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Norwegians, it is often observed, are characteristically reserved, not prone to antagonize . Friendly, indeed they are, with an ever-present edge of candor. As such it was a bit of a surprise that the chief editor of Norway’s dominant newspaper publicly dressed down Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
“Listen, Mark, this is serious,” wrote chief editor and CEO Espen Egil Hansen, published in Aftenposten (September 8). He detailed how an article about iconic war photos published in Aftenposten and posted to Facebook by author Tom Egeland was censored by the Facebook algorithm robots. Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize winning Vietnam War photo The Terror of War, commonly known as Napalm Girl, breached Facebook’s “community guidelines” and was removed. Comments about the episode by Mr. Egeland, which included the photo, were also removed. Mr. Egeland’s Facebook “privilege” was suspended.
“I shall not comply with your requirement to remove this picture. Not today, and not in the future,” wrote Mr. Hansen. (Read here - in English) “This right and duty, which all editors in the world have, should not be undermined by algorithms encoded in your office in California. Editors cannot live with you, Mark, as a master editor.” When Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg posted an item to Facebook critical of the robot reaction it, too, was automatically deleted. By the end of the week every publisher and editor in the world, arguably, had read the open letter to Mr. Zuckerberg.
“We are a tech company, not a media company,” said Mr. Zuckerberg in Rome at the end of August, shortly after meeting Pope Francis. In recent weeks Facebook’s small team of news feed editors were replaced by algorithm robots to avoid any personal intervention possibly tainted with bias. As Mr. Zuckerberg sought absolution from the taint of journalistic practice Facebook watchers noted the Trending Topics section filled with fake news items. (See more about social media here)
“Facebook’s censorship is an attack on the freedom of expression, and therefore on democracy,” said Schibsted chief executive Rolv Erik Ryssdal, in a statement (September 8). “There are several aspects of Facebook’s position that we worry about. They are capturing more than NOK 1.5 billion from the Norwegian advertising market. Of this they pay — along with Google — only crumbs in taxes back to society.”
Next week Facebook - along with Google - will hear more about their relative popularity as the European Commission unloads draft revisions to the Copyright Directive. It is expected to extend rights leverage to publishers over tech companies. This, too, is serious and Facebook has fewer and fewer friends.
Turkish and German authorities have continued their rather testy debate this week about press freedom and journalistic practice. It began with an interview of a Turkish official for a program to be broadcast by German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW). Questions asked were not appreciated, post colloquium, recorded material seized.
Turkey’s Youth and Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic was interviewed Monday afternoon (September 5) by Michel Friedman of Deutsche Welle’s current affairs program Conflict Zone. The interview was conducted at the Ministry offices in Ankara and DW had submitted questions in advance. Minister Kilic answered the questions then left the room. A Ministry press aide then entered the room, told the DW crew the interview was no longer “authorized” and said nobody could leave until the memory chip was surrendered, reported Reuters (September 6). And they did. (See more about TV news here)
Mr. Friedman, not known for soft-ball questions, asked the Minister about the July coup attempt, the mass arrests and dismissals that followed and rights issues in Turkey. “The Minister took a decision to use his authorization for the interview after the person who carried out the interview lost his impartiality and made accusations against him,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic, quoted by State-owned Anadolu Agency (September 6). Turkish authorities took great pains to note that German journalist association rules allow interview subjects to withhold authorizations for broadcast or publication. They also objected to use of the term “confiscated” for the removal of the memory chip containing the raw interview. (See more about media in Turkey here)
"What we are experiencing constitutes an act of the Turkish regime's coercion,” offered DW director general Peter Limbourg in a statement (September 6). “It no longer follows the rule of law and has nothing to do with democracy.” According to Mr. Friedman, interviewed on German national radio channel Deutschlandfunk (September 7), Minister Kilic “refused completely” to answer questions about women’s rights in Turkey. Through diplomatic channels DW has asked for the memory chip to be returned.
Nationalist activists began removing barricades at the front entrance of television channel Inter in downtown Kiev after the broadcaster promised to change its news policies. A fire was set in Inter’s newsroom Sunday afternoon, September 4, forcing an evacuation. The barricades, including a metal fence and old automobile tires, were being taken away so Inter staff could make the promised changes, said “volunteer fighter brigade Santa Maria” spokesperson Alexei Serdiuk, quoted by Ukrainian media news portal Telekritika.ua (September 6). Dismissal of deputy news editor Igor Shuvalov, a Russian citizen, was also, reportedly, agreed.
A group of about 50 protestors arrived at the scene Monday morning (September 5) carrying “Burn Inter Burn” and “Kremlin Out” signs, preventing staff from entering. “Our activists have no negativity toward the journalists,” said Mr. Serdiuk, quoted by Ukrainian news portal detector.media (September 6). “We understand that the people who work here are nice people and many support us. They just do their jobs. Our action was against the channel’s leaders. We hope our requirements will be met in full.”
Inter is a Russian-language channel principally owned by a group associated with former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, including fugitive billionaire Dmytro Firtash. A related company, National Informations Systems, produces news programming for Inter. An email leak in August suggested coordination between Inter’s news department and eastern Ukrainian pro-Russian separatists on news coverage, prompting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to call for Mr. Shuvalov to be deported. (See more about media in Ukraine here)
Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko condemned the arson and vandalism, instructing the Interior Ministry to take control of the streets. “I am confident that this situation has nothing to do with patriots,” he said in a statement, quoted by State broadcaster Ukraine Today TV (September 5). "At the same time, a scenario of the aggressor-state when certain media funded by Russia are trying to destabilize the domestic political situation in Ukraine is also unacceptable. However, the response to that must be absolutely legal.”
The United States embassy in Kiev and all the usual media freedom advocates followed, supporting an independent investigation. A statement from Inter Media Group, quoted by podrobnosti.ua (September 6), denied any negotiation with the activists.
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