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Journalist support groups with few exceptions robustly support press freedom and condemn all conceptual intruders. At times these enshrined positions blur the obvious lines between free speech and disinformation. And then there are commercial considerations.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) will hold is annual congress in about a month; May 31st, precisely. It will take place in Oman, a sultanate not known for respecting the journalistic practice. In the 2021 Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) World Press Freedom Index Oman ranks 133rd. “Journalists… are often arrested and some are given long jail sentences on charges of insulting the head of state,” noted RSF. (See more about press freedom here)
"I think it's crazy,” said Danish Union of Journalists (DJ) chairman Tine Johansen to ournalisten dkJ (April 19). “It is outrageous that an international organization that works for freedom of the press and against censorship chooses to put the congress in a sultanate – an absolute monarchy – that does not respect basic human rights, including freedom of the press.” Alas, the DJ will be attending. "I don't want to hide the fact that this is a huge, huge dilemma for us.” (See more about journalist associations here)
Not an insignificant part of this dilemma is the press card, that laminated piece of paper distinguishing a member of the working press from the riffraff, also known a citizen journalists. IFJ membership is required for European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) membership. As with the iconic branding of the American Express card, “membership has privileges.”
The IFJ has regularly voiced criticism of national governments seen as lacking, less so of its own executives. Nordic journalist associations in Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark recently complained that IFJ vice president Timur Shafir, a Russian national, should be removed for failing to condemn continued Russian censorship as the war in Ukraine exploded, reported Norsk Journalistlag (March 4). Mr. Shafir is executive secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia (UJR). He has defended sanctions met out by Russian media regulator/censor Roskomnadzor against online news portals and condemned Latvian authorities for “intimidating” Russian media workers.
The ever-diligent Russian Federation media regulator and chief censor Roskomnadzor is always fishing for new targets. After banning and sanctioning nearly every independent media outlet as well as a slew of online platforms, foreign and domestic, the agency seems to be using a rather deep troll line. It’s a tough job but….
Over the weekend Roskomnadzor banned in Russia Chess dot com, a website for fans of the well-known board game. For those unfamiliar, chess is extremely popular in Russia, home to many grand masters. According to the Chess dot com website, Roskomnadzor objected to two pages on the site, one outlining “policies and actions regarding the war on Ukraine.” The other posted interviews with Ukrainian chess players. Unable to block individual pages, Roscomnadzor banned the entire site. (See more about media in the Russian Federation here)
Chess dot com, which it says has 50 million worldwide users, encouraged fans in Russia to use mobile apps or familiarize themselves with VPN (virtual private network) options. “We reaffirm our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the Russian government's war of aggression against Ukraine and will continue to publish content to that effect. We will continue to welcome Chess dot com members from Russia who defy the government's ban and play on Chess dot com.” (See more about censorship here)
Recent Roskomnadzor targets have ranged from digital news portal Moscow Times and French international broadcaster Radio France International (RFI) to Human Rights Watch. The agency has threatened Google, YouTube and Wikipedia with fines. On the other side, illustrious internet activists Anonymous claims to have hacked Roskomnadzor last month, taking emails and other files, which were later published by activist DDoSecrets.
Prominent journalist associations in Hong Kong have curtailed activities amidst further restrictive laws. The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) has “suspended” its annual Human rights Press Award for fear of “unintentionally” provoking Hong Kong authorities, reported Reuters (April 25) citing FCC statements. Following the direction of central Chinese authorities, the newly appointed Hong Kong executive has left no doubt that press freedom in the city-state is on life support.
The FCC represents individual reporters and outlets operating in Hong Kong. Several of its members have faced harassment and arrest over the past few years. Many have fled to Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and beyond. (See more about press freedom here)
The FCC Human Rights Press Awards have been a key event for independent reporting in Asia. The decision to suspend the event was made to protect staff and members, explained FCC president Keith Richburg. There are "significant areas of uncertainty and we do not wish unintentionally to violate the law.” (See more about media in Hong Kong here)
Separately, the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA) members met online over the weekend to “discuss” disbanding altogether, reported English-language The Standard (April 25). As with the Hong Kong FCC, the memberships’ chief concern, as it has been, is “safeguarding” press freedom. “Some people think there is not much our association can do, but it is valuable for us to give a fair comment on things, especially when our fellows were being criticized for fulfilling their duties,” said chairperson Ronson Chan Ron-sing. About 20% of the membership participated, short of the quorum necessary for a decision.
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