Josh Stearns of Free Press reports on journalist Barrett Brown who could face a 100-year prison term if he’s found guilty for linking to stolen information. He didn’t steal this information himself, nor did he post it online. He simply linked to it.
CATEGORY: Politics and Society
The US shield law’s dangerous precedent – and how to fix it
Josh Stearns of Free Press argues the proposed US press shield bill could be greatly strengthened and simplified by defining journalism as an act, a process that anyone can participate in, instead of a profession limited to a few practitioners.
Egyptian activists battle ‘epidemic’ of sexual harassment and violence
Sexual harassment has been widespread in Egypt for decades but since the January 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak, the problem has taken on epic proportions becoming what rights activists now describe as “an epidemic”. Shahira Amin reports
Daily Mail backs the BBC Trust
In a move that may have left a few people slightly confused, the Daily Mail has published an editorial in support of the BBC.
Sudanese woman risks flogging for refusing to pull up headscarf
As activist and engineer Amira Osman prepares to go on trial on Thursday, Dalia Haj-Omar looks at the Public Order laws punishing Sudanese women for ‘indecent’ clothing and behaviour
Egypt’s government reportedly shopping for PR firm
It appears General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his men are now looking for some outside help to polish up their image as protectors of the state. Milana Knezevic offers some suggestions for firms not squeamish about working with regimes with questionable human rights records.
Egypt’s retro crackdown on dissent
Prosecuting Egyptian dissenters was common practice under deposed president Hosni Mubarak with regime loyalists often fabricating charges against opponents to silence them. Shahira Amin reports on the latest wave of intimidation by the country’s current military regime.
India’s media watchdogs discuss need for universal regulation
In an unprecedented move, the heads of India’s three major media regulators, all retired judges, sat on a single platform with the current Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari, to discuss the way forward for media regulation. Mahima Kaul reports
Mass surveillance sparks investigative journalism renaissance
The mass surveillance scandal has sparked an investigative journalism renaissance with virtually every major news organisation in the United States—not just the keepers of the Snowden files—getting in on the act. Trevor Timm writes
From Assange to Murdoch: Australia’s free speech landscape
As Australians go to the polls, how does their country shape up on free expression? Helen Clark reports