7 February 2011
Two detained RFE reporters, Robert Tait and Abdelilah Nuaimi, have been released from police custody and flew out of Egypt today.
Tait and Nuaimi were detained by police shortly after arriving in the Egyptian capital Cairo on February 4. They were on their way to report on the ongoing political unrest. Tait is a senior RFE correspondent covering the Middle East, Nuaimi is a reporter for RFE’s Iraqi service. Both are U.K. citizens.
According to a brief message, both are “safe and relatively well” and are now en route to Prague. Tait reports that “whatever official statements you might hear about the situation of detained journalists, we were not treated well.”
Communication with Tait and Nuaimi has been very difficult over the past three days due to the fact that police confiscated some of their equipment, including phones and cameras. RFE will provide a more detailed account of their detention upon their arrival in Prague.
Another Cairo-based correspondent for RFE’s Iraqi service was held and questioned for over two hours at a police check point today. He was traveling to the airport to meet with Tait and Nuaimi.
7 February 2011
As Belarus continues to crack down on local media outlets and independent journalists, BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson and RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin today affirmed their commitment to media freedom in Belarus and expressed concern for the safety of journalists throughout the country. Isaacson and Gedmin visited Lithuania as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT).
“What we’re seeing in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere is that people are seeking what those of us in free societies take for granted — the truth,” said Isaacson. “In Belarus, the U.S. is committed to providing people with accurate and reliable information in order for them to make up their own minds when it comes to determining their future.”
The delegation met with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis, as well as with Belarusian students, civil society advocates, and political opposition leaders. During an exclusive pre-trip interview, Senator Lieberman told RFE, “We want to tell the Belarusian opposition that we’re with them. We stand with them in the cause of freedom.”
Gedmin added that RFE’s Belarusian radio station, Radio Svaboda, is “doing an extraordinary job under difficult circumstances in order to bring people the news and information that their government is trying to deny them.”
“We’re particularly concerned about our journalists’ safety,” said Gedmin. “Several of our reporters were injured covering the violent crackdown on post-election protests and journalists continue to be arrested and harassed in Minsk and around the country.”
Radio Svaboda provided live coverage to Belarus today of a town hall meeting the delegation attended with students from the European Humanities University (EHU), a school re-located from Minsk to Vilnius in 2005 after being shut down by Belarusian authorities.
Since the widely criticized December 2010 elections, a growing number of Belarusian media outlets have been shut down. As a result, Radio Svaboda’s audience has increased dramatically. In a single day shortly after the election, the station’s website received a 20-fold increase in page views over normal daily traffic. In January 2011, visitors to Radio Svaboda’s website viewed a total of 2.4 million pages of content, reflecting a five-fold increase over the same period in 2010.
Recently, graffiti has started showing up in Belarus with Radio Svaboda’s website address prominently visible. “I will not keep silent,” reads one wall of graffiti in Minsk. “The truth is on the Internet – svaboda.org.”
7 February 2011
India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry yesterday set the deadline to shift from analogue to digital systems as 31 March 2015, The Times of India reported.
The proposal has been sent to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and will subsequently be put before the Union Cabinet for approval.
Digitisation, where the feed will be received through set-top boxes, is expected to be executed in phases and the four metropolitan areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai have to shift to digital addressability by 31 March 2012.
Phase II will include 35 cities with population of more than one million, such as Patna, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore by 31 March 2013. All urban areas are expected to digitise by 30 November 2014 and the remaining areas, by 31 March 2015.
“Digitisation will help industry grow at an accelerated speed. It is the key to (resolving) problems like distribution bottlenecks and under-declaration, leading to loss of subscription revenue that broadcasters face today,” said Zee News CEO Barun Das.
Broadcast regulator TRAI had recommended that phase I be digitised by March this year. The ministry had postponed this deadline by a year.
Industry insiders said digitisation would bring prices down, not just that of set-top boxes, but also carriage fees, by as much as half. (Source: ABU website)
7 February 2011
The Broadcasting Board of Governors strongly condemns the recent threats of violence leveled against journalists reporting for Alhurra Television in Egypt. Unidentified individuals entered Alhurras Cairo news bureau earlier today and threatened to kill Alhurras two on-air journalists Akram Khuzam and Tarek El Shamy if they didnt leave the building. The bureau was immediately closed. Similar threats were made at the production facility for Alhurras flagship program Al Youm. The staff had not yet arrived for the show and the unidentified individuals eventually left the building.
In addition, a pamphlet circulating currently throughout Cairo calls for government supporters to attack Alhurra and Al-Jazeera journalists. Just yesterday, one of Alhurra’s correspondents was harassed by pro-Mubarak protesters before leaving him in the streets of Cairo.
We recognize that many media organizations face similar threats and acts of violence and call upon the Egyptian government and security forces to permit journalists to report on events without fear of reprisal, said Walter Isaacson, chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees all U.S. international broadcasting including Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa. Alhurra and Radio Sawa are crucial sources of information about the unfolding events in Egypt. The freedom for our team, along with other news outlets, to report the news is essential to restoring order in a tumultuous environment.
While regular bureau activities have been relocated, Alhurra continues to have exclusive live shots of Tahrir square and reports via telephone from eyewitnesses in the square and elsewhere in downtown Cairo. The situation in Cairo is chaotic and it is hard to tell who is behind the attacks against journalists. After its overt suppression of access to the Internet and other social media in the early days of citizen protest, the Egyptian Ministry of Information has begun to interfere with journalists covering the events, limiting access to satellite uplinks, or even terminating satellite signals outright.
Despite these obstacles, Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa are providing critical live coverage of events from Cairo and Alexandria. As Egypt enters its 10th day of protests, Alhurra is broadcasting live continuous coverage, and continues to increase the use of social media to connect audiences across the Arabic-speaking world.
3 February 2011
The International News
Safety Institute has reported that news crews covering the violent clashes
in Egypt are facing increased threats to their safety, amid reports that a
growing number are being targeted by protesters loyal to President Hosni
Mubarak, angry at the foreign media’s coverage of the situation in the country.
Al Jazeera has had its offices in the country closed, while Al Arabiya reported
that one of its correspondents, Ahmed Bagatu, was injured.
But, even though some government supporters are said to have been carrying
placards saying ‘Down with Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, other non-Arab news
organisations have been attacked.
The Associated Press said two of its correspondents had been "roughed up" by
the crowd.
A Belgian reporter on Wednesday was arrested, beaten and accused of being a
spy by men in plain clothes in the central Cairo neighborhood of Choubra.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that four Israeli reporters had also been
arrested.
CNN reported that an Egyptian reporter for Al-Arabiya went missing. He was
beaten and handed over to Egyptian military. It said that journalists from the
BBC, ABC News and CNN were also attacked. Among them were CNN’s Hala Gorani and
Anderson Cooper, who said he was hit on the head by a protester.
Hala Gorani was quoted as saying, "I got slammed against the gates and was
threatened by one of the pro-Mubarak protesters who was … telling me to ‘get
out, get out!’ and saying it very close to my face. The pro-Mubaraks, whoever
they are, whoever sent them, are being threatening toward camera crews,
journalists, anybody who looks like they may be onlookers. Some of the elements
there are rather thuggish and they seem to be intent on causing trouble."
NBC News’ Richard Engel said, in a message on Twitter, that journalists in
Cairo had been "mobbed on the streets" by people angry with foreign press
coverage.
A spokesman for the US State Department PJ Crowley also took to Twitter to
say it was "concerned about detentions and attacks" on the media, saying that
"the civil society that Egypt wants to build includes a free press"
INSI advises all journalists covering civil disturbances to plan accordingly and
take appropriate precautions. The following information may help:
CIVIL DISTURBANCE CHECKLIST
Plan in advance
Establish pre-arranged contact points with the rest of your team
(photographer, camera operator, producer, etc.) if you are separating
Always carry press identification but conceal it if it attracts unwarranted
attention
Bring a cellular phone with emergency numbers pre-set for speed dialling
Position yourself upwind if there is a possibility that tear gas will be
used
Bring eye protection such as swimming goggles or industrial eye protection
Carry first aid kits and know how to use them
Wear loose natural fabric clothing as this will not burn as readily as
synthetic ones; remember there is always the possibility of gasoline bombs being
exploded
Carry a small backpack with enough food and water to last for a day in case
you are unable to get out of the area
If you are a reporter you dont have to be in the crowd as long as you can
see whats happening
If you are a photographer or camera operator, try to shoot from a higher
vantage point
The use of flats and buildings to report is common-place, but ensure exit is
possible and does not become obstructed.
Work with the team and keep a mental map of your escape route if things turn
bad
Have an immediate newsroom debriefing after the coverage to extract lessons
from the coverage
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
1. Baseball Bump cap (Head Protection in style of Baseball Cap)
2. Standard Eyeshields
3. Goggles (Protection against Tear Gas)
4. Footwear — boots with non-stick sole and ankle protection
5. Personal First Aid Kit
6. Knee Pads
7. Ear Plugs
Also consider:
1. Stab Resistant Vest
2. Flame Retardant Spray
3. Flame retardant Underwear
4. Steel Toe Cap Footwear
5. Hi-Visibility Vest
6. Hand Protection
