Human Rights

Beatdown on Bloggers

by Sheldon Rampton — October 20, 2007 - 2:26pm

As the internet becomes an increasingly important source of information for the public, government repression is shifting from traditional journalists to bloggers, according to the latest Worldwide Press Freedom Index issued by

Main Source: 
Reporters Without Borders, October 16, 2007

Journalists Jailed

by Sheldon Rampton — October 19, 2007 - 1:10pm

The executive editor and CEO of Village Voice Media were arrested Thursday night after publishing details of what they call "breathtaking abuse of the constitution" in a grand jury subpoena against their Arizona newspaper, the New Times.

Main Source: 
Arizona Republic, October 19, 2007

A Fine Kettle of Fish for Union-Busting Snack Company

by Diane Farsetta — October 15, 2007 - 4:07pm

"Kettle Foods this week called in Hill & Knowlton to protect its bruised reputation following a widely criticised attempt to dissuade its workers from unionizing," reports PR Week.

Main Source: 
PR Week (UK), October 10, 2007

More U.S. Lobbyists Talking Turkey

by Diane Farsetta — October 15, 2007 - 3:40pm

As the U.S. House of Representatives considers a controversial resolution "recognizing as 'genocide' the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago," the Turkish government is increasing its Washington DC lobbying.

Main Source: 
Asia Times, October 16, 2007

Burson-Marsteller To Help Blackwater out of Hot Water

by Diane Farsetta — October 8, 2007 - 11:19am

Blackwater USA has hired the PR firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M) for crisis management, following a September 16 incident in which the company killed 17 Iraqi civilians, according to the Iraqi government's investigation.

Main Source: 
Associated Press, October 6, 2007

"Just in Time" Censorship

by Diane Farsetta — October 4, 2007 - 1:44pm

It isn't just Burmese pro-democracy activists who have been denied Internet access by heavy-handed government censors. "OpenNet Initiative, which tracks Internet censorship, has documented signs that in recent years several governments -- including those of former Soviet republics Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- have closed off Internet access, or at least opposition Web sites, during periods preceding elections or times of intense protests.

Main Source: 
New York Times, October 4, 2007

When Independent Oversight Isn't

by Diane Farsetta — October 3, 2007 - 1:30pm

"The State Department's initial report of last month's incident in which Blackwater guards were accused of killing Iraqi civilians was written by a Blackwater contractor," reports CNN.

Main Source: 
CNN, October 2, 2007

Chevron Taps "Human Energy"

by Diane Farsetta — October 2, 2007 - 3:05pm

While ExxonMobil and BP have "spent lavishly on image ads," Chevron's new "power of human energy" campaign is a particularly ambitious "bid to recast itself as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen." Advertising Age reports that its first ad, a 2 1/2 minute spot from the ad agency McGa

Main Source: 
Washington Post, September 28, 2007

Burmese Citizen Journalists Defy Military Junta to Tell Story of Protests

by Judith Siers-Poisson — October 1, 2007 - 9:37am

Despite the danger of defying a military junta that is determined to quash the current wave of protests, and Internet penetration of only 1%, Burmese citizen journalists, activists, and former professional journalists have shared news and images with the res

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2007

Indonesia, Will You Be Mine?

by Diane Farsetta — September 17, 2007 - 2:50pm

David Case reports on Rick Ness, an employee of the Colorado-based Newmont Mining Corporation who the Indonesian government has accused of dumping dangerous waste into a shallow bay in Sulawesi.

Main Source: 
Mother Jones, September 10, 2007
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