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Russia will host the Confederations Cup this summer as they prepare for the 2018 World Cup.

German Football Association (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel has backed the Bild newspaper over claims of Russian censorship ahead of this summer's Confederations Cup.

Bild, Germany's most popular paper, has said it will boycott this summer's Confederations Cup in Russia if journalists are not given freedom to report as they please.

Print journalists attending the event -- which serves as a warm-up for the 2018 World Cup in Russia -- have been informed that they will be restricted in their travelling and reporting.

The guidelines issued to journalists working in print media with approved accreditation for the tournament stipulate that they "will solely cover the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and related events," with their reporting limited to the "territory of the host cities and cultural sites located nearby."

If media want to report from other territories, or cover events unrelated to the Confederations Cup, a separate visa issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required. That stipulation is not included in the guidelines for broadcasters with approved accreditation.

On Tuesday, Bild made those stipulations public and announced a boycott of the Confederations Cup as long as "censorship" remained in place.

The paper claimed that FIFA is aware of the restrictions and views them as "a relief."

Bild was backed by DFB president Grindel, who promised to address the issue at the next FIFA Council meeting in May.

Grindel told the paper: "At the next FIFA Council meeting on May 9, I will advocate for free coverage for accredited journalists at the Confederations Cup. It would be an important signal for the 2018 World Cup if the Russian Organising Committee, right from the dress rehearsal, made it clear there are no restrictions of the freedom of press."

Ralf Stegner -- a vice president of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the smaller partner in Germany's grand coalition -- told Bild: "Just as we don't think it's right that U.S. President [Donald] Trump attacks the 'fake media,' we can't accept it when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or FIFA restrict freedom of press."

Stephan Uersfeld is the Germany correspondent for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @uersfeld.

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DFB backs Bild's Russian censorship claims - ESPN FC

Published time: 26 Apr, 2017 15:00

There is a desperate effort to block the truth which pervades all Western media, near total censorship of events occurring in Syria, claims Virginia State Senator Richard Black.

The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Pedro Agramunt, has landed himself in trouble for visiting Syria and meeting President Assad. Agramunt appeared before a hearing after some members demanded a vote of no confidence.

Pedro Agramunt apologized for the trip during the first day of PACE's spring session in Strasbourg on Monday.

RT:You've been to Damascus several times and have just returned from Syria. What prompted you to go? Do you think Mr. Agramunt had similar motives?

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Richard Black: I am very anxious to achieve peace in the Middle East. The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have promoted war in Syria for six years now. Because of those nations actions we have slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people and disturbed one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East. I thought that was very interesting, I looked at the Charter for the Council of Europe. And part of it includes freedom of expression in the media. And here we have Mr. Agramunt going over there and communicating and doing exactly what the Council prescribes - which is to express things freely, to have journalistic interaction. And here he is being threatened with being fired. There is globally nearly total censorship of events occurring in Syria. And there is a tremendous desire to bar people from hearing the truth of what is going on in Syria. It doesnt take long for anyone who visits the country to recognize that you have two sides: the popularly elected government of Syria fighting against the terrorists. The terrorists are supplied with US anti-tank missiles with money from Saudi Arabia, with trade from TurkeyThere is this bizarre situation of censorship, and I think President Agramunt made a mistake he should have been totally unapologetic. His view was to help find a solution to the war and to avoid further refugee crisis. That is it. There is nothing to apologize for. Everybody is so afraid of this global force, and I simply refuse to be a part of it. And people dont quite know how to deal with me because of that.

RT:After returning from Syria, you and fellow politician Tulsi Gabbard criticized American policy on Syria. Do you think Western officials worry that more people would understand the Syrian government's position if they go there?

RB: I think there is a very deep concern. And if you look at the recent gas event in Khan Sheikhoun, I have defied anyone on the planet to answer this question: if President Assad felt so desperate that he had to use sarin gas, why didnt he use it on enemy soldiers, why would he go out and simply decide Lets just grab a group of people walking down the street with babies, lets attack them. We dont have time to attack the immense fortifications, the tens of thousands of terrorists who are holding trench positions. The notion is so absurd that a three-year-old child should be able to see through the whole thing What you see is a desperate effort to block the truth, and it has pervaded all Western media

Kamal Alam, military analyst, told RT that "there is an established narrative in the West which means there is no dialogue with Damascus or the Syrian government."

"Anyone who goes to find out what is happening is dimmed as a rebel or persona non grata. This has been the case from the beginning of this war. That is what led to these problems. Ever since the embassies shut down, there have been no eyes or ears on the ground that can verify all that is happening. Anyone who tries to is ostracized as soon as they go there," he added.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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'There is global censorship over Syria' RT Op-Edge - RT.com - RT

(New York) The Thai government should immediately withdraw the latest draft law that seeks to tighten control of news reporting in Thailand, Human Rights Watch said today. The Media Reform Committee at the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), whose members are appointed by the military junta, announced that the National Assembly will consider the bill on May 1, 2017.

A Thai journalist covers his eyes, ears, and mouth to protest the proposed draft law that tightens government control of news reporting.

2016 Chavarong Limpattamapanee

The Bill on the Protection and Promotion of Media Rights, Freedom, Ethics and Professional Standards provides for a government-appointed national media council to regulate all media platforms print, broadcast, or online. It also subjects anyone who directly or indirectly earns income from reporting news to the public without a license and their company, agency, or organization to up to two years in prison and a 60,000 baht (US$1,715) fine.

The misnamed media rights and freedom law is the juntas latest attempt to increase government interference and control of any independent news reporting, said Brad Adams, Asia director. Passage of this draft law would mean that reporters in Thailand will be constantly looking over their shoulder at a government-appointed panel that can have them jailed.

Asia Director

More than 30 media organizations in Thailand including the Thai Journalists Association, the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, the National Press Council of Thailand, the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, the Online News Providers Association, and the Thailand Cable TV Association have expressed strong concerns that the proposed law would invite government interference in the media and prompt journalists to censor themselves to avoid potential reprisals including the threat of having their licenses revoked.

The ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) under Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Cha-ocha has frequently pledged that it will respect freedom of expression and independence of the media. The government reiterated this pledge most recently in March at the United Nations Human Rights Committee during the review of Thailands rights record. However, the juntas record on freedom of expression has been poor. Thai authorities have repeatedly harassed and prosecuted people for their speech, writings, and internet postings even mildly critical of the government.

Immediately after the May 2014 coup, the junta forced off the air satellite and digital TV channels and community radio stations associated with all political factions. Some were later allowed to resume broadcasting provided that they signed a memorandum of understanding with the junta that the broadcaster would not make any critical comments about the junta or the situation in Thailand.

The junta has maintained media censorship through various decrees. NCPO Announcement 97/2014 bans criticism of the work of the NCPO and the dissemination of information that could harm national security, cause confusion, or incite conflict or divisions in the country. All news outlets are compelled to distribute the information issued by the junta.

NCPO Announcement 103/2014 prohibits the propagation of news or the distribution of any publication containing information that the authorities consider intentionally distorted to cause public misunderstanding that affects national security or public order. This has effectively turned the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) into a censorship tool for the junta, with broad and unaccountable powers to suspend the broadcast of TV and radio programs or take a station off the air because of content that the authorities consider distorted, divisive, or a threat to national security.

The proposed media law is taking Thailand even further away from the juntas promised election and restoration of democratic rule, Adams said. Instead of adopting another repressive law, the government should lift censorship and the rights abusing regulations that are destroying free expression in Thailand.

Continue reading here:
Thailand: Draft Media Law Threatens News Reporting - Human Rights Watch (press release)

Friday April 28, 2017

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Serena McKay was just 19 when she was killed in Sagkeeng First Nation in northern Manitoba.

And the crime was made all the more disturbing by a video posted on Facebookthat appears to show McKay being violently assaulted.

Two teenaged girls have been charged with second degree murder in McKay's death.

Facebook has removed the video though it's still working on stopping it from being shared on the Messenger app.

It's the latest video posted on Facebook, showing a disturbing incident of real violence, either posted or streamed live. And it is raising questions about how social media should handle this disturbing content.

Jacqueline Helfgott, a professor of criminal justice at Seattle University, says that for some people, social media can be a motivating factor for a crime.

Serena McKay, 19, was found dead, April 23, in Sagkeeng First Nation. Two teenage girls have been arrested in connection with her death.

"Social media creates opportunities for people who aren't famousto be famous," Helfgott tells The Current's Friday host Laura Lynch.

"And there's an element of that in these types of crimes."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said his organization is working on preventing the sharing or streaming of videos of crime. But experts are asking how exactly that should be done.

"Even with all of the advances in machine learning and AI, we are nowhere near being able to filter content like that at internet scale," says Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College.

"There is a gap between what we can do and what we want to do."

However, Daphne Keller, the director of intermediary liability at the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, questions whether machine monitoring is something we should even want to do.

"The idea that we can have an automated machine that can detect what's illegal from what's legal is pretty risky," Keller tells Lynch.

'I can never unsee it,' says elder Alma Kakinapinace who found Serena McKay's body in Sagkeeng First Nation. (CBC)

Farid advocates bringing people into the decision process, to work with machines in making sure decisions on what content to take down are ethical. He says it's a complex process that would require an investment of time, staff and money.

"I don't think Facebook is putting enough effort in ... and this is probably true of most of the tech companies," he says.

"They put a huge amount of effort into data mining. They put a huge amount of effort into advertising. They put a huge amount of effort into the latest features, like Live. And I think the efforts that are going into really making sure these platforms are safe are much, much less," Farid points out.

Keller, however, sees bigger ethical problems with the monitoring effort altogether.

"Platforms like Facebook are the public square," she says.

"Unlike the public square historically, they're run by a private company that is subject to media pressures and legal pressures and can choose to just silence difficult speech, or controversial speech, or minority speech if that is what makes the media and shareholders happier," Keller tells Lynch.

"Do we want a system where that private actor is systematically erring on the side of caution?"

Listen to the full segment at the top of this web post.

This segment was produced by The Current's Samira Mohyeddin, Catherine Kalbfleisch and Seher Asaf,

Original post:
Facebook isn't doing enough to control violent posts, says expert - CBC.ca

Srinagar, April 28 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Hurriyet forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has said that the Indian authorities have to understand that they cannot control the situation by resorting to brute force.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing a public gathering at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, today, said that spontaneous mass student protests and agitation across the Valley clearly showed that every section and segment of the Kashmiri society was actively connected with the liberation struggle.

He said, the puppet authorities have to change their prohibitory mindset and allow students to reclaim their space for activism and freedom of expression in college and university campuses, as is the norm across the world. He said extreme state repression in all forms further pushes the people to resist and stand up against it, despite fatal consequences for them.

The Mirwaiz said keeping leadership in jails or under house detention for months or for years has proved futile in containing the problem.it is a pan-Kashmir peoples political struggle and not confined to any particular section that it can be isolated and curbed by force, he added.

He said that much blood of innocent Kashmiris had flowed down the Jhelum and people of Kashmir did not even want the death of Indian soldiers. They want the death dance to stop, he added.

The Hurriyet forum Chairman said for ending bloodshed and establishing real peace in Kashmir and the region India had to behave as a genuine and mature democracy. It has to seriously and sincerely engage with the people of Kashmir taking into account their political will and aspirations and simultaneously start a process of engagement with Pakistan which is a party to the dispute, he maintained.

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Authorities cannot control IOK situation by force: Mirwaiz - Kashmir Media Service