Cuban government denies journalists visas

20 Nov 2009 | Index Index, minipost

On 12 November, Cuban authorities refused to issue visas for 15 international journalists hoping to report on the Global Forum for Health Research in Havana from 16-20 November.

International journalism organisation Media 21, based in Switzerland, had selected 15 journalists from countries including Guatemala, Brazil, Spain, Uganda, France and the United States to cover the event and participate in a series of workshops.

According to the Cuban Embassy in Berne, the Foreign Ministry in Havana decided not to issue visas to journalists wishing to participate in the Media 21 programme, which seeks to promote quality reporting of key global issues through specially tailored workshops and field trips. ( World Federation of Science Journalists)

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Obama’s “town hall” meeting blocked in China

19 Nov 2009 | Index Index, minipost

On 16 November, US President Barack Obama’s first serious engagement with the Chinese people ran afoul of China’s restrictions on broadcasting. He addressed the youth of Shanghai in a so-called “town hall” meeting, but it was not shown on national television and relayed only in poor quality on the internet. Obama’s call for China to adopt what he termed “universal rights” also went unreported in the Chinese media. China maintained its block on Facebook, but the meeting was available for viewing on the White House website. (BBC, Financial Times)

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Turkey: Journalist detained whilst reporting on dummy soldiers

18 Nov 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

Bariş Sözal, a journalist at Sabah newspaper, and his driver Ali Kocatepe were detained for 8 hours after taking photographs at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Sözal had been gathering information for a story which revealed that airport security was partly manned by dummy soldiers in watchtowers, equipped with fake weapons hung around their necks. Although the pair were arrested for “secretly taking pictures in a military area”, Sabah newspaper argued that Sözal and Kocatepe were arrested in an area open to the public.

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