Free expression in the news - Index on Censorship

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Free expression in the news

AUSTRALIA Jetsetter: Australia, censorship, and the banning of ‘Saints Row IV’ Great artists will tell you on the regular that the key to making great art is to make it for yourself first, but that’s not always a realistic end point for people creating art for a living especially when you’ve got to think about […]

By Index on Censorship

01 Jul 13

In the News

AUSTRALIA
Jetsetter: Australia, censorship, and the banning of ‘Saints Row IV’
Great artists will tell you on the regular that the key to making great art is to make it for yourself first, but that’s not always a realistic end point for people creating art for a living especially when you’ve got to think about the audience. Do you make something for everyone globally, or do you make something for a small group? How do you actually make something that speaks to everyone?
(Digital Trends)

BAHRAIN
Bahrain Student Sentenced for Insulting King
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) on Saturday said Ali Al Shofa was arrested in a house raid at dawn on 12 March 2013. He spent two months in jail while under investigation, Aljazeera reported.
(FARS)

CAMBODIA
Cambodia drops ban on foreign-produced radio shows
Cambodia on Sunday reversed a ban on local radio stations airing foreign-produced broadcasts in the run-up to next month’s general election, following US criticism of the move as an attack on freedom of expression.
(Bangkok Post)

GHANA
Is Supreme Curtailing Freedom of Expression?
In the wake of the Supreme Court hauling the Deputy Communication Director of NPP before it on Wednesday June 26, 2013 to explain his accusation of the Justices being selective and hypocritical in singling out the Daily Guide and the subsequent invitation to three others to appear before it on July 2, 2013, a number of articles have appeared on Ghanaweb not only attacking the actions and decisions but also the Presiding Justice as well as accusing him or the Justices of threatening freedom of expression and press freedom.
(Ghana Web)

JAMAICA
Gays, Muslims And Free Speech
In October 2001, Evangelical preacher Harry John Hammond held up a large placard in Britain which read, ‘Stop immorality, stop homosexuality, stop lesbianism’. A group of approximately 40 people gathered around him, some threw missiles, and one attempted to pull away his placard. He fell backwards but got back up and resumed preaching against homosexuality.
(The Gleaner)

MIDDLE EAST
Some Arab gov’ts accused of spying on web users
Internet users in several Arab states have claimed governments are spying on their online activities and at times sending threats in an attempt to avoid Arab Spring-style uprisings.
(Arabian Business)

SOUTH AFRICA
SA’s ‘NObama’ Protests – Broad but Confused
After weeks of planning, US President Barack Obama arrived at the Waterkloof airbase on Friday evening. But not everyone wants him here, and the protests against his visit have drawn support from across the political spectrum.
(All Africa)

TURKEY
A Guide To Everything Google Has Been Asked To Censor
The internet is all about the free flow of ideas, right? Collaboration! Discourse! Sharing! The day to day reality of what we do online may not always be quite so idealistic and ideologically motivated, but the open underpinnings are there. Except, of course, when they’re not at all. This visualisation, published by Sebastian Sadowski, uses Google’s transparency data to visualise all the things the company has been asked to censor.
(Gizmodo)

UNITED KINGDOM
Hate porn, sure, but be wary of banning it
The principle that consenting adults are free to watch what they want is worth defending
(The Guardian)

UNITED STATES
A Mellower ‘Mr. Negative,’ but Still Passionate About Free Expression
On a July 2 about 10 years ago, Norman Siegel had a constitutional crisis all his own. In Barcelona on vacation, he realized that he had left his copy of the United States Constitution back home in New York. This was terrible.
(The New York Times)

Pence deletes Facebook comments, accused of censorship
A social media war over the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage this week showed Gov. Mike Pence is still learning that being the state’s top executive often means dealing with surprises — a sharp contrast from the role he previously played in Congress, where 435 lawmakers frequently respond to specific problems.
(The Daily)

Changes required for Kan. abortion provider websites central to free-speech dispute
Anti-abortion leaders who helped push now-challenged restrictions through the Kansas Legislature this session say they’re taken aback by an attack on new rules for providers’ websites.
(AP via The Republic)

Atheists unveil Fla monument near Ten Commandments
A group of atheists unveiled a monument to their nonbelief in God on Saturday to sit alongside a granite slab that lists the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County courthouse.
(Times-Standard)

Newspapers must defend free speech
Many moons ago, when I worked at another newspaper in another community, I got into some hot water for approving a letter to the editor that ticked off an advertiser. I do not believe the letter was libelous, but it certainly irritated someone with deep pockets.
(Mansfield News Journal)