On World Press Freedom Day, RFE/RL pays video tribute to journalists working in some of the world’s most dangerous and restrictive environments to report news and document censorship, despite a glaring lack of basic media freedoms.
According to Freedom House’s “Freedom of the Press 2012” report, 13 of RFE/RL’s broadcast countries are classified as “Not Free” and another eight as “Partly Free.”
Featured in RFE/RL’s video is investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who has drawn worldwide support from media and human rights organizations after she was targeted in a recent blackmail campaign, believed to be retaliation for her reporting on corruption in Azerbaijan, a country that ranks 172 out of 197 on Freedom House’s list of overall media freedom.
“Khadija’s case reminds us that there is still significant progress to be made on press freedom around the globe,” said RFE/RL President Steve Korn. “From Belarus to Iran, and across Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan and Pakistan, RFE/RL journalists and their colleagues face intimidation or worse on a daily basis.”
Earlier this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the latest edition of its “Enemies of the Internet” report which included RFE/RL target countries Iran, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. A recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also listed Iran, Belarus, and Uzbekistan among its list of the ten most censored countries in the world.
“Despite being banned and blocked there, hundreds of thousands of Iranians every month find a way to get news and information from RFE/RL’s Radio Farda,” adds Korn. “As our audiences in places like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus can attest, people who want accurate news and information will find a way to get it, no matter what restrictions are placed on them.”
The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum is a congress with international reach held every year in Bonn. It draws media representatives from around the world – including many of Deutsche Welle partners – and people from the fields of politics, culture, business, development cooperation and science. DW is a member of the AIB.
The Associated Press has unveiled the beta version of AP Video Hub, a state-of-the-art global platform for the online delivery of broadcast-quality video news. The beta launch reflects the increase in demand for video news from a growing segment of customers — online publishers. The new platform delivers video news from AP’s journalists in the field to digital customers’ desktops, faster and easier than ever before.
AP Video Hub (www.apvideohub.com) will give access to AP’s broadcast-quality world news, entertainment, SNTV (sports) and lifestyle video. In an industry-first platform, curators will select and promote breaking news content together with relevant footage from AP’s historic archive, allowing the development of richer online storytelling for customers who until now have lacked easy access to this kind of content.
Users of the platform benefit from AP’s established video newsgathering infrastructure. Breaking news from the field gets to Video Hub fast, via mobile satellite uplinks and a network of video news bureaus around the world, using the latest generation of video editing, compression and transmission tools.
The interface design is simple and intuitive for users, making accessing content easy. Unique functionality includes a “follow” stories feature that alerts users via Twitter as new content on the story arrives. Curated topic pages, quick video previews, one-click download direct to desktop and real-time search content filters are additional features that have been incorporated into the platform.
AP has designed Video Hub specifically for digital publishers and has developed the site in conjunction with some of the world’s leading newspapers.
“We believe AP Video Hub gives customers the ability to access broadcast-quality video news even if they don’t have the technical infrastructure to handle satellite news feeds,” said Sue Brooks, AP director of video transformation. “AP Video Hub will enable them to do this as quickly and easily as large broadcasters do already. We expect AP Video Hub customers to be online video producers for a newspaper, journalists at a regional news agency and news-centric websites. Their needs and work flow are at the heart of the way AP Video Hub has been conceived. Features such as the curated topic pages and ‘follow’ functionality make this an unbeatable and unique proposition.”
Senior Vice President Daisy Veerasingham, who heads AP’s video business internationally, said: “AP Video Hub represents a major opportunity for the AP. Video news is no longer the sole preserve of terrestrial and satellite broadcasters and AP Video Hub addresses this with an offering for the rapidly growing segment of the media market – online video news. Overall AP estimates that over the next few years the value of the online video news market across Europe and Asia will continue to grow by up to 13 percent and 16 percent, respectively, per year.”
Veerasingham added: “This launch forms a key part of our video business transformation program — a multimillion-dollar upgrade to transform our entire video business to ensure we maintain our leadership in video news. The investment is providing AP customers with a wider range of options in how they receive video content, both in the traditional broadcast market and on digital platforms. Not only will all of AP’s video news be fully HD by the end of May, but we will also be able to deliver it on more platforms than ever before.”
The beta version launched today is already being used by charter customers, including some of the world’s leading news sites. Further functionality will be added over the coming months with the full production release scheduled for Summer 2012.
For further information:
Paul Colford
Director of AP Media Relations
+1 212.621.1895
Sky News Arabia, the 24-hour Arabic language multi-platform breaking news service, will launch on 6th May, 2012.
The channel, which promises “a new horizon” for news reporting across the Arab world, will be available on Transponder 14 on Arabsat Badr 4, Transponder 15 on Nilesat 201, on du IPTV and e-Life platforms plus in high definition on the OSN pay-TV platform.
The announcement was made during a press conference held by the head of the channel, Nart Bouran, at Sky News Arabia’s state of the art studios in Abu Dhabi.
Commenting on the launch of the channel, Bouran said: “The Sky News Arabia idea was born more than two years ago. Our aim has been to create an impartial and independent breaking news channel for the Arab world across multiple platforms. It has been a huge collaborative team effort resulting in the most technically advanced news operation in the region. We have nearly 400 of the best journalists, reporters, presenters, producers and broadcast technicians working together to create an unparalleled news channel.’
“Sky News Arabia will offer the MENA region a fresh approach to television news with an independent editorial mandate at the heart of everything we do.”
The channel is supported by an Editorial Advisory Committee – a first for the region – to ensure Sky News Arabia delivers fair, accurate, consistent and independent news.
The Editorial Advisory Committee is made up of a variety of voices from the UK, US and UAE. Committee members are:
Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan, Chief Executive, Arab Strategy Forum
Roger Alton, Executive Editor, The Times
Chris Birkett, Executive Editor, Sky News
Ahmed Al Blooshi, Director General, Emirates Media Inc
Nart Bouran, Head of Sky News Arabia
Martin Edelman, Of Counsel, Paul Hastings LLP
James Zogby, Author of Arab Voices and Founder & President of the Arab American Institute
James Zogby, Chairman of the Editorial Advisory Committee, commented: “We are looking forward to working with Sky News Arabia to support the channel’s aim to present an independent evaluation of the news agenda, free of external influence. It will have clear, unambiguous standards, upheld by an editorial charter that sets the framework for world-class news delivery as well as creating a new culture for Arab journalism.”
The Sky News Arabia digital news platform has been active since the website, www.skynewsarabia.com , launched in Beta format in February, and social media channels have attracted more than 100,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter.
The broadcast platform has been in 24-hour rehearsals ahead of launch and recently revealed the 16 presenters from across the MENA region who will anchor the channel. The presenters were chosen following a rigorous interview process and in-depth market research, each having the experience and personality to reinforce Sky News Arabia’s dynamic approach to delivering the best live news coverage as it happens.”
German media regulator BLM has told satellite operator to cease carrying Tehran-based news channel Press TV.
The move was expected after the channel lost its UK broadcasting licence in January 2012. Under European broadcasting legislation, a channel with a valid licence in one EU Member State can be uplinked from, or distributed in, any Member State. However, if a channel does not hold a licence in a Member State, it is not authorised to by carried on services based in an EU country.
The Astra Press TV service on the 19.2E satellite was switched off on 3 April.
Press TV remains accessible via its web streaming service.
Following a successful first season, and after a flood of viewer requests and positive social media polls, MBC has announced the immediate production of a second season of “04”.
Since January, viewers have been witnessing the dramatic struggles of 4 young housemates (Ziad, Abdel Aziz, Wisam and Hassan) living in the cosmopolitan city of Dubai. As well as dealing with their own cultural differences each has been seeking to fulfill their aspirations and dreams away from home and their loved ones.
The show has seen a rapidly growing fan base online and is the first to deliver a unique ‘transmedia’ experience for its viewers who literally watch as 04’s characters continue to live outside of the confines of their primetime 30min television slot on MBC4. Fans have been able to engage with these characters through social media sites and last week even saw evidence of the housemates celebrating the birthday of Abdel Aziz – cake, candles and all. Needless to say, hundreds joined in with messages wishing him the best for the year ahead too.
Following the finale of Season 1, many of those online fans from across the region have been expressing their desire for more of this type of multi-platform entertainment. MBC are assuring fans from Egypt and the thousands of other loyal followers of the show that they’ve heard their requests and will exceed their expectations with another season full of surprises and drama – both on and off-screen.
04 is a joint production between MBC Group Content, 03 Productions and BPG Group, who are partnering as marketing, creative, digital and target audience consultants.
About MBC4
MBC4 is the Arab world’s first exclusive tailored channel for Women and young Arab Families. It broadcasts the latest in top-rated Western content entertainment in addition to locally produced flagship programming. The channel airs prime-time shows such as Dr. Oz, The Doctors, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, Ringer, The Secret Circle, and The Good Wife, among other popular Turkish Drama soaps dubbed into Arabic.
Today, the channel is more geared towards MBC Group’s own local flagship productions, as well as towards some acquired Arabic content from across the MENA region. MBC4 successfully aired the biggest production ever in the Arab TV history: “ARABS GOT TALENT” and is currently in production for Season 2. Moreover, MBC4 has recently reached a social media milestone by exceeding 1 million fans on the Channel’s official page on Facebook.
As of 2012, MBC4 has started delivering the latest in Western entertainment, airing the same time as in the US.
