adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Media

Pakistan media mogul granted bail after 200 days in detention – Al Jazeera English

Published

 on


The arrest of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, editor-in-chief of the Jang Group, in March was seen as an attack on press freedom.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has granted bail to the owner of one of the country’s largest media groups, after a months-long detention condemned by rights groups as suppression of the press.

“The court has granted bail to Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, he is going to be released after spending more than 200 days in detention”, Rana Jawad, Geo TV’s director of news, told AFP news agency on Monday.

300x250x1

Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman’s Jang Group, which includes some of Pakistan’s biggest newspapers and the Geo television network, has frequently been critical of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government as well as the country’s powerful military.

He was arrested in March over alleged corruption in a land transaction dating back to 1986, an accusation denied by his representatives who in turn alleged that Pakistan’s corruption watchdog targeted him because Rehman’s media group looked into the agency’s workings.

Last week, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on Pakistan’s supreme court to order Rehman’s release, saying he was being held on a “spurious charge”.

Employees work at the newsroom of Geo News television channel in Karachi, Pakistan April 11, 2018 [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

RSF added Rehman’s group was targeted because its journalists “dare to tackle stories that are supposed to be off-limits”.

Pakistan routinely ranks among the world’s most dangerous countries for media workers and criticism of the country’s powerful security establishment has long been seen as a red line.

Journalists and bloggers have complained of intimidation tactics, including kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross that line.

Last month, a Geo journalist briefly went missing after reporting on the controversial arrest of an opposition politician.

Geo News, which has been critical of both the government and the army, has faced several brief broadcast suspensions.

In recent years, the space for dissent has shrunk further, with the government announcing a crackdown on social networks and traditional media houses decrying pressure from authorities, which they say has resulted in widespread self-censorship.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Media

CTV National News: Social media giants sued – CTV News

Published

 on


[unable to retrieve full-text content]

CTV National News: Social media giants sued  CTV News

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Media

India’s media – captured and censored

Published

 on

Across almost every form of media in India – social, broadcast and print – Narendra Modi and the BJP hold sway.

With India amid a national election campaign, its news media is in sharp focus. Until recently it was believed that the sheer diversity of outlets ensured a range of perspectives, but now, India’s mainstream media has largely been co-opted by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just how did the media in India get to this point and what does it mean for the upcoming elections?

Featuring:

Ravish Kumar – Former Host, NDTV
Shashi Shekhar Vempati – Former CEO, Prasar Bharati
Pramod Raman – Chief Editor, MediaOne
Amy Kazmin – Former South Asia Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Meena Kotwal – Founder, The Mooknayak

300x250x1

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Media

Social media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards

Published

 on

Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against multiple social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.

The school boards, including three in the Greater Toronto Area, have launched lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the owner of both Facebook and Instagram, for creating products that they allege negligently interfere with student learning and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”

But at an unrelated news conference in Ottawa on Friday, Ford said that he “disagrees” with the legal action and worries it could take the focus away from “the core values of education.”

“Let’s focus on math, reading and writing. That is what we need to do, put all the resources into the kids,” he said. “What are they spending lawyers fees to go after these massive companies that have endless cash to fight this? Let’s focus on the kids, not this other nonsense that they are looking to fight in court.”

300x250x1

Four separate but similar statements of claim were filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of JusticSocial media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges,” Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education with the Toronto District School Board, said in a news release issued Thursday.

“It is imperative that we take steps to ensure the well-being of our youth. We are calling for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation.”

The school boards are represented by Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP and the news release states that school boards “will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached.”

These lawsuits come as hundreds of school districts in the United States file similar suits.

“A strong education system is the foundation of our society and our community. Social media products and the changes in behaviour, judgement and attention that they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” Duncan Embury, the head of litigation at Neinstein LLP, said in the new release.

“We are proud to support our schools and students in this litigation with the goal of holding social media giants accountable and creating meaningful change.”

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending