14 Jun 18 | Magazine, Magazine Contents, Volume 47.02 Summer 2018
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The summer 2018 issue of Index on Censorship magazine takes a special look at the free speech issues that affect the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
We examine the journalists who are trying to expose the darker sides of paradise and the issues they encounter in doing so, including an article from a Maltese journalist, Caroline Muscat, on corruption in the country, a look at journalists living under protection due to their reporting of the drug wars in Baja California Sur and an interview with Federica Angeli, a journalist who lives under 24-hour police protection following her exposé of the mafia in the pretty Italian seaside resort of Ostia.
The issue features interviews with bestselling novelists Ian Rankin and Victoria Hislop about how they went about creating a more real depiction of the idyllic places their books are set in.
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The special report also features new data on the relationship between free speech issues and tourism from Mark Frary.
Outside the special report, Samira Shackle discusses the current state of media freedom in Pakistan ahead of elections in the country, and music journalist and author Jon Savage writes about how current attacks on drill rap music are nothing new – the censors have been trying to suppress music trends for over a century.
Finally, we have two short stories written exclusively for the magazine, one by Turkish contributing editor Kaya Genç about a man’s musings on paradise and another by award-winning writer Jonathan Tel on the dangerous end point of facial recognition technology.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Special report: Trouble in paradise”][vc_column_text]
Spraying bullets not sunscreen, by Stephen Woodman: Baja California Sur is at the forefront of Mexico’s drug wars. Journalists are at a great risk. The government hopes tourists don’t notice
The other side of paradise, by Meera Selva: A post civil war Sri Lanka attracts tourists, but locals were hoping for greater freedoms
Speaking out of turn, by Jan Fox: Hawaiian is an official language in this state and yet those who speak it face restrictions.
Women left out in the cold, by Johannes Nugroho: When a Balinese woman was mutilated by her husband, it created a media storm within Indonesia and shed light on domestic abuse there. And yet it barely dented its international reputation
Rocking the nation, by Marco Ferrarese: Malaysia has pitched itself as an Asian melting pot paradise. The reality is different. Just listen to the nation’s punk rockers
Stripsearch, by Martin Rowson: Carry on filtering those pictures darling. Your Instagram followers only want to see the most perfect holiday pics
Two sides of every story, by Alison Flood and Jemimah Steinfeld: Two top novelists, Victoria Hislop and Ian Rankin, talk about showing darker sides of tourist destinations in their books, and upsetting Greek Cypriots
Double vision, by Caroline Muscat: Malta’s Valletta is this year’s Europe’s Capital of Culture. The label conceals darker truths
Taking on the untouchables, by Irene Caselli: Italian journalist Federica Angeli’s life has been on the line since she reported on the mafia. She talks about how 24-hour protection affects her family life
Freedom to travel v travel towards freedom, by Mark Frary: Exclusive new data analysis for the magazine on whether tourists worry about a holiday resort’s reputation for media freedom
Fears that rain on their parades, by Silvia Nortes: Sunbathe all you like, just try to avoid offending religious sensibilities in the Spanish Canary Islands
“We’re not scared of these things”, by Miriam Grace A Go: Rappler news editor on how the newsroom continues despite the increasing threats, alongside words from their CEO Maria Ressa
Slouching away from Eden, by Kaya Genç: Turkey was once hot on the tourist trail, with major city Istanbul hailed as one of the world’s hippest. A look at its fall from grace, and why
White sands, dark deeds, by Zaheena Rasheed: The ultimate honeymoon destination is not so idyllic for the nation’s journalists, who battle corruption, fines and risk their lives as they get their stories
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After Isis lost, by Laura Silvia Battaglia: It’s becoming more dangerous, rather than less, to be a reporter in Iraq as two generations of Iraqi journalists explain. Translation by Sue Copeland
Sunshine capital, by Davion Smith: The British Virgin Islands desperately need freedom of information. One journalist reports on finding the truth against the odds
Demonising those teenage dirtbags, by Jon Savage: The current moral outcry over drill music is so last century. Adults have been scared about what the kids are singing for decades
Under the watchful eye of the army, by Samira Shackle: Elections are approaching in Pakistan, and the army has the nation’s journalists and bloggers in its sights
Liberté, egalité… autorité, by Jean-Paul Marthoz: Considered by many as the cradle of modern democracy and free speech, France isn’t practising what it has historically preached
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A walk in the park, by Kaya Genç: In this new short story for the magazine, an old man contemplates life and his shifting views of paradise
Georgian plain speaking, by Lasha Bugadze: The Georgian playwright and author on the censorious nature of the church in the country. Plus an extract of his new novel, translated into English for the first time by Donald Rayfield
Little big voice, by Mai Khoi: Vietnam’s “Lady Gaga” discusses always looking over her shoulder. Plus a song of hers translated and published in English for the first time
Facing the future, by Jonathan Tel: The award-winning short story writer on how much control the Chinese government actually has and a new short story about facial recognition, written exclusively for the magazine
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Index around the world, by Danyaal Yasin: The unprecedented levels of Turkish journalists being imprisoned are being tracked by Index’s Mapping Media Freedom. Read about this and other countries of concern, plus an update on the fellowships
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Endnote”][vc_column_text]
Game on, by Jemimah Steinfeld: Trump has jumped on the ban video games bandwagon. He called for a ban on games, rather than guns
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”top”][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Trouble in paradise” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:24|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2F2018%2F06%2Ftrouble-in-paradise%2F|||”][vc_column_text]The summer 2018 issue of Index on Censorship magazine takes a special look at how holidaymakers’ images of palm-fringed beaches and crystal clear waters contrast with the reality of freedoms under threat
With: Ian Rankin, Victoria Hislop, Maria Ressa [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”100776″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2018/06/trouble-in-paradise/”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1481888488328{padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”Subscribe” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:24|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fsubscribe%2F|||”][vc_column_text]In print, online. In your mailbox, on your iPad.
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17 Apr 18 | Malta, Mapping Media Freedom, Media Freedom, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/MhT_G6fMaY8″][vc_column_text]People gathered outside Malta House in London on Monday afternoon to remember Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist murdered with a car bomb six months ago.
The vigil was attended by representatives of NGOs calling on the Maltese authorities for justice.
Index on Censorship, Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Institute and others have signed an open letter demanding the ongoing investigation into Caruana Galizia’s death to be monitored.
“It wasn’t just one person they silenced. When you silence a journalist, you attempt to silence an entire community, an entire country,” Jodie Ginsberg, Index on Censorship CEO, said.
The investigative journalist, who wrote about corruption and human rights breaches in Malta on her blog Running Commentary, had previously received threats because of her reporting. She was branded a political enemy and her face was put on billboards around the country by the governing party. She was murdered on 16 October 2017.
Many of the investigations she was pursuing before her murder are being taken up by journalists around the world who will publish the corruption she worked to expose.
Matthew and Paul Caruana Galizia, two of the journalist’s sons, who attended the vigil, emphasised the importance of ongoing support and said the event was “almost like another funeral because we’ve hit the six-month mark”.
Excerpts from Caruana Galizia’s writing were read out and sprigs of bay leaves, “Daphne” in ancient greek, were held by attendees. Chants of “Justice for Daphne, no more impunity” were directed at Malta House.
Ravi Prasad, head of advocacy at the International Press Institute in Vienna, was at the memorial. He is outraged at the government of Malta for superficially bandaging the issue instead of investigating properly.
“They have arrested some people but these are not the perpetrators, the actual masterminds behind the murder,” he said. “They’re trying to blame others. It’s a classic example of impunity. This is intolerable. Most of these journalists are not killed because they are covering a conflict. They were murdered for exposing corruption.”
The Director of Free Press Unlimited, Leon Willems, represented the Dutch free press organisation. The organisation, Willems told Index on Censorship, is “extremely concerned about the growing impunity with which attacks on journalists take place all over Europe. We think the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia is a case in point where we see that in spite of all the efforts, nothing much is happening and there are no real consequences.”
He added: “We think that is a grave danger to journalism and Europe and we are very concerned about the current trend.”
Holding vigils of this kind is faced with much opposition in Malta. A memorial to Daphne in front of the law courts in Valetta was recently removed. Tina Urso, activist at Il-Kenniesa, has helped organise six memorial services around the world for Caruana Galizia. She says the police in Malta find a way of shutting down the events and that “people are getting really scared.” But the anti-corruption activist believes that international voices are crucial in getting the attention of the authorities. She said: “When it comes to international pressure we know that it really bothers them and we know that they pay attention.”
The vigil was followed by a discussion of the case at the House of Commons on Monday evening. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”99687″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”99685″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1523984883608-cb153aa9-5de4-5″ taxonomies=”18782″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
16 Apr 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Media Freedom, media freedom featured, Statements
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Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese investigative journalist who was assassinated in October 2017, had numerous lawsuits pending at the time of her murder.
Around the world, big business and corrupt politicians are using threats of legal action to silence journalists and other critics — including NGOs and activists.
Usually this starts with a letter threatening expensive proceedings unless online articles are rewritten or removed altogether, and demanding an agreement not to publish anything similar in the future. The letters often tell the recipient that they cannot even report the fact that they have received the letter.
This process is known as a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). SLAPPs are designed to intimidate and silence critics by burdening defendants with huge legal costs. The purpose of SLAPPs is not to win the case. They are vexatious and are designed to eat up time and resources. They are a way to harass and intimidate journalists and others and dissuade them from reporting.
SLAPP suits are a particular problem for independent media outlets and other small organisations. They are financially draining and can take years to process. Faced with the threat of a lengthy litigation battle and expensive legal fees, many who receive SLAPPs are simply forced into silence.
Don’t let them silence you
Index believes that by encouraging journalists and media outlets to talk more openly about these threats, we can begin to put an end to the use of these vexatious lawsuits that threaten democracy.
We support an initiative by members of the European Parliament for a new directive to tackle SLAPPs.
We also know that getting such changes takes time. But it can be done. In the United States, 34 states have enacted laws to combat SLAPPs. California, which adopted its anti-SLAPP legislation in 2009, enables defendants to sue the original plaintiff for malicious prosecution or abuse of process.
In 2015 Canada passed the Protection of Public Participation Act, which aimed to implement a fast-track review process to identify and end vexatious lawsuits.
In the meantime, there are some steps that all journalists can take to help put an end to this practice.
1. Know you are not alone
Journalists from Albania to Japan have received such letters. In Malta, for example, The Shift News website received a letter late last year from law firm Henley and Partners demanding an article be removed. Henley and Partners also stated that the letter was not to be made public.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese investigative journalist who was assassinated in October 2017, had numerous lawsuits pending at the time of her murder. She was being sued by Pilatus Bank, a Maltese-based financial institution she frequently criticised. The lawsuit was filed in the USA and dropped following the killing.
Other Maltese media groups, faced with legal threats, have complied with Pilatus Bank’s requests, and deleted and amended articles in their online archives. Pilatus denies any wrongdoing.
In the UK, Appleby, the firm associated with the Paradise Papers, is threatening legal action against the Guardian and the BBC, demanding they disclose any of the six million Appleby documents that informed their reporting and seeking damages for the disclosure of what it says are confidential legal documents.
2. Tell others if you receive a letter
Speak to someone you trust. This could be a colleague at your place of work, your local union or a representative from a nonprofit organisation working in your country or region. Nonprofit organisations and others working in the field of journalist safety include:
Article 19
Committee to Protect Journalists
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
European Federation of Journalists
International Press Institute
Index on Censorship
Reporters Without Borders
SEEMO
A major fear when receiving a SLAPP letter from a large law firm can be a sinking feeling that you might indeed have something wrong with your story. This casts a long shadow of self-doubt and can prevent journalists even from discussing the letters with each other within the same newsroom.
If you receive these legal threats, discuss them with journalists from other publications who are working on similar stories. This is often the only way to find out that the subject of your investigations is trying to shut down the public discussion systematically. “Discovering that pattern is not only a story in itself, but critically important in helping journalists work together to defend themselves,” says investigative reporter Matthew Caruana Galizia.
3. Report it
If you work in one of the countries covered by the project, you should report such threats to the Index on Censorship Mapping Media Freedom platform, which documents threats to media freedom. Index works with other organisations to raise the worst cases with the Council of Europe so that the council can raise cases directly with the governments concerned.
When you document these threats on Mapping Media Freedom, you help to show that they exist and are a problem for journalists and the public, who are robbed of their right to know. Once we have that documentary evidence, we can push harder for a change in legislation. We believe that the number of threats would speak for themselves, if everyone in the countries we cover reported them.
4. Know your rights
Get expert legal advice but remember that not all lawyers are the same. There are lawyers who are experienced in dealing with SLAPPs. For example, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom has a legal team that can advise on SLAPP lawsuits and Doughty Street Chambers has an International Media Defence Panel who regularly assist journalists and NGOs faced with these kinds of threats.
Have you received a SLAPP letter? Let us know. Spreading the word about this cases is important in tackling the problem. The more we can document the extent of this issue, the easier it will be to address it. Please let us know by contacting Joy Hyvarinen, Head of Advocacy, at [email protected]. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1523875014232-cb75410f-355e-4″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
23 Mar 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Malta, Statements
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Daphne Caruana Galizia
We, the undersigning international organisations are closely monitoring the investigation of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and the related court proceedings in Malta.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a journalist, a blogger, a mother of three. For years, she reported on corruption in her home country, despite being threatened continuously. She was still reporting, even when the Maltese police and other authorities failed to protect her adequately. Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated on 16 October 2017 by a car bomb. At the time, she was investigating complex allegations of corruption in an EU Member State.
The killing of a journalist on European soil, likely in retaliation for investigative reporting is unacceptable. Journalism should not be a dangerous profession right in the heart of the European Union. This murder signals the urgent need to strengthen the protection of journalists in the EU Member States and to document and promote accountability for violations of press freedom.
Currently, there are at least three legal proceedings taking place in Malta in an attempt to investigate Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, namely the case filed before the Constitutional Court to remove the deputy police commissioner from the investigation because of conflict of interest, the Court of Magistrates’ inquiry, and the Malta police investigation. The Malta police have identified three suspects. The pre-trial procedure to collect present evidence against them is currently taking place.
We urge you, as a diplomat of your country, to monitor the court proceedings and collect evidence on whether they are being carried out in line with the best international standards.
The next four compilation of evidence hearings will take place on 26 March, and on 12, 20, and 26 April 2018. The next hearing at the Constitutional Court is on 12 April 2018.
Besides showing solidarity, we believe it is crucial to make clear that a case like this cannot be followed by impunity. We are continuing to watch the developments in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s case closely. Malta is a member state of the European Union. Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family are entitled to full justice. The Maltese authorities have the responsibility to provide it. In addition, EU diplomats have the special responsibility to send a strong signal in support of media freedom and respect for human rights and democratic principles.
So far, the European institutions and member-states do not sufficiently monitor the court hearings in Malta. There have been concerns expressed by the victim’s family, journalists, and other civil society actors with regard to the independence and professionalism of the judicial and the prosecutorial system in Malta. International lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers have advised Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family that the investigation into her assassination violates procedural requirements of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Please find the lawyers’ advice here.
We would be happy to provide you with further information and contacts on the ground. Your engagement in this case is setting a standard and precedent for what is permissible in the European Union.
Yours sincerely,
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
Article19
Committee to Protect Journalists
European Federation of Journalists
Index on Censorship
PEN International
PEN England
Reporters without Borders[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1521808641883-9d60e560-1d86-4″ taxonomies=”18782, 18781″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
