Nathaniel
Media independence takes a knock in South Africa, with an apparently retaliatory sacking. While publicly-supported broadcasters are often quite good (the BBC comes to mind), there is a built in risk of government interference, and here it is.
RSF press release, via AllAfrica.Reporters sans Frontières (Paris)
PRESS RELEASE
7 May 2008
Posted to the web 7 May 2008
The board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) announced today that it has suspended the public broadcaster's CEO, Dali Mpofu, with immediate effect pending an investigation and possible disciplinary measures for "insubordination."
The announcement came just hours after Mpofu suspended SABC's head of news Snuki Zikalala for "divulging confidential information." Zikalala had often been accused of bias in favour of President Thabo Mbeki and an internal report last October accused him of preventing certain government critics from voicing their views as commentators.
Reporters Without Borders
Monday, May 12, 2008
South Africa: Gov't Sacks Media Chief
Thursday, May 8, 2008
USA: Pentagon Who?
Last week, we asked if American television networks were going to cover the story that the Pentagon coordinated pro-government statements in secret meetings with the news networks' on-air employees. In a word: No. They aren't going to cover that.
Politico: 'Deafening' silence on analyst story
Monday, May 5, 2008
"Koun Bonega Crorepati?" in Bangladesh
Global Integrity's Mohammed Syful Islam writes in from Bangladesh with his take on the future of corruption in his government. Corruption is everywhere, he says, but change may be coming.
"Koun Bonega Crorepati?" in Bangladesh
By Mohammed Syful Islam
On "Koun Bonega Crorepati" ("Who Will Be The Owner of Crore of Taka"), a popular game show on India's Zee TV, participants answer general knowledge questions to win one crore taka [one crore is equal to 10 million taka (US$145,571)].
But Bangladeshi politicians -- regardless of name or seniority -- do not need a TV game show to quickly earn several crores of taka. Thanks to a recent anti-corruption drive by the interim government that has revealed hundreds of cases of corruption, the Bangladeshi people now know that politicians and government officials have deceived them and earned crores of taka by abusing power.
Public opinion surveys from 2001 through 2006 show that people perceive Bangladesh as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, much to the denial of political leaders.
"Under the political governments of two ladies-Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia-corruption was made a way of life at all levels, particularly at the corridors of power," says Golam Haider, a senior journalist at The New Nation newspaper . "It was openly patronized and practiced across the table.
Despite the interim government's anti-corruption efforts, corruption still exists; now it's happening under the table. The anti-corruption drive is not running on the right track. Corrupt people cannot fight corruption, Haider says.
Jasmin Rahman, a master's student at a government university, says corruption begins at the school level. "A student who fails in school-level examinations still becomes eligible to sit for examinations under the education board, after she or he or their parents pay some bribe to the school authorities in the name of donation," Rahman says. "What can you expect from a student but corruption in professional life, whose school life is full of corrupt practices?" Rahman says she had to pay a bribe to board officials to gain admission to college.
At the very least, the interim government's anti-corruption drive has exposed several cases of government officials corruptly receiving money and property.
One example is the modern prince of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, and his younger brother, Arafat Rahman. The brothers are the sons of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and they reportedly amassed vast resources worth many crores of taka at home and abroad, thanks to power politics and their nexus with corruption, as perceived by many Bangladeshis.
Tarique and Arafat have known corruption most of their lives. In 1977, Ziaur Rahman, a former chief of army staff, became president of Bangladesh by overthrowing Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem. But in the early hours of May 30, 1981, a group of army officers assassinated Zia, along with six bodyguards and two aides. During the assassination, family members struggled to survive. The then-government allotted a house in Dhaka, the capital, to Zia's wife, Begum Khaleda Zia, and their sons, Tarique and Arafat.
In 1991 and later in 2001, Begum Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came into power, and her two sons reportedly began committing massive acts of corruption through misuse of their mother's office.
An investigation of Warid Telecom, a cell phone company that entered the Bangladesh market, revealed that Arafat Rahman purchased property in Dubai and put US$2 million in two Hong Kong banks-his kickbacks for assisting Warid Telecom in obtaining a licence, newspaper reports say.
The two brothers also failed to legalize their undeclared and questionable 1.68 crore taka (US$244,559) under an amnesty by paying 44 lakh taka (US$0.64) as a fine. After the National Board of Revenue (NBR) rejected their plea, it began the process of filing a tax evasion case against the two brothers under the Tax Ordinance of 1984. Their mother, Khaleda Zia, and a former finance minister in her cabinet, M Saifur Rahman, also failed to what is popularly called "whiten their black (untaxed) money" of 1 crore taka (US$145,571) and 1.30 crore taka (US$189,242) respectively.
Tarique Rahman is now in prison on several charges, while Arafat Rahman is free after being interrogated by the army-led joint forces. In his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission, Tarique Rahman said he owns a house in the capital, 2.01 acres of land worth 345,000 taka (US$5,022) in Bogra, savings certificates worth 20,000 taka (US$291) and 134,000 taka (US$1,951) in different banks, shares of different companies worth 7,170,000 taka (US$104,374) and five tolas (US 58 grams) of gold. His wife and daughter own assets valued around 1.40 crore taka (US$203,799). The common people believe that is only a small portion of what they actually own.
On July 16, 2007, also under the pretext of the war against corruption, police arrested Sheikh Hasina Wazed, former prime minister and president of the Bangladesh Awami League. Hasina Wazed—one of the two key leaders of the two main political parties-faces extortion charges. She is accused of extorting about 3 crore taka (US$436,713) from a businessman in return for allowing his company to set up a power plant during her tenure between 1996 and 2001. She is being held in a special jail as she awaits prosecution.
Several ministers of the Khaleda Zia cabinet have been sentenced to various prison terms in the last few weeks, while most of the senior ministers and politicians of the country are awaiting verdicts in corruption cases. The present interim government now detains hundreds of politicians, former ministers, government officials and businessmen on different corruption charges.
Amanullah Aman, a former state minister, was handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and three years of simple imprisonment and asked to pay a fine of 10 lakh taka (US$0.15) in a corruption case for earning huge money through illegal means. His wife, Sabera Aman, also was sentenced to suffer three years in jail, as the court found her guilty of assisting her husband in unlawfully obtaining money.
Another official, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, the ex-junior minister for civil aviation and tourism, was sentenced to suffer 13 years in prison for committing rampant corruption. The minister was found guilty of amassing wealth through misuse of power and illegal means. In the same case, his son, barrister Mir Mohammad Helaluddin, was given three years of imprisonment.
In yet another judgement, the court sentenced former lawmaker Wadud Bhuian to 20 years in jail for acquiring land and property worth 6 crore taka (US$873,426) through corruption and abuse of power. The court also ordered Bhuiyan to deposit his illegally obtained assets with the national exchequer.
Considering these examples, it's no wonder that Bangladeshi people widely believe that files in government offices never move from one table to another without fuel (a bribe or speed money). Through this means, scores of class-III and class-IV government employees "earn" crores of taka. For example, the anti-crime division found a Land Ministry petty officer possessing three multi-story buildings in Dhaka and huge tracts of land throughout the country. He obtained this wealth by misusing power and maintaining close relationships with ministers and political bigwigs.
There are many examples in this impoverished country of government leaders living as tenants in the houses of their class-III or class-IV employee subordinates.
Police unearthed 1 crore taka (US$145,571) in cash from the house of the chief forest officer, breaking all records of corruption. This government official earned a salary of only 20,000 taka (US$291) a month. The joint forces later found more than 1,000 acres of government land occupied by him and his family members. His wife changed cars twice a year and possessed 400 bhoris (US 4,000 grams) of gold ornaments.
Recently, I have been following the story of a corrupt businessman who has a long history of evading taxes and power tariffs. Customs authorities suspended his license for paying a fine with a fake treasury note. Some of my journalist colleagues, who benefit from the unscrupulous businessman, are pressuring me to not publish reports against him.
Yes corruption still exists, but since the interim government has declared a crusade against it, the situation in Bangladesh is beginning to change. People are very hopeful that the country will be able to break free from corruption's grip.
More local reporting on Bangladesh in the Global Integrity Report: Bangladesh
Friday, May 2, 2008
Organized Crime in the Balkans
Global Integrity's friends at The Center for Investigative Reporting - Bosnia-Herzegovina, have launched a news portal addressing organized crime in the Balkans, in partnership with a host of local muckrakers. The URL is www.reportingproject.net, or read below for background.
CIR/BiH's Drew Sullivan writes from Sarajevo:Hello friends:
Very quietly we have put up our regional organized crime website. This is part of a joint project of a number of different organizations including the Center for Investigative Reporting in Sarajevo, the Romanian Center for Investigative Reporting, the Bulgarian Investigative Journalism Center, the Caucasus Media Investigative Center, Novaya Gazeta in Moscow, Media Focus in Serbia and reporters and news outlets in another half dozen countries.
http://www.reportingproject.net
It also includes our latest tobacco project which is now mostly online.
It is funded by the UN Democacy Fund but individual projects have been funded and supported by the good folks at SCOOP and Open Society.
We hope to have a one stop site for organized crime and corruption stories and resources for journalists. We hope to expand in the near future and pump out more stories and more resources. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
Thanks.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Drew Sullivan
Center for Investigative Reporting - Bosnia-Herzegovina
To contact Drew's team, you can leave comments on this post and we'll see that they're forwarded to him.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
USA: Military Ran Media Manipulation Campaign
Global Integrity considers press freedom to be a key driver of accountability in any country. Most Western nations offer a largely unrestricted press environment -- intimidation of journalists is almost unheard of, with some notable exceptions. However, press freedom is a necessary condition, not the whole story.
The press has to use this freedom to full effect, as watchdogs of government and corporate power. An uncritical press that parrots government talking points isn't advancing the cause of accountable government. In this area, the Western media has rather less enthusiasm than they could.
The latest drama comes in two parts.
1) A hard hitting story by the New York Times, published Sunday, exposes a coordinated effort from within the Pentagon to manipulate US television networks' and newspapers' coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, using retired military officers who frequently appear on news programs as "independent" analysts to counter growing criticism of then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
NYTimes:Kenneth Allard, a former NBC military analyst who has taught information warfare at the National Defense University, said the campaign amounted to a sophisticated information operation. “This was a coherent, active policy,” he said.
2) Despite the impressive legwork done by the Times, the US television networks have apparently taken a pass on this story. While coverage critical to the government may be welcome, coverage critical of the media itself is exiled to overseas and small town papers. The Times, to its credit, points out the numerous times the paper has published Pentagon-groomed material as supposedly independent op-eds. Will the cable news networks do the same?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Media Self-Regulation in Central Asia
Journalists in the Kyrgyz Republic have created Central Asia's first independent media self-regulatory body. The Media Complaints Commission will address breaches in journalistic ethics.
This is clearly a step in the right direction, towards a truly independent press corps in the region. An OSCE OSCE Press Release reports:The new body, called the Media Complaints Commission, will handle complaints about alleged breaches of the code of ethics by any media outlet in the country. Composed of nine board members representing the media and the civil society, the body was set up to provide an alternative to court procedures and give moral redress in case of non-respect for ethics guidelines.
Global Integrity's reporting on media in Kyrgyzstan shows they have plenty of work to do.
"I hope this initiative will encourage media professionals in other countries of Central Asia to create similar accountability systems," [OSCE representative] Haraszti said, adding: "The governments of the region can assist similar developments only by exercising self-restraint in regulating the press. Responsibility can develop only in freedom."
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Nepal: Maoists Collecting "Voluntary" Taxes, Goverment Not Happy
Global Integrity contributor Ghanashyam Ojha starts a fire -- literally -- with a story exposing the financial workings of the Young Communist League in Nepal.
The report reads:"Shoe factories provide us shoes and various other industrialists provide food and other items. Even some hoteliers here willingly give us a monthly levy ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. So we have not faced any financial problems so far" says Gurung, former company commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Third Division in Chitwan...
Ojha reports that the publication of his story drew immediate attention from the government and the YCL both. In an email to Global Integrity, Ojha writes:
The locals in Kapan refuse to talk to the press about what they think of YCL activities in their vicinity. "I don't want to speak about it," a local hotelier told the Post, refusing to reveal his identity.This week I wrote a story on the economy of Young Communist League (YCL), a youth wing of Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists. The economy of YCL was never reported and it exploded right after it was published in The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur daily, two largest daily newspapers in Nepal.
The same evening, when the story was published, police raided offices of YCL in Kathmandu. The YCL burnt tyres, called a brief strike in Kathmandu. I also received threats in a very polite way by some YCL leaders. I was pleased to have been successful to expose such a sensational issue in Nepal.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Will the Real Yemen Please Stand Up?
An email from one of Global Integrity's contributors -- apparently censored by government email servers -- prompts us to reexamine the "progress" in Yemen's movement towards open political discourse. Message 1: Message 2:
Yemen is a fascinating country when it comes to governance and corruption issues. A 2006 Global Integrity assessment for the country (published in January 2007) rated Yemen overall as "very weak" with a score of just 49, a disturbingly low total for any country. Serious weaknesses were cited in Yemen's media climate, judicial accountability, rule of law, and procurement practices.
Prior to our 2006 assessment, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) had suspended Yemen's participation in its Threshold program -- small grants designed to stimulate targeted reforms that then qualify the country for the really big MCC grants (MCC "compacts," in the company's parlance). The relatively negative 2006 Global Integrity assessment seemed to support that decision, taken in late-2005.
In February 2007, MCC reinstated Yemen to Threshold status, citing major reforms undertaken in the wake of the 2005 suspension -- a freer media, judicial reforms, and improved procurement practices were all specifically highlighted by MCC as areas where progress had been made.
I mention this because I received the following email message from one of our Yemeni colleagues this week who worked on the 2006 assessment. He had been trying to email me to congratulate Global Integrity on the release of the Global Integrity Report: 2007, which among other Key Findings warned against confusing cosmetic governance reforms for the real thing. His message, which he agreed I could publish, is below. Will the real Yemen please stand up?Dear Nathaniel:
Here is further proof of your conclusions on "Democratically Elected Governments." This is how Yemen views freedom of speech and the press: I have sent you the following two mesages and both bounced back (the regime is tightening up on all efforts to communicate any opposing contents by literally closing out any flow of news content or
opinion or any organizations or outsourced news item (they even closed out the Yemenportal.net. site)):
Dear Nathaniel Heller:
Thanks for the latest output from Global Integrity. Look forward to participating
in your continuous efforts to instill political sanity in this world.
Best regards,
[omitted for safety]
Dear Nathaniel
I just looked into your web site and found the GI website and found your GI report on Yemen for 2006. Would you mind if we delve into the Report on Yemen in a detailed article for the Yemen Times sometime later this week?
Thanks,
[omitted for safety]
I have just learned that they have in fact blocked all my outgoing messages via my mail.yemen.net.ye account, which is a government owned server. I am not sure if it is just me or everyone else, but this has been going on for the last three days. It is unlikely to be a technical error.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Afghanistan: Internet censorship backed by the death penalty
An Afghan journalism student, Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, has been sentenced to death by the U.S. ally for downloading and distributing information on women's rights under Islam. He was tried by a religious court and, according to his family, without legal representation. British newspaper The Independent has the story, and is campaigning for his release:
Sayed Pervez Kambaksh's imminent execution is an affront to civilised values. It is not, however, a foregone conclusion. If enough international pressure is brought to bear on President Karzai's government, his sentence may yet be overturned. Add your weight to the campaign by urging the Foreign Office to demand that his life be spared. Sign our e-petition at www.independent.co.uk/petition
The Afghan Senate initially upheld the sentence of the religious court, but after widespread international protest (like the petition above) has reversed its position, saying the earlier vote to kill the man was "a technical mistake."
Not exactly a moment of political courage there, but an encouraging sign that Kambaksh may be freed, and an example of how rapid international condemnation can impact local politics.
With respect to the issue that started this trouble, we present this analysis of women's rights in "liberated" Afghanistan. Short version: it's not good.
After six years in control, this government has proved itself to be as bad as the Taliban – in fact, it is little more than a photocopy of the Taliban. The situation in Afghanistan is getting progressively worse – and not just for women, but for all Afghans.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Nepal's Media Freedoms: Lost in Transition?
Journalists in Nepal are currently under intense pressure, a distressing departure from the generally positive transition from absolute rule to democracy.
King Gyanendra led a brutal campaign to censor the media after dismissing the elected government in February 2005. Weeks of public protest forced Gyanendra to abdicate in April 2006, leading to the reinstatement of the legislature and other democratic institutions. Yet despite the welcome return of popular rule, Nepalese journalists continue to face threats and harassment today.
In June of this year, two newspapers were forced to suspend publication because of pressure from a trade union affiliated with the Maoist party, which now shares power in Parliament. This was widely perceived as a move to influence media coverage of the party. According to IFEX, an international coalition of media monitors, more than 116 journalists have been threatened, abducted, or harassed in the first six months of 2007 alone despite the passage of the Right to Information Act. Assessments by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Sans Frontieres report similar findings.
These reports illustrate the systemic governance challenges facing Nepal, challenges highlighted in the 2006 Global Integrity Report, which assessed more than 40 countries across nearly 300 indicators of good governance and anti-corruption mechanisms. Nepal earned a "Very Weak" overall rating, in part due to serious problems with freedom of the press. Despite a "Very Weak" rating in the Media sub-category, Nepal fared better in that area than its South Asian neighbor Pakistan and ten other countries covered in the assessment. However, the Global Integrity data also reveals that Nepal, along with such countries as Armenia, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Philippines, and Tajikistan, faces particular problems when it comes to protecting journalists from harassment, an assessment the more recent IFEX, CPJ and RSF reports confirm. Additionally, despite the restoration of free speech, Nepalese media is still heavily politicized.
Nepal is at a critical crossroads. As investigative reporter Hari Bahadur Thapa observes in The Corruption Notebooks 2006, while there is "cause for hope" with the reinstatement of Parliament, the "newly restored government has its hands full" when it comes to combating corruption in the political and economic spheres.
Government support for the rights of journalists and press freedom is an important step in the broader process of consolidating democracy and good governance. To date, this step remains to be fully taken.
-- Raymond June (October 1, 2007)
Global Integrity Report, Nepal:
Intro, Scorecard, Reporter's Notebook, Timeline, Factsheet
Country Profile:
BBC News, Nepal Country Profile
Related Readings:
Committee to Protect Journalists, Nepal Archive
Mahendra Lawoti, Contentious Politics and Democratization in Nepal (amazon.com)
IFEX, Nepal Alerts
PBS Frontline, Nepal: Caught in the People's War
Reporters Sans Frontieres, Nepal Annual Report
Related Organization:
Nepal Press Freedom
Sunday, December 23, 2007
We're Not All Saints
Investigations by the Associated Press and The Register website reveal the tawdry history of one of the Wikimedia Foundation's top executives.
The AP's summary published in the Washington Post is pretty amazing. You can't make this stuff up.