Tightening the grip: Turkey's media takeover

We explore the government's clampdown on critical media; plus, we talk to Can Dundar, a journalist released from jail.


In the latest crackdown on Turkey's media, authorities this week raided and seized control of the largest daily newspaper: Zaman, its sister publication, Today's Zaman, and the Cihan news agency.

The takeover, which was backed by the country's courts, was the latest blow in a long-running and deeply personal saga between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen, a 74-year-old Islamic leader based in the US, has been a vocal critic and political opponent of Erdogan and is closely affiliated with the anti-Erdogan Zaman newspaper.

Erdogan has repeatedly accused Gulen of trying to overthrow the government, but Gulen has denied the allegations.

Patriot or traitor: Dark choice for Indian journalists (Video)

We look at a sedition case that has sparked violence against the media; plus, Donald Trump, speaking the unspeakable.
In the latest battle over freedom of expression in India, journalists have marched on the country's Supreme Court for protection from violent nationalist groups backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Some 800 journalists presented a petition to the Supreme Court in New Delhi this week demanding protection as well as an investigation into recent attacks against reporters.

The protest rally came after Kanhaiya Kumar, a PhD student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested on sedition charges for organising a rally marking the anniversary of the execution of a Muslim Kashmiri leader.

A student faction linked to Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Kumar of using anti-Indian slogans during the demonstration.

Killing the messengers: Afghan media under fire

We look at the Taliban threat and the future of Afghan journalism; plus, Davos - global news event or PR exercise?



On January 20, journalism in Afghanistan was dealt a killer blow. Seven employees of the country's first ever 24-hour news network, Tolo TV, were killed when the Taliban targeted their bus in a suicide bombing.

Last year, the armed group issued a statement in which it declared Tolo TV and Afghan network 1TV 'military targets'. The threat came in response to the channels' coverage of Taliban's invasion of Kunduz last September.

The stations alleged that fighters had been involved in gang rapes - claims the Taliban denied and cited an "example of propaganda by these satanic networks".

The attack on Tolo TV leaves Afghan journalists between a rock and a hard place with the threat posed by the Taliban exacerbated by pressure from government officials to report on Afghanistan in a way that suits their version of the political and social story - that progress is being made.

Poland: The EU's media freedom conundrum

We examine what Poland's new contentious media law means for journalism; plus, covering Pakistan's northwest.



Since Poland's right-wing Law and Justice party won the country's parliamentary elections in October, the media landscape has been undergoing a series of transformations.

The party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski is anti-Russian, distrustful of Germany and suspicious of immigrants. And with its strong emphasis on what it calls traditional Polish values, the government clearly wants domestic media organisations to get behind its nationalist message.

It has made significant changes to the public broadcaster in Poland, passing a media law that gives the government the power to directly appoint the heads of TVP - Poland's public broadcaster - and other state-owned media outlets.

That legislation has raised concerns in Brussels, where European Union officials have threatened to throw the book at Poland for what they see as a blow for pluralism and press freedom.

Turkey's 'free' press

We examine the state of journalism in Erdogan's Turkey; plus, how to separate fact from fiction when news is breaking.


Last week, fresh elections in Turkey saw the ruling AK party surge back into power. Turks cast their votes for the second time this year after elections in June saw AK party lose their parliamentary majority.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country's media is the freest in the world. However, a series of high-profile raids into Turkish media groups hostile to the government has seen some of the biggest media crackdowns in the country's history.

The election results have put the AK party back in power with 49 percent of the vote, so what does that mean for journalism and media freedom in Turkey?

Talking us through the story are: Nazli Ilicak, a journalist at the Bugun newspaper, Cem Kucuk, a columnist at the Star newspaper; Ceren Sozeri, an associate professor at Galatasaray University; and Nuray Mert, a columnist for the leading Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.

Egypt launches English blog to counter 'inaccurate reports' by foreign media

Accusing international press of ‘smear campaigns’, foreign ministry sets up website to hit back at critical coverage. Mada Masr reports

This would be a tragic comedy if not for the fact that Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed a new law that would jail reporters for broadcasting or publishing information that contradicts the official government line.   

The law, which rights groups say will be used to crush dissent, will see journalists and news organisations fined a minimum of $25,000 if they publish information contradicting the government's official line. 

Critics say the steep fines will shut down small newspapers and will deter larger ones from independently reporting on attacks and operations against armed fighters.
Under the new bill, those who lead what the government considers "terrorist organisations" will receive a mandatory death sentence; special courts, which will be closed to the public, will be set up to expedite terrorism trials, and the government will expand its surveillance powers.

From the Guardian 

Launched this week under the name Egypt MFA Blog: Egypt Connects, the blog aims to create an “informal platform” for those interested in the country’s foreign policy, according to Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. He said it would allow officials, diplomats, scholars, academics, writers and thinkers to exchange opinions.
Another of its functions will be to correct alleged misconceptions about the situation in Egypt to the international community, Shoukry said.
“It provides a tool to supplement formal channels of information and to circumvent the labyrinthine editorial policies of the mainstream international media. The aim is to provide a more objective narrative of events in Egypt for those who seek more than just the partial truth,” Shoukry wrote in welcome note on the blog.

Nothing like having a Ministry of Truth

Muzzling the media: Egypt's new 'anti-terror' laws

We analyse the consequences of Egypt's new anti-terrorism bill; plus, the risks of reporting on Italy's Mafia.


Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has signed a controversial and wide-ranging anti-terrorism bill that has far-reaching implications for journalists and the media.

The law, which rights groups say will be used to crush dissent, will see journalists and news organisations fined a minimum of $25,000 if they publish information contradicting the government's official line.

Critics say the steep fines will shut down small newspapers and will deter larger ones from independently reporting on attacks and operations against armed fighters.

Under the new bill, those who lead what the government considers "terrorist organisations" will receive a mandatory death sentence; special courts, which will be closed to the public, will be set up to expedite terrorism trials, and the government will expand its surveillance powers.

Beijing's media damage control

How China managed the message after the Yangtze ferry disaster; plus, a look at the face behind the news, the anchorman.


A ferry capsizing on the Yangtze river in China, killing a reported 431 people, has become a case study in how Beijing manages the news media when disaster strikes.

Shortly after the news broke, journalists got their orders from Beijing, telling them not to travel to the scene, to base their coverage on official press releases and to rely on state-run news platforms for updates. The results were clear from the coverage - news outlets published the same photos, painted the same picture and stuck to the same script, reporting the story Beijing's way.

But controlling information in the digital age is far from easy, even in China.
Talking us through the methods and the limitations of China's media disaster management are: Jason Q. Ng, research fellow, The Citizen Lab; Sam Geall, editor, China Dialogue; Qiao Mu, associate professor, Beijing Foreign Studies University; and Li Hongwei, managing editor, The Global Times.

Mass surveillance under the microscope

Two years on from the Snowden leaks, the surveillance debate continues.

The US Patriot Act is the legislation that enabled the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct mass surveillance on American citizens - as revealed by one if its former contractors, Edward Snowden, nearly two years ago - and on June 1, 2015 one of the most controversial sections of that act will expire.

It will be up to the US Congress to decide on whether or not to renew the law. If undecided, there is a piece of legislation lying in wait called the USA Freedom Act which will reform the NSA and effectively end aspects of the surveillance programme as we know it.

However this debate is not only taking place in Washington. Earlier this month a meeting was held behind closed doors in Britain involving a who is who of tech giants and former intelligence chiefs, all there to discuss the future of surveillance.

Kazakhstan's Hard Sell

Can Kazakhstan become a world power and tourism hotspot despite its poor human rights record and steep prices?

Fancy visiting a lake that is famous for now being a dry ship cemetery? Or how about visiting the world's largest tent?

Welcome to Kazakhstan, the former closed Soviet state that promises tourists a bewildering array of attractions unlikely to be found elsewhere.

Poised strategically between Europe and Asia, Kazakhstan has long been largely ignored by the West or parodied in Hollywood.

Now it is putting out the welcome mat for foreign tourists and seeking to reinvent itself as a player on the international diplomatic stage.

Malaysia: Crackdown on Freedom

Meet the Malaysians arrested under a controversial law that critics say is being used to silence government opponents.

"I will keep drawing until the last drop of my ink," says the Malaysian cartoonist known as Zunar. "It doesn't matter what you do to me. You can chain my hands, chain my neck, you chain my legs, but I still use my mouth to draw."

One of dozens of Malaysians arrested for sedition in the past year, Zunar remains defiant.

In the Southeast Asian country, it is illegal to publish or say anything that incites hatred or contempt against any race or religion, the Malay ruling family, and until recently, the government and judiciary.

Critics say the rise in sedition arrests represents a government attempt to stifle dissent and silence its opponents.

Spain's new 'gag law' and the media

What Spain's 'gag law' means for the media; and a radio station broadcasting from inside a mental hospital in Argentina.

On April 12, protestors in Madrid found a different way to express their discontent over a new 'gag' law. They marched to Spain's parliament virtually - in what has become known as the world's first hologram march.

The law – which will come into effect in July - will make many forms of public gathering and demonstrations illegal. Protestors will be barred from assembling outside Congress, permission must be sought before any public gathering and fines can be issued if anyone is caught breaking the rules. With non-stop austerity protests over the past three years, this law is likely to have a huge impact.