American local and national broadcasts, I can pick out the differences. And there are differences, although on some stations it's hard to tell with some Canadian broadcasts trying to use the American "non-news" model.
We need to start demanding more from our journalists, and stop allowing people like Bill O'Idiot of Fox News to have air time. People who lie that much do not belong on a regular cable channel on a show that claims to be fair and balanced. It'd be ok if he was on the Comedy Network, but so many people think he's seriously telling them the truth about whatever he's talking about. They don't realize that he's a government mouthpiece, and is essentially the anti-free press.
Perhaps we just need to teach our children to think more critically, instead of asuming that every white guy in a suit on TV knows what they are talking about if they either praise Jesus, or Bush.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
How about freedom of press and free speech for bloggers right here in the US??
o m+election+laws/2100-1028_3-5767156.html/
WASHINGTON--Political bloggers on Tuesday urged federal regulators to keep the Internet as free as possible from campaign finance laws.
At a public hearing convened by the Federal Election Commission, both liberal and conservative political commentators lauded the brand of freewheeling online politicking that has characterized recent elections. The FEC is under a court order to extend campaign finance rules to the Internet, and the Democratic commissioners voted not to appeal.
Online politicking should not be subject to onerous federal rules, Democratic FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said. "We're all agreed about that." But, Weintraub added, "What is the best way for us to regulate bloggers?"
Radio and TV stations generally are immune from campaign finance laws unless their "facilities" are controlled by a political party or candidate.
One option, suggested by Republican Commissioner Michael Toner, would be to extend the same logic to say the "facilities" of Web servers should immunize political speech online.
http://news.com.com/Bloggers+plead+for+freedom+fr
I figured I'd just point these links out... I immediately went and looked for them, so I figured others might want be curious too...
r dissidents-GB.pdf
Handbook (PDF): http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/handbook_bloggers_cybe
Reporters without Borders (English): http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20
Give Jesusland a few years to work on sharpening its blades of repression... With people like you around who always say, "yeah but it could be worse," pretty soon it will be worse. Free speech is not a given in America, especially when elected politicians continually try to reign it back (see flag burning). Although I'm not sure why you referred to poverty in a rant about free speech, nothing is more irritating than stupid Americans whose world view doesn't go any further than their own middle-class surburban neighborhood. You don't think there is REAL poverty in America? Try touring some inner-cities. But then again, I guess it could be worse, right? So everything must be fine.
Sure.
How about the erosion of the 4th Amendment with the USA Patriot Act?
Or perhaps the human rights violations in Guantanamo bay?
Or the government intervention in something as personal as marriage?
Or the War on Privacy, err War on drugs?
Maybe the widening gap between the rich and poor? Perhaps the government endorsing religion?
Is that a good enough start?
A great many americans consider Fox to be neutral, and CNN to be quite liberal; and they often bitch about CNN on various blogs.
And the government doesn't round them up and haul them to the gulags for doing so, either.
I think it is strange if some Americans think that Fox is neutral, but they are entitled to that opinion. However, the notion of Free Speech isn't an American concept, nor something linked to US conservatism. Free speech is considered just as important in most Western European countries, or in Canada, or in Australia or New Zealand, or a great many other countries.
However, the conservatism of the US media leads to a lot of censorship based on wanting to not offend or challenge readers/viewers. Hopefully the Internet will help arrest this problem, but with the majority of people receiving information from one or two news sources, it will be a challenge.
You don't believe Amnesty International? Fine. What about Abu Ghraib?
You didn't like my citation for the patriot act? I linked you to the Library of Congress. Fine, perhaps you wanted me to be more specific. I refer you to really all of Title II (Enhanced Surveillance Procedures), specificaly Sect. 201 (Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications relating to terrorism) and Sec. 213 (Authority for delaying notice of the execution of a warrant)
You didn't like the Wikipedia article on the Drug War? I tried wikipedia to give a general overview of how wasteful and invasive it is, but tak a good look at the US Department of Labor Drug Regulations to see just how much your employer is allowed to drug test you.
Check my constitution? Well I don't know about yours, the first Amedment of mine starts out with "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion". So my commander-in-chief endorsing religion using government resources sure feels like its breaking the spirit of the law right in half.
If you want to call my reference to the widening economic gap a stretch, fine. But I do suggest a history lesson on the age of the American Robber Barons.
I don't know what else to say if you don't like these sources. Its easy for you to repeat "cite" or just ignore sources who don't share your viewpoint, but it's unhelpful. If you're not satisfied, perhaps you could disprove my original point that Americans are moving backwards in regards to civil liberties?
In other words, if you disagree, how can you prove to me that America has aggressivley maintained or improved liberties since the civil rights movement?
For refernece, folks should look up Mohammed Mossadegh. While there may be a NeoCon consipiracy to topple and control Iran, there is still an oppressive regime ruling that land. What is going on in Iraq is the equivalent of a one party state, with hardcore Islamists, some 25% of the populace, controlling the remaining ~75% in an oppressive manner. Putting more power of free speech in the hands of that 75% is not a bad thing in and of itself. Certainly much easier than invading.
-sam
A great many americans consider Fox to be neutral, and CNN to be quite liberal
And to all other westerners that claim is utterly hilarious. First of all, there is no such thing as neutral. Secondly: by the standards of media in other democracies (which I'm sure you'll agree is a relevant one, at least more so than the alternatives), FOX is a ridiculously extreme far-right/nationalist freakshow, and CNN is pretty damn conservative (though the european broadcasts is mildened down a bit so us furreners might not notice and think it's objective).
sudo ergo sum
Perhaps you should look at some prison numbers. We're the most incarcerated nation in the world at this point.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .