21 May 2009
Volume 12 - 2003 Issue 32 (12 Aug 2003)
United States
Index on Censorship, the quarterly magazine on freedom of expression, has devoted its latest issue to America, a country where free speech is considered sacred yet now appears "inconvenient or unpatriotic" in the wake of September 11. "Rewriting America" looks at the most powerful country in the world through the words of local people on the frontlines of free expression.
Swaziland
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the International Press Institute (IPI) have expressed concern over the Swaziland government's move to impose a new law critics say is an effort to muzzle investigative reporting.
Togo
ARTICLE 19 has released a new report calling on the Togolese government to repeal laws introduced in 2002 that have been actively used to silence government criticism. The report says the laws ? which prohibit false news, criminalise defamation and require the licensing of journalists ? violate international standards on freedom of expression and should be scrapped immediately.
Tonga
Concerns are mounting in Tonga over moves by the government to restrict press freedom, including a new law aimed at shutting down the country's only independent newspaper, reports the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA).
Brazil
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) will hold a conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 29 August, bringing judges and journalists from all across Brazil to dialogue on press-freedom issues.
International
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) has released its latest biannual Case List of attacks against writers and journalists around the world, noting that more than 700 attacks occurred in the first six months of 2003.
Mexico
The Organization of American States' Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, will visit Mexico from 18 to 26 August to assess the state of free expression there, reports the Rapporteur's Office.
12 August 2003
International
For civil society organisations involved in Internet Communication Technologies (ICT) development, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) presents an opportunity to open up debates on policy issues on both the world stage and on national levels, says the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
Ukraine
Internews has announced the launch of a major program to support independent media in Ukraine, following the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s awarding of a five-year grant to the media development organisation.
International
A judge in Mozambique has won the MISA Press Freedom Award for his contribution to the promotion of press freedom in southern Africa, reports the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).
International
Sheila Coronel, the executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), has been awarded the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts, reports the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).