Free Speech and the Fiji Coup

There’s a lot of sh*t going down in Fiji right now. The coup led by the military strong man Frank Bainimarama has just disbanded the country’s Great Council of Chiefs. No great loss you might think, this is the same body that has backed pretty much every other coup in the Pacific nation going right back to the first one in the late 1980s.

But now Fiji’s small and vulnerable free press is under attack. Read more here and here

media ethics, journalism

The (not so) poor old Corbys

Schapelle Corby continues to languish in an Indonesian prison after being convicted of drug-smuggling in a flashy show trial, and her family is being hounded for the proceeds of her book sales. Now there’s a new twist, former “second best friends” are fallling out in a case that’s set to go before the NSW Supreme Court.
Mercedes Corby is suing her former gal-pal Jodi Power over claims made by Power that the Corby family is involved in drug dealing on a major scale.
Channel Seven’s Today Tonight is also named in the writ as the Sydney Morning Herald recently reported.
“Ouch”, cat fight ahead!

media ethics, journalism

The difficult middle cat

This is Josie, sunning herself in the garden at Fernbrook

media ethics, journalism

I should mention I like cats too

I’m a cat lover, so I may, from time to time add a post about my three furry kids.

Here’s a couple of pictures: Tilly in a box and Lexi on the balcony, to get the fur-ball rolling!

media ethics, journalism

Release Alan Johnston

The BBC’s Gaza Correspondent, Alan Johnston, missing presumed kidnapped
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday [13 April] repeated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston who was kidnapped over a month ago in Gaza by a group that has yet to make any public statement about holding him.

On Monday the IFJ will participate in a vigil being held by the BBC in Brussels to urge his captors to free him. IFJ affiliates in Gaza, the West Bank, the UK and elsewhere have been demonstrating for Johnston’s release. “We are extremely worried about Alan and we call on the Palestinian government to do everything in its power to make sure he is released immediately,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “These types of kidnappings are doing great harm not just to journalism but to the development of the region in general by making it impossible for journalists to work safely and report on developments there.” The IFJ is working with journalists of the BBC and their union based in the UK and Ireland, the National Union of Journalists, in a series of events highlighting the case of Johnston. The IFJ is asking journalists, media workers and supporters in Brussels to come to the demonstration on Monday, which will be held at 3:15 p.m. local time in front of the Berlaymont Building in Brussels. It will mark exactly 5 weeks from the date he was kidnapped by unknown men in Gaza.

This is the media statement from the IFJ, it is a tragic situation when a journalist is kidnapped or killed and it happens all too often in the Middle East. But it also happens in Russia Africa, Latin and South America, China and many other parts of the world.

The IFJ keeps an updated list of disappearances, murders and beatings of journalists.
Don’t shoot the messenger!

media ethics, journalism

Don Imus sacking – more to come?

So there’s a fuss in the American media about racist shock-jocks and Don Imus has been sacked from his CBS gig. The Poynter Institute is one of many media organistions to weigh into this debate.
There’s another example, that’s perhaps not so well known outside Australia at least. The loud-mouthed Alan Jones, the tarnished ‘king’ of Australian talkback has also this week been found ‘guilty’ of racial incitement. His comments had much more effect than those of Don Imus.
In December 2005 Jones used his popular morning talkback show to encourage Anglo-Australians to converge on a popular Sydney beach to ‘reclaim’ it from supposed gangs of Lebanese-Australian youths.
The Australian broadcasting watchdog has found Jones breached guidelines on broadcasting racially vilifying comments. Unfortunately ACMA has so far not indicated what penalty, if any, will apply to Jones.
It’s unlikely that his employer (in which he also has shares) will sack him.
It’s also not the first time Jones has been in trouble. He was involved in the now infamous “cash for comment” scandal that rocked Australian broadcasting a few years ago. That he’s still on air is testament to the weak nature of the broadcasting laws in Australia.

media ethics, journalism

Making a blog useful

OK, I’ve only been doing this for a week and the place is looking a bit naff, I know. But, I’ve just added that useful google news toolbar and it’s working, so that’s a start. I’ve added my blog address to my work email signature box. I wonder if that will drive traffic this way?
I’m going to post at least once a week on the “ethical outrage” of the day. Hopefully with some useful links too.

media ethics, journalism