Trinidad & Tobago: Dishonesty in advertising · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Trinidad blogger Mani wonders how the people behind a new energy drink being subtly advertised as having the power to alleviate the effect of alcohol can sleep at night.


No, Nehru did not write a letter to Attlee calling Bose as ‘a war criminal’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 24, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with an image of a letter claiming that Nehru has written a letter to Attlee on the whereabouts of Subhas Chandra Bose and asking him to take the necessary action. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Nehru wrote a letter to the then British Prime Minister Clement Attlee telling him that Bose, a ‘British War Criminal’, is in Russia and asking him to take necessary action, which he may deem fit.
Fact: No, the letter in the post was not written by Nehru to Attlee. In the letter, there are many spelling mistakes, which are not expected to be there in a letter written to a country’s PM. Ramachandra Guha in an interview to India Today called it, “a dubious claim by a witness seeking publicity before the Khosla Commission in 1970.” Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When looked for any related information on Google with keywords ‘Nehru letter to Attlee on Bose’, many newspaper articles on this issue can be found in the search results. According to an article in BBC News, the Nehru letter on Subhas Chandra Bose is ‘fake’.
Also, the famous historian, Ramachandra Guha in an interview to India Today told that the letter being circulated on social media is fake as it is just a testimony given by a man to Khosla Commission in 1970 that Nehru has dictated the letter to him in 1945. Some of the reasons given by Guha to call it a ‘fake’ letter:
Also, an article by Times of India pointing out the spelling mistakes in the article can be found in the search results.
This issue has been in circulation from the last three years and it has been previously fact-checked by others like AltNews, DNA News, The Quint, etc.  To sum it up, Nehru did not write a letter to Attlee calling Bose as ‘a war criminal’.
Did you watch the first Episode of DECODE series on Parliament?


INEC Insists C’river Rec’s Resignation Is Unacceptable - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 4
August 17, 2019
TheIndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC says  the process in which the Resident ElectoralCommissioner in Cross River, Frankland Briyai, resigned to join partisanpolitics, is unacceptable.
Thecommission, in a statement issued in Abuja, quoted INEC National Commissionerand Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, asmaking the clarification.
Okoyemade the clarification at the opening of a National Strategy Meeting onCapturing Disaggregated Data of Persons with Disabilities.
Hesaid that alhough Briyai had the right to join a political party and to contestelection, the way he made public his intention to join partisan politics wasnot comply with due process.
Okoyealso said that contrary to reports that INEC had removed him, the commissiononly withdrew the powers conferred on him.
Thenational commissioner said the truth is that the commission does not have thepower to sack or dismiss any REC because it is not the appointing authority.
He said  that all INEC RECs  were appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by  Senate and could only be removed in the same process.


Older Persons’ Rights: Coalition Calls For Passage Of Bill - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
September 24, 2019
TheCoalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria has canvassedthe passage of Rights of Older Persons’Bill to protect their rights in thecountry.
TheCoalition’s Secretary General May Ikokwu who  made the call in Abuja saidthat the bill had been pending at the National Assembly, waiting for approval.
Sheexplained that if passed, the bill would address the challenges of retiredworkers and the elderly in the country.
Ikokwusaid the coalition drafted a comprehensive bill that will take care of theplight of the elderly, that addresses the issues concerning older persons notonly suffering but also invisibility and blocked opportunities for the retiredbut not tired.”
Theolder persons’ rights advocate noted that the approval of the bill would givecomfort to the elderly in the society.
Itwas reported that in other climes like U.S. and Europe, the older personsrights are well-protected and their needs provided, as backed by law.


Bolivia: New Video Campaign Seeks to Boost Tourism · Global Voices
Pablo Andres Rivero

‘Bolivia Awaits You’ is the name of a promotional campaign recently launched by the government of Bolivia. The campaign seeks to boost tourism and focuses on a promotional spot to be broadcast on television networks [es] in the Americas and Europe. It also aims to promote domestic tourism through the United by Tourism programme [es].
Bolivia's government announced that it will invest 20 million US dollars in the next five years in order to strengthen and promote community-based tourism [es] that will primarily benefit indigenous communities. The website www.bolivia.travel is part of the campaign. It concentrates information as well as touristic links of interest.
Netizens immediately reacted to the campaign on social media platforms.
Juan Pablo Apaza commented [es] on the Viceministry of Tourism's Facebook page [es]:
excelente, me dieron ganas de viajar!!
Also, YouTube user hx939 commented on the campaign's official YouTube channel:
Realmente nuestro país es hermoso muchas felicidades por el esfuerzo para promosionarlo y mostrar nuestros bellos paisajes y cultura. Dejemos de ver lo negativo en nuestras producciones y apoyemos el esfuerzo que hacen los demás en representación de todos los bolivianos.


Oil Sector: President Buhari To Inaugurate Dangote Refinery, May 22 - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (A.M)
May 9, 2023
Bashir Ahmad was quoted in a tweet on his Twitter handle, as saying, “efforts by the Federal Government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in local refining of crude oil to save the scarce foreign exchange used in the importation of petroleum products have received a boost as the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, is set for inauguration on May 22nd, 2023, by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The Dangote Refinery complex is located in the Lekki Free Zone area of Lagos. The refinery is the biggest in Africa and also the biggest single-train refinery in the world.
A single-train refinery uses an integrated distillation unit or one crude distillation unit to refine crude oil into various petroleum products, as against the use of multiple distillation units by most big refineries.


Community Heroes: COVID-19 couldn’t stop program that teaches young kids how to read | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
June 8, 2020
Typically “Read with Me” volunteers read with children in person, but now the program has shifted online. (Photo provided by Next Door)
Editor’s note: This story updates the number of videos submitted by reading volunteers.
Editor’s note: At the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, we intentionally celebrate ordinary people who do extraordinary things. We are especially interested in our neighbors who are making a difference as we all deal with the effects of COVID-19. Please let us know by emailing us at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>and put “Community Heroes” in the subject line.
Like parents everywhere, Alicia Lewis wants to make sure her 3-year-old son Matthias continues to learn during the pandemic.
And she’s found one resource with Next Door’s “Read with Me” program, which has been forced to go virtual.
“Typically, this would take place in person in our classroom,” said Jackie Shanti, who oversees the distribution of books within Milwaukee’s central city as the Books for Kids program coordinator at Next Door, an early education provider. “But even though that is not an option anymore, we still want to stay connected with our kids and keep them engaged.”
The nonprofit Next Door serves thousands of Milwaukee children up to age 5. “Read with Me” grew out of the larger “Books for Kids” program, which after 30 years has distributed over 2 million books to teachers and Next Door families, Shanti said.
Even if kids can’t read, the program allows them to hear the cadence of another person’s speech, familiarize themselves with the tactile experience of reading a book and lets them expand their vocabulary at a critical time in their development, Shanti said.
Next Door volunteers read with children to promote early literacy. (Photo provided by Next Door)
“It’s a comforting, secure situation for our kids that builds vocabulary and exposes them to different rhythms of speech,” Shanti said. “These are real, fundamental skills our children need to have to be good readers.”
Before COVID-19, Next Door hosted 60 to 65 volunteers for its “Read with Me” program at its locations on North 29th Street and West Capitol Drive.
When Next Door halted in-person services in March due to COVID-19, it was no longer an option to have community members come in to read. But after volunteers continued to ask how they could stay involved, Next Door put the program online.
Now, volunteers can record themselves reading a book for families to enjoy at home. So far, the organization has received 62 videos from 42 readers. Parents can access the videos through Next Door’s website.
“The biggest worry for me was trying to figure out how to sit him down,” said Lewis of the ease of using the reading videos with her son. Lewis also teaches at Next Door. “It felt like it does in person.”
For volunteers like Peter Blenski, a librarian at Hartland Public Library who has been telling stories to children at libraries he’s worked at for over five years, the “Read with Me” program provides an opportunity to give back. Blenski, who has volunteered with “Read with Me” for over four years, was one of the first to post a video of himself reading “Penguin Problems” by Jory John and illustrated by Lane Smith.
“It’s an easy way to make an impact on someone’s life with very little commitment,” Blenski said. “I was struggling to find a way to give back that was meaningful both to the community and myself, but I’ve definitely found it here.”
Blenski said continuing the program virtually is just as much about maintaining some sense of regularity as it is about the books themselves.
“Beyond modelling good reading habits and showing that you can have fun with a book, it is important to have some level of consistency at a young age-especially in times like these where everything seems so up in the air,” he said.
Though the “Read with Me” program is adapting well to its new virtual home, Shanti said it needs more multicultural books.
“We want our children to see themselves in our books,” she said. Over 90% of Next Door families are black, said Max Seigle, Next Door’s communications and marketing director.
If you have books you are looking to get rid of, Next Door always is taking donations for its library. She said the nonprofit also needs volunteers to post videos of themselves reading a book to contribute to the virtual “Read with Me” collection. If you’re interested, follow Next Door’s submission guidelines or email Max Seigle at mseigle@nextdoormke.org


Honduras: Celebrating Growth, Because “Blogging is Hard” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Edwin Francisco Herrera Paz from the blog La Honduras Valiente [es] (“The Brave Honduras”) celebrates 23,000 visits in 30 days and admits that blogging is hard. Edwin originally created La Honduras Valiente to record his thoughts on the June 2009 coup against Manuel Zelaya; now he also discusses other issues, like religion and evolution.


Bhutan: No Uncontested Winners In Election · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhutanese democracy has an unique system. Tshering Tobgay informs that according to the constitution of the country voters have the right to accept or reject a candidate through vote even if that candidate is the only candidate in that constituency.


Philippines: Typhoon Milenyo · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Manuel Quezon in Philippines rounds up the typhoon Milenyo stories from the papers and the blogs. The typhoon, knows as Xangsane internationally struck the Philippines on wednesday and is now moving north towards China.


Russia: Pieces by Illarionov and Gevorkyan · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

La Russophobe posts two translations: pieces by Andrei Illarionov and Natalya Gevorkyan.


Explainer: How to get your own Postal Stamp?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 21, 2019
With the advent of
technology, usage of postal stamps or postal products for communication has
decreased substantially. The Department of Posts now has a ‘My Stamp’
initiative that aims at encouraging people to buy customized stamps. Here is an
explainer of this initiative.
Commemorating the establishment ofUniversal Postal Union, 09 October every year is celebrated as World Post Day. India Postcelebrates National Postal
Week from 09 October to 15 October every year byorganising wide variety of programs ranging from exhibitions to competitions inorder to spread awareness on postal services and schemes. With the advent oftechnology, postal services are witnessing a decline in demand sincecommunication has become quick and simple. The annual reports of the Departmentof Posts reveal that the revenue from sale of stamps has reduced substantiallyover the last few years. The revenue from sale of stamps decreased from Rs.470.9 crore in 2016-17 to just Rs. 78.3 crore in 2018-19, a drop of more than80%.
The My Stamp scheme throughwhich personalised stamps are sold was launched to promote use of stamps in thecurrent technological era.  This storyprovides an explanation of the ‘My Stamp’ initiative.
Personalised
stamps of face value Rs.5 each are available for all under My Stamp scheme
World Philatelic Exhibition, INDIPEX was organised byIndia Post (Department of Posts) in 2011 where My Stamp scheme was launchedin the country for the first time. My Stamp is the brand name for the businessdevelopment of postal department. Anyone can have his/her thumbnail photograph beit their own photograph or that of family, artwork, tourist spots, wildlife,flowers, historical monument, logos or anything else, alongside a thematic commemorative
postage stamp as per their choice. The stamp, which has avalue of Rs.5, can be used for domestic postage.
For commemorative
stamps, a proposal has to be sent to the PhilatelyAdvisory Committee two years in advance. The proposal is scrutinised by thecommittee which decides whether or not it will be recommended. Unlikecommemorative stamps which have to undergo a tedious process, getting apersonalised My Stamp is simple and takes only a few minutes to process.
There are dozens of options forcustomers to choose from the thematic commemorative stamp which will beaccompanying their photograph. Some examples are Indian monuments such as TajMahal, Red Fort, Mysore Palace, Qutb Minar, and Hawa Mahal, flowers such asCineraria, Dahlia, Lilly and Pansy, butterflies and even Fairy Queen, theheritage locomotive of India.
Stamp
sheets with the customer’s photograph is made on submitting required documents
and payment of fee.
My Stamp is available at select post offices, philatelybureaux, philatelic museums and tourist spots. The My Stamp order
form has to be filled by the customer. Details suchas name, address, contact details and ID proof should be filled. Governmentrecognised valid ID Proof is mandatory at the time of placing the order.Photograph (square shape), which is to be added to the stamp, should not beoffensive or one that contravenes law. It can be either sent to or clicked atthe select post offices. The stamp sheets should be collected within a week. Thecost of one My Stamp sheet is Rs. 300 and each sheet has twelve stamps. Thereare discounts for those placing bulk orders. A Lok Sabha answer stated that in2016-17, postal department estimated earnings of approximately Rs. 87 croresthrough My Stamp.
Authorised
personnel should apply for corporate entities on their letter pad
As per the postal department’s website,educational institutions and corporate entities can also get their own stamp.For corporate customers, an authorised signatory has to apply along withhis/her valid ID proof on the official letter pad. Logos/images of corporateentities can also be incorporated in their stamp. It is mandatory for corporatecustomers to place an order of at least 500 sheets.
Government
provides scholarship under ‘Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana’ to promote philately
Though postage stamps were originallycreated as small pieces of paper to mark the receipt of postage, stamps serve avariety of purposes. They highlight a nation’s achievements, depict importantmilestones, promote national heritage among other things. In addition to this,there are stamps that honour eminent personalities and leaders of the country.Stamps convey a lot of valuable information about a place, person, history andculture through time. To encourage school children to collect stamps, thegovernment also awards annual scholarship of Rs. 6000 to school children under Deen Dayal SPARSH
Yojana (Scholarshipfor Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby is the full form of SPARSH).
My Stamp initiative not only acts as ameans of revenue generation for the postal department but also gives the peoplea memorable souvenir which can be cherished for a life time.


NABTEB releases results of Nov/Dec exams | EduCeleb
12th May 2021
The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), has announced the release of results of the November/December examinations.
The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the NABTEB, Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, made the disclosure at the national headquarters of NABTEB in Benin, while announcing the release of the results, in company with other top officials of the board.
She disclosed that 75.72 per cent of the total number of candidates (21,175) that sat for the examinations obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics, while 92.42 per cent (25,844 candidates) scored five credits and above, with or without English Language and Mathematics.
She called for increased emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at all levels in Nigeria, stressing that TVET was to train the youths and adults alike, preparing them to develop relevant skills needed for today’s labour market and for academic progression.
The registrar/CEO pointed out that the global economy offered Nigeria new opportunities to adopt TVET, technology and science as veritable tools for national growth and development.
Isiugo-Abanihe stated that the 2020 Ordinary and Advanced Level Certificate examinations for private candidates of NABTEB were for the award of National Business Certificate (NBC)/National Technical Certificate (NTC), Advanced National Business Certificate (ANBC)/Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC), and the General Education Certificate (GEC, O/L).
She said, “It is gratifying to note that despite the ravaging effects of COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the postponement of both the 2020 May/June and November/December certificate examinations, NABTEB was able to successfully conduct the two series of the examinations.
“The so-called November/December examinations were conducted nationwide from Monday, January 25, to Friday, February 19, 2021. I thank the Almighty God for making this possible, in spite of increased challenges of insecurity across the nation and second wave of Coronavirus Disease.”
The registrar/CEO also stated that NABTEB had continued to carry out successfully credible examinations every year, despite all odds, while it continued to strengthen its quality assurance mechanisms, including measures to checkmate examination malpractice.
She said, “For the examinations under reference, 250 candidates, representing 0.77 per cent of the total candidates that sat for the examinations were found to be involved in examination malpractice.
“This is an improvement, compared with 603 candidates (1.23 per cent of the total candidates that sat for the 2019 November/December certificate examinations) that were established to have been involved in examination malpractice.
“The board will continue to make more efforts by stepping up training of examination personnel and use of technology to further check examination fraud.”


FCDA Celebrates Three Directors as They Retire From Service - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (A.M)
March 11, 2024
The Federal Capital Development Authority on Thursday 7 March 2024 threw a farewell party to honour three of it’s retiring directors after 35 years of service.
The Directors include, Barr. Isa bin Abdullahi Director legal services FCDA,  Engr. Bello A. Tunau Director department of Engineering design and evaluation FCDA, Arc. Adebowale Olugbadebo Ademo FNIA Director public building FCDA.
The executive secretary, Mr Shehu Ahmad, said  during the event in Abuja, that “the retirees were celebrated as members of the FCDA family and for their unending contributions to the development of the federal capital.”
He also said at the event that, “The gentlemen we are celebrating today have unblemished, satisfactorily, and committed service to their father land and have been here for 35 years, knowing nothing other than coming to serve in the FCDA.
The executive director further said that, the exit of the three directors comes with a mixed feeling, as these are gentlemen who have gone through all the rudiments of training and have acquired all the skills and expertise in their various fields and have improved the service.
The executive secretary finally urged the retirees to consider floating consultancy outfits, making their expertise available for FCDA consultations.


Coronavirus: WHO Says Dead Bodies Not Infectious - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
April 11, 2020
The World Health Organisation, WHOsays that except in cases of hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Marburg andcholera, dead bodies from COVID-19 are generally not infectious.
WHO said this in its interimguidance on ‘Infection Prevention and Control for safe management of a deadbody in the context of COVID-19’.
It added that only the lungs ofpatients with pandemic influenza, if handled improperly during an autopsy,could be infectious.
The World health body saidotherwise, cadavers do not transmit disease. It is a common myth that personswho have died of a communicable disease should be cremated, but this is nottrue. Cremation is a matter of cultural choice and available resources.
WHO added that to date, there was noevidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies ofpersons who died from COVID-19.
It said that people may die ofCOVID-19 in the health care facilities, home or in other locations, adding thatthe safety and well-being of everyone who tends to bodies should be the firstpriority.


India: Orkut and the Indian Police · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Writing Cave on a man in India being arrested by the police for publishing “obscene” material about a politician on Orkut.


Agencies, volunteers hit streets to count Milwaukee’s homeless population | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 28, 2015
An unidentified homeless man holds a sign asking for money at 25th Street and West St. Paul Avenue. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
A chronically homeless alcoholic veteran in his late 40s or early 50s fought for his life in a Milwaukee hospital bed as doctors warned that if he did not change his ways, he would soon be dead, recalled Bob Burmeister, a homeless advocate, describing his hospital visit with the man he knows as Fred two months ago.
“He melted down on the streets. He was in intensive care, buckled in because he was going through detox so bad,” Burmeister said.
The problems that plague Fred are similar to the pervasive challenges that confront many homeless people Burmeister encounters through Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge, an outreach organization that distributes clothes and toiletries.
“Fred chooses to be where he is and that’s part of his addiction. If he goes into the veteran’s hospital, then he won’t be able to (drink). There’s a lot of that…that’s their lifestyle and some like the lifestyle of not being responsible for anything,” Burmeister said.
The stubborn mental and physical health problems that persist among the city’s chronically homeless individuals are part of the reason the number of homeless has remained steady at 1,450 since 2009, according to data generated from point-in-time counts that occur in January and July each year.
“It’s so hard to tap into resources for individuals who have chosen to make this their life,” said Nancy Monarrez, of Milwaukee County’s Continuum of Care, a group of organizations and individuals that serve the homeless.
Nevertheless, “the number one reason for homelessness is not drugs and alcohol, but the fact that they don’t have a job to pay the bills,” Monarrez said. Burmeister also blames the relatively unchanged number of homeless on the recession, weak job market and housing market collapse during the last decade.
On Wednesday and Thursday, advocates for the homeless will be participating in “You Count,” an effort by Continuum of Care to get a statistical snapshot of all of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in the city.
The count will involve dispatching volunteers and police officers throughout the city during a 12-hour period to find and survey people who live in parks, under viaducts, along the river and in alleyways. They will also visit meal sites and shelters to survey and count the homeless. The survey consists of questions to determine demographic information and reasons for being homeless.
The increased accuracy of the homeless count over time may also explain why the overall number of homeless is not significantly decreasing, Monarrez said.
“We have been perfecting this well-oiled machine to count the homeless. The numbers haven’t gone down because perhaps our reporting has gotten better and maybe we were duplicating some counts,” she said. “I believe we have done a better job counting during the last couple of years than we have in the past.”
For the first time, homeless individuals who refuse to take the survey on Wednesday and Thursday will still be counted and volunteers will attempt to gather information about their gender, race, ethnicity and age range, Monarrez said.
“We want to address those that are falling through the cracks,” she said.
Another goal of the count will be to gain a better understanding of what causes homelessness among teenagers. Volunteers and advocates will be actively seeking out teenagers to count and survey at the Pathfinders emergency youth shelter, Monarrez said.
The information that is collected will be given to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which mandates the count and uses it to determine funding for organizations that help the homeless.
“The count helps identify issues and helps bring awareness in our community,” said Cindy Krahenbuhl, executive director of Guest House of Milwaukee, the city’s largest homeless shelter.
Agencies and advocates also use the data each year to pinpoint what resources are needed to help the homeless and identify any evolving trends, Krahenbuhl said. In addition to the data-gathering effort, one of the keys to understanding homelessness is open lines of communication among agencies, she said.
“We really need to be in partnership with the other systems…we really need the help of the police department and partnership with the mental health delivery system,” Krahenbuhl said. “It has improved a lot in the last few years and we will see it get even better as we move forward.”


Kazakhstan: Former presidential adviser released · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reports that James Giffen, adviser to the Kazakhstan president and middleman between oil companies and Nazarbayev, was accused of bribing the Kazakh officials, but now the U.S. government dropped most of the charges against him.


South Africa: Build up to the World Cup · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

With 20 days left to the the greatest spectacle showcasing the “beautiful game” in South Africa, there has been a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes and a lot of talk in the South African blogosphere on various issues surrounding the World Cup. There is Official Government site covering the World Cup where all the “official” information and updates on what is being done to prepare for the World Cup can be found.
Still not sure what exactly the World Cup is and especially clueless on any information about the World Cup 2010?  The World Cup Blog has a great Beginners’ Guide to the World Cup which covers the basics very succinctly.
First up in the blogosphere, though, let's start with traffic situation. The Portfolio Travel Blog points out various road closures which will be taking place in Cape Town around the time of the World Cup:
The City of Cape Town has released the following road closure information for all in the Mother City during the World Cup.
“Traffic will be affected on match days in Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ due to a number of necessary road closures. The City asks the public to be aware of these and to plan their routes and travel times accordingly.We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” said the City’s Director: Communication and 2010 Spokesperson, Pieter Cronje.
Public transport services have been extended as part of the City’s transport plan for the event.
“We encourage commuters to utilise these extended public transport services offered by the City,” said Peter Sole, Manager: 2010 Transport Operations.
All trains and certain train stations will have additional security for the duration of the World Cup. In addition, the use of non-motorised transport and car pooling is greatly encouraged.
You can get all the additional details on these road closures by visiting the full blog post. I hope the same is not the same for the other host cities. I'm sure this is a special case.
Keeping with the theme of transport,  The Mpumalanga Explorer highlights how the FIFA World Cup Official page is misrepresenting information about one particular town which will host a few World Cup Games, Nelspruit.
The Mpumalanga Province is regarded as one of the most tourist-friendly provinces in South Africa. Despite its close proximity to some neighbouring countries, such as Mozambique, the province is also less than three hours drive from Johannesburg and some four hours from Polokwane” Fair enough all this is factual. I am guessing that at some point along the border of Mpumalanga you could get to Polokwane in four hours, but the facts are that it would take another 2 hours from there to Nelspruit. The FIFA World Cup™ tournament games are being held in Mpumalanga, but more specifically Nelspruit which is approximately 360 km's from Johannesburg, which distance can be covered in 3 hours with no stops and no other traffic if the rules of the road are adhered to. Polokwane is another couple of hours from Johannesburg going north.
Aside from the world-acclaimed Kruger National Park which is the main tourist destination in Mpumalanga Province, very little is known about this province and its surroundings.” What utter claptrap. Mpumalanga is known for more than just the Kruger Park. Making it sound like Mpumalanga is largely unexplored and wild is foolish. The roads in Mpumalanga, specifically in the Lowveld are largely tarred. We have many tourists visiting the smaller towns like Graskop, Hazyview Sabie and Barberton because of the attractions they offer. These towns are not unknown as much as FIFA wish to claim that.
The blog does go into other inaccurate information on the FIFA World Cup page. It seems FIFA's not done it's homework on this one.
Some great news now for World Cup Ticket Holders from Capeinfo blogs…there is free Metrorail for World Cup ticket holders:
Metrorail will transport match ticket holders of the 2010 FIFA World Cup free of charge on its special dedicated trains to host stadiums.
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) will run special commuter services through its Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl intercity services during the tournament.
This is an additional special train service over and above the normal services provided, and will be synchronised according to match schedules.
Additional rail services will be scheduled to cope with the demand as government has promised that by 2010 there will be a train available every five minutes during peak times. Train services will be running between 14 and 16 hours every day.
Metrorail Gauteng Region will service a total of 12 routes namely Soccer City with 14 train sets, Coca-Cola Park with 13 train sets and Loftus Versfeld with 14 more trains.
The short routes include Pretoria to Rissik station, Johannesburg to Nasrec station, Westgate to Nasrec station as well as Westgate to Doornfontein station.
All stations will start operating from 5am to 10pm on match days while for late games, stations will operate until midnight.
Each soccer train will be staffed with a team of ten ticket officers, both to and from venue stations. One inspector or supervisor will be deployed on each soccer train.
Shosholoza Meyl, with an active coach fleet of 1 223, already runs on 19 scheduled routes stopping at 95 stations, while Metrorail services 468 stations in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban and the Eastern Cape.
Regional and cross-border train services have been revised to coincide with matches in the various host cities, this includes the scheduling of dedicated trains to matches and from outside the Gauteng region.
Passengers will be able to choose between the various products such as the Tourist Class Train Service, Economy Train Service and Premier Class.
The train services will run from Musina in Limpopo, Komatipoort, Rustenburg, Durban, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. Passengers will then connect to Metrorail trains to take them to their respective games.
Great news for World Cup enthusiasts wondering how they will be able to attend matches in different cities.
VOANews blog has a post giving a high five to the South Africa World Cup 2010 official Mascot, Zakumi.
World Cup mascots usually show a characteristic feature of the host country.  One of my objectives during my first trip to South Africa in June is to give a high-five to Zakumi, the official mascot of the 2010 World Cup.
Zakumi is a leopard, a common animal found in South Africa, and his green and gold colors represent the national colors of South Africa’s national sports teams. A high-five for you, Zakumi!
Green Point Stadium and Capetown Daily Photo's gives us a great picture of the New Green Point Stadium taken from the old one:
Covering some humorous content around the World Cup, Dizzy Dee blogs about a US broadcast which actually confused which continent the World cup will be held on:
Note the photo in the article above shows South America, while the heading over the image reads “South Africa“. Seems like there is some confusion in the US as to which continent exactly hosts the Soccer World Cup during 2010.
Kameraad Mhambi blogs about a Netherlands based group called De Zoltans, which sings a song “Zuid-Afrika” based on the tune of YMCA and is all about the World Cup, absolutely hilarious:
A friend Lizelle living in the Netherlands sent me this. A song called Zuid-Afrika about the Football World Cup.
Moenie my glo as ek sê die Hollanders is sokkerbefok nie. Check maar gewoon hier.
Not quite Die Antwoord. The Dutchies are one of the teams with a chance of lifting the cup.
Just for your information, Die Antwoord are a white South African Based Hip-Hop group which has gained tremendous popularity with their music being spread solely over the internet.  They are available on Youtube.
Bringing it all back on a more sombre note, Medialternatives blogs about Fifa, Racism and the World Cup.
FIFA continues to fund apartheid-era companies in South Africa. DSTV SUPERSPORT for example has rights to broadcast live coverage of the World Cup event in High Definition, but its holding company Sanlam/Naspers remains engaged in a lengthy labour dispute involving racism and discrimination in which gross failures in the coverage of issues affecting previously disadvantaged communities have come to light.
SuperSport channels “will provide spectators with full coverage of the World Cup event”. A DSTV official has stated: “there will be a 24-hour coverage and we will be bringing the games on High Definition (HD).” Yet millions without the luxury of HD languish in poverty caused as a result of FIFA partners.
Racism, whether in low or high definition is still racism, and apartheid however misconstrued via Satellite or Cable TV is still apartheid. FIFA should not allow its brand to be associated with a company which failed to make a submission to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
In the final report Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu questioned the sincerity of  Afrikaner-dominated  media houses such as Media24: “Is silence from that quarter to be construed as consent, conceding that it was a sycophantic handmaiden of the apartheid government?”
In the commissions findings Naspers/Media24/MNET were condemned for their complicity in the apartheid system: ‘[Naspers] chose to provide direct support for apartheid and the activities of the security forces — many of which led directly to gross human rights violations.”
It's an interesting viewpoint and one that isn't much covered in the blogosphere, let alone mainstream media.
An element of hope is stirred by kameraad mhambi again in a blog post on two rugby teams (one being known as the most ‘afrikaner’ team) who, because of the World Cup, will be playing their match in Soweto of all places…
This weekend, due to the Football World Cup, history will be made when the Blue Bulls play the Crusaders in the Super 14 Rugby tournament in Soweto.
The Bulls, from Pretoria, traditionally are seen as the most Afrikaner off all South Africa Rugby Unions. The game will be an opportunity to smash or reinforce some stereo types.
Ending off on a very inspirational note, especially when it comes to motivating the teams themselves, Hyundai have had a competition coming up with Team slogans for each country which has qualified for the World Cup.  Below are their results…
Algerie – Star and crescent with one goal: Victory!
Argentina – Última parada, la gloria – Last stop: Glory
Australia – Dare to Dream, Advance Australia
Brazil – Lotado! O Brasil inteiro está aqui dentro! – The whole of Brazil is in here!
Cameroon – Les lions indomptables sont de retour – The Indomitable Lions are back
Chile – Roja la sangre de mi corazón, Chile campeón – Red is the blood of my heart, Chile will be Champion
Cote D Ivoire – Eléphants, battons nous pour la victoire! – Elephants, let's fight for victory!
Denmark – Det eneste der kræves, er et dansk hold og en drøm – All you need is a Danish team and a dream
England – Playing with Pride and Glory
France – Tous ensemble vers un nouveau rêve bleu – All together for a new dream in blue
Germany – Auf dem Weg zum Cup! – On the road to get the Cup!
Ghana – The hope of Africa
Greece – Η Ελλάδα είναι παντού! – Greece is everywhere!
Honduras -Un país, una pasión, ¡5 estrellas en el corazón! – One Country, One passion, 5 Stars in the heart
Italy – Il nostro Azzurro nel cielo d'Africa – Italian Azzurro on African sky
Japan – 侍魂はくじけない！日本勝利！ – The Samurai spirit never dies! Victory for Japan!
Korea DRP – 또다시 1966년처럼,  조선아 이겨라 ! – 1966 again! Victory for DPR of Korea!
Mexico – ¡Es tiempo de un nuevo campeón! – It is time for a new champion!
Netherlands – Let niet op de grote 5, maar pas op voor de oranje 11 – Don't fear the big five, fear the Orange eleven
New Zealand – Kickin’ it Kiwi style
Nigeria – Super Eagles super fan united we stand
Paraguay – El león Guaraní ruge en Sudáfrica – The Guarani lion roars in South Africa!
Portugal – Um sonho, uma ambição…Portugal campeão! – One dream, one purpose… Portugal victorious!
Republic of Korea – 승리의 함성, 하나된 한국 – The Shouts of Reds, United Republic of Korea
Serbia – Igramo srcem, vodimo osmehom!  – Play with the heart, lead with a smile!
Slovakia – Rozbehnime to: Slovensko do toho! – Shake the green field: Go Slovakia!
Slovenia – Z enajstimi pogumnimi srci do konca – With eleven brave hearts to the end
South Africa – One nation, proudly united under one rainbow
Spain – Ilusión es mi camino, Victoria mi destino – Hope is my road, victory my destiny
Switzerland – Hopp Schwiiz! – “Hop Suisse!” – “Forza Svizzera!” – “C'mon Switzerland!”
Uruguay – El sol brilla sobre nosotros. ¡Vamos Uruguay! – The sun shines upon us. Go Uruguay!
USA – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Victory!
All in all the country and the world are excited about the upcoming World Cup. There will be a few hiccups I'm sure, but overall it all seems to point to a hopeful and colourful World Cup 2010.


The “ticket to happy life” politics of Indian marriages in the context of dowry-related violence · Global Voices
Keerthana Ram

Vismaya Nair, a screenshot from the YouTube Channel Self Tag. Fair use.
The recent death of 24-year-old medical student Vismaya Nair in the Indian state of Kerala has sparked widespread outrage and renewed discussions over dowries and domestic violence in India. Despite their illegality, dowries are largely seen as a source of pride and status among families on both sides. The dark underbelly of the practice includes discrimination against girls, femicide, abuse and endless violence against brides in the country. Vismaya’s death renewed the clamour for a permanent solution that would end the harmful practice.
Unravelling the murky origins of dowry in India is not easy. Dowries are essentially a payment made by the bride’s family in cash or goods in exchange for marriage. Women are expected to relinquish their rights to inheritance or property in exchange for a dowry, which many women are forced to accept because of family loyalty and fear of disputes. Women who refuse to offer a dowry often cannot wed and can be entirely cut off from their family members.
The dowry amount typically depends on diverse factors including religion, caste, location, education, class identity, prestige and social aspirations — with dictating power reserved solely by the groom and his family. Seeking a dowry has been outlawed in India since 1961, however, the practice remains. Enforcing the law has been a challenge. Data from 40,000 marriages that took place between 1960 and 2008 in rural India revealed that more than 95 percent of the reviewed marriages included some form of a dowry.
Dowries are popularly exchanged under the pretence of being a voluntary gift in order to avoid legal implications and are explained away as being necessary to ensure the daughter's comfort in her new home, making it difficult to regulate.
Anecdotal and quantitative evidence confirm that for a large proportion of women in India, access to resources and freedom obtained through education, vanish when they get married. Women are expected to labour invisibly, take up multiple roles and give up personal choices in marriage — often with their families’ encouragement. In recent years the dowry has permeated into communities where the practice has never existed in the first place.
On an early summer day in 1979, 24-year-old newly married Tarvinder Kaur was doused with kerosene and set alight by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law for failing to contribute a large enough dowry. Deep flames engulfed Tarvinder and burnt her to cinders. Her brother, H.S. Bhandari, consumed by grief and desolation, told India Today: ‘If only we had realized how serious the situation was. We thought it was just another instance of marital adjustment and that in a few days everything would be back to normal. She was actually quite desperate, and wanted to return home’.
Protests erupted and women's rights groups took to the streets, fiercely demanding an unbiased trial and fair reparations. Tarvinder's story set the stage for the 1980s movement against dowry killing and gender-based violence, leading to landmark anti-dowry laws in India. Emerging from a newly evolving feminist consciousness, these legislations laid out a strong pathway formulated through a survivor-centric vision. Regardless, dowry and dowry-related violence continued, leading to disillusionment, rage and personal suffering.
Forty-two years later on June 21, 2021, Vismaya — a medical student who had been married to Kiran Kumar, an educated government employee, for just over one year — was found dead in her home in coastal Kerala, southern India. Her dowry included 100 sovereigns of gold, one acre of land, and a car worth INR 10 lakh (roughly 13,000 US dollars). Vismaya faced brutal emotional and physical abuse from Kiran for not meeting his dowry expectations, which both her parents and her in-laws knew.
Vismaya apparently felt the need to try and make it work — she was worried about people's comments and did not possess the agency to shape her life. Caught between a family that wanted her to compromise and a household where violence was easily normalised, a distressed Vismaya was exhausted from fighting to survive. Investigations were carried out, Kiran was arrested and his bail was denied.
Countless stories similar to Vismaya and Tarvinder's have been shared across India over the years. The 2019 data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau presents a grim picture. Numbers reveal that these gruesome crimes went up by a whopping 7.3 percent from 2018 to 2019, with those hailing from poverty and marginalised backgrounds facing disproportionately higher incidences violence.
Vismaya’s death fueled anger and debate on social media, with many demanding an end to illegal dowry practices. Many users also speculated about the reasons behind the perpetuation of dowry practices. Radhika Roy, a lawyer and activist opined:
This is so tragic. Much of this stems from the premium that is placed on marriage as the be-all and end-all of a woman’s existence; that without a husband, no matter how cruel, a woman’s life does not amount to anything. https://t.co/oEuatAp6C0
— Radhika Roy (@royradhika7) June 22, 2021
Audiences also explored the root causes of gender-based violence like inequality, patriarchy and other types of oppression. Some asserted that decolonizing trauma, gender and power and recognizing that families could be sites of violence were integral to change.
Journalist Shepali Bhat reflected in an immersive thread on Twitter about the intergenerational trauma she faced as a young child, seeing her mother experience domestic violence, explaining why abused women can't ‘just leave':
A trauma therapist once told me our mind suppresses memory of a trauma, the body stores it. When something triggers that trauma, our body relives its horror. Reading this triggered the childhood trauma of witnessing my mother go through domestic violence. I'll talk about it today https://t.co/GsqtOAHGEe
— Shephali Bhatt (@ShephaliBhatt) June 22, 2021
Rogan_doh says on Reddit,
I might sound insensitive, but the girl's parents deserve blame as well. In spite of a history of abuse (one occasion even in front of the father) they did not take any steps to keep her away from the environment. It's sad that in our country “log kya kahenge”  [what will people tell] and oh God, my daughter might end up a divorcee who overcomes the need to protect the physical and mental well being of their child.”
Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted in solidarity and promised a range of measures:
As a society, we need to reform the prevailing marriage system. Marriage must not be a pompous show of the family's social status and wealth. Parents have to realise that the barbaric dowry system degrades our daughters as commodities. We must treat them better, as human beings.
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) June 23, 2021
However past records prove that local departments and governments have been largely unsuccessful. Access to medical and mental health support remains elusive for many. Pop-culture and regional films repeatedly glorify intimate partner violence as a side effect of love and centre tropes such as family honour, stalking, marital rape, control and domestic abuse. Most importantly, entire generations of young men continue to unabashedly demand dowries despite professing modern values. Only a grassroots level advocacy movement has the potential to completely overhaul the system and restore justice.


Japan: winter purification rituals  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David Weber in Japundit blogs about the winter purification-through-freezing-water rituals in Japan.


Japan’s WordPress Communities Celebrate 10 Years · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

WordPress communities in Japan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the open source blogging platform. Events were held in Sapporo, Kagawa, Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka. There are 40 local WordBench [ja] groups, Japan's WordPress local community directory is powered by BuddyPress. Naoko Takano blogs more about the events in Japan.
WordPress 10th Anniversary Party in Sakai, Osaka
(BY-NC-SA/3.0)


Korean Seniors Prompt Boycott of McDonald’s and Get McResolution · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Korean elderly have made headlines in New York City for loitering at a McDonald's every day, starting early in the morning till well after dark, ordering only fries or coffee. After they were kicked out for hampering business, some in the Korean community called for a boycott of the restaurant.
The New York Times story on elderly squatters in McDonald's caused a buzz over the weekend, and McDonald's reacted quickly, putting out the fire by Monday by reaching a “McResolution!“. They promised to extend sitting hours for the elderly during less-busy times and even to collaborate with local seniors centers to provide transportation to and from the restaurant.
However, Koreans who are familiar with senior citizens overstaying at fast food stores in one of the most overcrowded and busiest cities in the world, the South Korean capital of Seoul, seem to understand McDonald's tough choice. Here are some reactions from South Korean online venues:
Image by Flicker User Kansir (CC BY 2.0)
맥도날드 사건. 이런 일에 제발 인종 이런 것 좀 안 들먹거리면 좋겠다. 인종차별 차원에서 쫓아낸 것도 아닌데 쫓겨난 입장에서 자신들을 묶어서 “한국인”이라 그러면 자기 얼굴이 침 뱉기지. 어글리. 부끄럽다 참. 오죽하면 쫓아냈겠어. 안봐도 뻔한데.
— Sumin Kim (@kimsumin) January 18, 2014
The McDonald's fiasco. I really hope people don't bring ‘race’ into the equation. It is not like they were kicked out because of their race/nationality. By emphasizing that it is ‘Koreans’ who were being kicked out, they are actually embarrassing themselves. This is so ugly, and just embarrassing. I can see why this happen.
뉴욕 맥도널드 불매 운동이 별로 맘에 안 와 닿는건 전형적인 한국식 사고 이기 때문이다. 노인들이 종묘 앞에 모여 있고 페스트푸드 점에 죽치고 앉아 있는거 역시 한국 사회의 문제이지 문화가 아니다. 그런걸 남의 나라에서도 답습하는게 참 안타깝다.
— Michael Lee (@michaelreturn) January 17, 2014
The reason why I am not rooting for a McDonald's boycott in New York is because how they approach this problem is just so typical. Jongmyo Area in Seoul is packed with elderly people who loiter at fast food chains. It is not Korean ‘culture’, but a problem Korean society has. It is just deplorable that they brought it over and repeat it in another country.
Net users cast doubt on the Korean Parents Association of New York, the group that initiated the boycott, and questioned whether they are eligible to represent the whole Korean community in general. Some from the group, notably the chairwoman, are accused of being extreme right-wingers who infamously blocked a peaceful protest held in New York last autumn against the election manipulation scandal. User @hippietech wrote [ko]:
자극적인 제목으로 민족성 자극하는 저질 기사. 한인사회 발끈한 적 없습니다. 몇몇 노인들이 진상짓 했을뿐
I see so many sensational, trashy reports which provoke ethnicity issues. No. Korean communities have not been angered by [the McDonald's case] and it is just a handful of rouge seniors who made a scene.


Traffickers Force Smuggled Refugees to Rape Each Other in Sinai  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Eritrean refugees protest in front of the US embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (25 Nov 2011) demanding protection of human rights on way to Israel via Sinai desert, Egypt. Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org (used with permission)
About 30,000 people have been trafficked to Sinai, Egypt, over the last five years. Cairo-based journalist Bel Trew tweets from a Press conference on the matter, to shed light on “a hugely under-reported issue.”
She tweets:
At a press conference for human trafficking in the #Sinai : a hugely under reported issue #egypt
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Bel Trew explains:
“Since June 30, Sinai has become more unstable and made a huge impact on human trafficking in the Sinai” #egypt — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
And then provides staggering figures:
Between 25,000 and 30,000 people have been trafficked to the Sinai between 2009 and 2013 #egypt
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Out of those people trafficked, 95 per cent are from Eritria:
95% of those trafficked are Eritrean, due to many youth fleeing military service, exodus from Eritrea,human rights situation #Sinai — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
In a series of tweets, Trew provides a horrific insight to what those trafficked go through:
#Trafficking victims supplied w/ phones by traffickers to call home, they're often tortured at same time to push family to pay more quickly
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
#trafficking has serious consequences in Eritera. Ransom collection leads to extreme poverty in these already impoverished areas #egypt — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
#trafficking victims are hung,electrocuted, body parts cut, bottles melted on their skin, forced to rape other victims, raped by traffickers
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Female #trafficking victims often leave the #Sinai torture houses pregnant after being raped multiple times. — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
She provides a chilling testimony of one refugee:
Just heard testimony of 1 #Trafficking victim, born 1993, he says he was forced to rape other victims,burnt with iron bars…
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
#trafficking victim relates how 1 friend was burnt badly on head and body, insects starting living in the wounds and he died. — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Victim of #trafficking “they beat us with scissors, electrocuted me on tongue & penis. Forced us to rape each other. Burnt me on my abdomen”
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Victim of #trafficking “they left the bodies of my 2 dead friends in the store with us for 2 days, then fed the bodies to the dogs” #Sinai — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
And this is not all. Trew adds:
Refugees who escape #trafficking often detained by Egyptian or Israeli authorities,imprisoned then forced to pay their own deportation fees
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
#Trafficking victims are still threatened by their traffickers, when they escape to Cairo, who are in the capital — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013
Further reading:
Jadaliyya: Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees Between Life and Death
Spiegel Online: Imprisoned, Tortured, Killed: Human Trafficking Thrives on Sinai Peninsula
Sign the Petition:
Take Action to Stop Human Trafficking in Sinai


Facebook’s terms of service obstruct important journalistic research
Camille Fassett
August 7, 2018
Understanding how misinformation spreads on Facebook is an issue of enormous importance, and it’s exactly the type of public interest journalistic research that Cameron Hickey set out to do.
Hickey, who worked for Miles O’Brien Productions and created content for PBS NewsHour, developed an approach to identify previously unknown sources of misinformation on Facebook.
“If you have a set of sources of misinformation, and you want to identify new such sources, a key place to look is the people who already engage with the known, existing sources,” Hickey said. “When I looked at those pages, for example, my grandmother showed up as having liked them. By looking at the other pages she liked, I found hundreds of others that were not previously identified as junk news sources.”
Although the social media platform offers several application programming interfaces (APIs), these do not enable the type of work Hickey wants to pursue. It’s possible to get the content of pages through Facebook’s API, but retrieving the pages that users “like” is not.
Hickey could go through these pages one by one. Or, he could build a tool to extract this information automatically by “scraping”.
“This would have necessitated directly extracting content from Facebook pages,” he said. But Hickey was advised that the potential legal risk for moving forward with the project was prohibitively high.
Both the Department of Justice and Facebook have interpreted violations of a website’s terms of service to be violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act—a vague and overly broad computer crime law that has been used to indict and imprison freedom of information activists and security researchers. Because of this, some legal experts are concerned that researchers whose projects involve automated data collection could theoretically be prosecuted under CFAA.
Hickey’s proposed project isn’t the only type of journalistic research that could violate Facebook’s terms of service. Kashmir Hill, a journalist at Gizmodo Media, has been investigating how Facebook maps users’ social relationships and suggests connections with new people that users may know. The algorithms by which Facebook generates the “People You May Know” (PYMK) list are opaque, and even after Facebook suggested Hill connect with a relative she did not know existed, the platform would not tell her how it made that recommendation.
(Disclosure: Hill is married to Freedom of the Press Foundation Executive Director Trevor Timm.)
In January, Hill and her colleague Surya Mattu at Gizmodo’s Special Projects Desk released an application that allows people to study the friend recommendations Facebook generates. Soon after, Facebook got in touch.
“I discussed the general concept of the PYMK inspector with the team with respect to whether it is possible to build the inspector in a policy compliant manner and our engineers confirmed that our Platform does not support this,” Facebook’s head of policy Allison Hendrix wrote in an email in February.
Hill said that Facebook communicated that the tool violated the platform’s terms, in part because it collects data using automated means that Facebook does not make available through its API, and asked that the “People You May Know Inspector” be taken down. (After changes were made to address Facebook’s security concerns, the platform still objected to the inspector. The tool remains live.)
Facebook’s terms of service are obstructing public interest journalism and academic research by unilaterally prohibiting automated data collection, and projects like Hickey’s and Hill’s are of critical importance.
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has sent an open letter to Facebook’s executives proposing that the platform modify its terms of service to “create a safe harbor for certain journalism and research on its platform.” Freedom of the Press Foundation is in support of this effort, which is critical for the future of digital investigative journalism and accountability for social media giants.
The consequences that journalists and researchers could face for using digital investigative tools, the letter states, are serious. “Their accounts may be suspended or disabled. They risk legal liability for breach of contract. The Department of Justice and Facebook have both at times interpreted the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to prohibit violations of a website’s terms of service,” the Knight First Amendment Institute wrote in its letter to Facebook.
The mere possibility of legal action can have a significant chilling effect, and force journalists and researchers to modify proposed projects to avoid this risk, even when doing so may make their work less valuable to the public.
The “safe harbor” the letter proposes would provide that journalists and researchers do not violate Facebook’s terms of service by collecting publicly available data through automated means, so long as such projects are in the public interest and do not compromise the privacy of Facebook users.
The Knight First Amendment Institute asks for a response from Facebook about the suggested terms of service modifications by September 7.
Understanding Facebook’s influence on discourse and society requires innovative, investigative digital research methods like Hickey’s and Hill’s. As they stand now, Facebook’s terms of service prohibit the use of basic tools necessary to study the platform’s impacts, making algorithmic accountability legally risky if not impossible.
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Graphical representation video believed to be satellite visual of CDS Bipin Rawat's chopper crash - Alt News
Archit
13th December 2021 / 2:48 pm
On December 8, an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying India’s first chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Raje Singh Rawat, crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor. The IAF confirmed that 13 of the 14 passengers on board the chopper, including the CDS and his wife, died in the accident.
In the backdrop of this, several Twitter users have posted a video that shows a helicopter crash. It has been shared with the claim, “Satellite video of helicopter crash in Conoor. It appears the tail rotor got snapped and the chopper suddenly turned in the reverse direction and crashed within 2 seconds. No reaction time.”
Satellite video of helicopter crash in Conoor. It appears the tail rotor got snapped and the chopper suddenly turned in reverse direction and crashed within 2 seconds. No reaction time. pic.twitter.com/LXi1YI1IJt
— 🇮🇳 शेषधर तिवारी 🇮🇳 (@sdtiwari) December 11, 2021
Multiple Facebook users also shared this video on various groups.
A verified Tamil-language YouTube channel Mosquitobat Channel also uploaded this video with the same claim.
Alt News has received several requests to fact-check this claim on our WhatsApp helpline number (+91 76000 11160).
On the bottom left of the video, the logo of ‘News7 Tamil’ can be spotted.
A keyword search on YouTube revealed that the video was uploaded by News7 Tamil PRIME on December 8. Upon translating the video title, we learnt that the video in question is a graphical representation of the helicopter crash and not a satellite video as claimed on social media.
Raj Bhagat Palanichamy, a remote sensing expert at World Resources Institute, India told Alt News, “This is a graphical video. It is worth noting that satellite images or videos are taken hundreds of kilometres above land and helicopters fly at a lower altitude as compared to aeroplanes. Thus, recording a close-up shot of a helicopter as shown in the video is not possible via satellite nor its sound be heard at this resolution or zoom level. Moreover, there is no live capture satellite available in the public domain at this resolution.”
To sum it up, a graphical representation of the recent IAF helicopter crash by News7 Tamil PRIME was shared with the false claim that it is a genuine satellite video.
🙏 Blessed to have worked as a fact-checking journalist from November 2019 to February 2023.
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African Sports: FIFA Boss Proposes Four-Year AFCON - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (F.BA)
February 3, 2020
The World Football governing body,FIFA boss, Gianni Infantino has proposed that the African continental Cup ofNations be played every four years, as part of a package of reforms designed tolift “African football to the top of the world”.
Infantino also told a seminar inRabat, Morocco, attended by delegates from each of the Confederation of AfricanFootball, CAF’s 54-member associations, that he wanted new stadiums in every memberstate and had allocated one billion dollars to finance the ambitious programme.
The FIFA boss added that he wantedto “revolutionise African football”.
The Africa Cup of Nations iscurrently staged every two years, which makes it unpopular with European clubs.Infantino also promised to create a pan-Africanleague that would feature 20 to 24 clubs, with a maximum of maybe two clubs percountry, which would still play in their national leagues


C-51 Among Topics UN Human Rights Committee Considering This Week - New Canadian Media
Amanda Connolly
July 7, 2015
The government’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation, C-51, will be among the topics studied by the United Nations this week as part of a periodic review of how well Canada is upholding its international human rights obligations.
The Guardian reported Monday that the U.N. human rights committee will hear from Amnesty International Canada and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, along with several other groups, as part of the review. Both groups are expected to raise oft-cited concerns about the terrorism legislation’s broad reach and lack of oversight, as well as Canada’s decision to begin revoking the Canadian citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism, treason or spying.
“This is an important process for Canada to either demonstrate or explain on the world stage, and before an expert body, its record on humans rights pursuant to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” – Sukanya Pillay, Canadian Civil Liberties Association
“This is an important process for Canada to either demonstrate or explain on the world stage, and before an expert body, its record on humans rights pursuant to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” said Sukanya Pillay, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “We are there to ensure the body questioning Canada, the human rights committee, knows of our many concerns regarding civil liberties in Canada, including Bill C-51, equality rights, aboriginal persons, police and conducted energy weapons, as well as the treatment of refugees.”
It’s been 10 years since the committee last examined Canada’s record with regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which 167 other countries are also party to.
A delegation of government representatives will appear before the committee, made up of 18 independent experts, where they will have the chance to make a statement and answer questions about their record.
While the bill initially had solid public support in light of the killing of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent October by violent radicals, that quickly faded as an increasingly loud chorus of criticism swelled against the bill, calling for increased oversight and limits on how personal information about Canadians can be shared between departments.
Since C-51 was introduced in January, the government has touted it as a necessary means to protect Canadians from terrorists and expand the ability of government departments to share information on individuals deemed a threat to national security.
While the bill initially had solid public support in light of the killing of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent October by violent radicals, that quickly faded as an increasingly loud chorus of criticism swelled against the bill, calling for increased oversight and limits on how personal information about Canadians can be shared between departments.
The Liberals have said they support the bill but would make amendments to it if elected but the NDP have said they would repeal the bill entirely, with the Conservatives attacking both as being soft on terrorism.
Among other issues outlined for consideration by the committee are questions related to how Canada is monitoring human rights conduct of Canadian oil and mining companies abroad, what steps are being taken to support equal pay for equal work for women and men, and the extent of steps being taken to compensate Canadian citizens Abdullah Almalki, Ahmed El-Maati and Muayyed Nureddin, who were tortured with the involvement of Canadian officials in Syria and Egypt.
The committee will also request additional information on steps the government has taken to investigate allegations of excessive use of force by police in the 2012 Quebec student riots and will ask for information on the progress that has been made to investigate the disappearances of missing and murdered indigenous women.
The findings of the committee, which are not legally binding, are expected to be issued on July 23.
Published in Partnership with iPolitics.ca


Iraq: Baghdad Round Up · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Baghdad Dentist was in Baghdad and updates us with what he experienced here.


Czech Republic: Drunk Driving and Expensive Cars · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

According to the Czech Daily Word, Czech police are not allowed to seize “expensive” cars belonging to DUI drivers.


Kyrgyzstan: Spy Scandal · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Yulia discusses the US embassy spy scandal in Kyrgyzstan, which involves allegations from the Kyrgyz government toward and the expulsion of two US embassy employees.


Trinidad & Tobago: Budget Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today is Budget Day and Plain Talk has a few bits of advice for the new Finance Minister: “There has been a change in Parties at the helm of Governance, and if that change is to have any meaning…the real Leaders…need to espouse a vision [that] is very clear in the understanding that ‘capitalism without compassion is a prescription for confusion.'”


Russia: Penza Prosecutor’s Office Investigates Anti-Semitic Comments · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The prosecutor's office of Penza region started to check anti-Semitic comments and pictures that had appeared on Penza information portal pnz.ru. After the evaluation of the material, the prosecutor's office will decide on the possibility of a criminal case.


5 things to know and do the weekend of Sept. 22 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
September 22, 2023
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Who’s on Layton is a sports bar opening its second location at 512 W. Layton Ave. It  will be hosting a grand opening from Friday, Sept. 22 to Sunday, Sept. 24.  More information here.
Menomonee River’s Valley Week begins Saturday, Sept. 23 and goes through Saturday, Sept.  30. Free community events include a public-art walking tour, breakfast pizza, electronics recycling and kids story hiking. Dates and time vary, so see lineup for more  information.
Dream Team United presents “Rock Da Block” on Saturday, Sept. 23 with free groceries, a cookout and resources from noon to 5 p.m. A petting zoo, bounce house and face painting will also be there to keep children entertained during this event between North 35th and West Center streets. More information here.
Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in Walker’s Point hosts its second annual Bean Plant Block Party on Sunday, Sept. 24 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 224 W. Bruce St. This free event is for everyone to enjoy skate ramps, food trucks, coffee and other festivities. More information here.
The 14th annual open house for Milwaukee’s Police Department’s District Two is Sunday, Sept. 24 from noon to 3 p.m. at 245 W. Lincoln Ave. The event features a meet-and-greet with law enforcement, a tour of the station, free haircuts and more. More information here.


Japan’s Most Astonishing Summer Festival · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Screencap from Discover Nippon Official YouTube Channel.
The Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of Japan's biggest and most popular annual festivals. As the name suggests, it is held in Aomori, the capital city of the Aomori Prefecture on the northern tip of Honshu — though it also takes place in the old castle town of Hirosaki, where it's called the Nebuta Festival — and over three days in August, features dozens of thirty-foot-tall illuminated floats resembling famous historical and mythological Japanese characters. It is a spectacular sight, and of course results in equally astonishing posts on social media.
Aomori's Nebuta is One of Japan's 3 largest festivals. This large fancy warrior dolls are so Amazing!!! . . #三井寺合戦 新田四天王大暴れ 作: 北村 蓮明 #Nbuta #青森ねぶた #festival #ねぶた祭 #KSUKETRIP
A video posted by KSUKE (@ksuke_jpn) on
There are various theories about the origins of the Nebuta festival. It's argued the festival may be a variation of the Tanabata festival, typically celebrated in many parts of Tohoku, also during the month of August. Another theory suggests that the floats, drums and dancing have been passed down from more than a thousand years ago, when armies from western Japan traveled to the northeast to subjugate out the indigenous Emishi inhabitants of the region.
ねぶた〜〜めっちゃ良い席で見れて良かったよ〜〜迫力も凄かった〜〜. . #青森#ねぶた#ねぶた祭#お祭り#祭り#最高
A photo posted by yuka (@ukyuka) on
We're at the Nebuta Festival in Aomori. We snagged some great seats so we have a great view. It was super intense! #AomoriNebutaFestival #summerfestivals #thebest!
The early-August event in Aomori City attracts visitors from all over Japan, and from all over the world.
It's hard to imagine how big these things are… ねぶたの大きさがInstagramあまりわからないけど…
A photo posted by Jerel Henderson (@jerelh) on
The festival involves much more than just the giant, fantastically illuminated floats — flutes, drums and dancers all combine to create an unforgettable event. This year, one YouTube user uploaded an hour-long video that provides a good look at what the event involves:
An added bonus to this year's Nebuta Festival was that some Tokyoites got a taste of the event without having to travel all the way to Aomori. One community space in the capital city, Meguro Gajoen, hosted a two-month exhibition of Wa no Akari (Japanese-style illumination) in its culturally significant Hyakudan Kaidan (Hundred-Step Staircase) area.
和のあかりねぶた祭 #和のあかり #百段階段 #和のあかり百段階段展2016 #目黒雅叙園 #ねぶた祭 #目力 #迫力満点 #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #日本の夏 #夏の思い出 #夏の風物詩 #nikond600 #light #wp_japan #tokyo #airy_pics #instagramjapan #team_jp_flower #pics_jp #まつり #見応えたっぷり #retro_japan_ #pics_jp2016 #retro
A photo posted by Raka*(らか) (@rakafleur) on
Japanese-style illumination festival at the Hyakudan Kaidan in Meguro, Tokyo (2016) #wp_japan #tokyo #airy_pics #instagramjapan #team_jp_flower #pics_jp #retro_japan_ #pics_jp2016 #retro
久しぶりの目黒雅叙園 其の２ #四角い写真 #ねぶた祭 #目黒雅叙園
A photo posted by akinori.tsuru (@darknoid) on
I'm checking out Meguro Gajoen for the first time in a while: two floats are on display. #MeguroGajoen #NebutaFestival
Still, for many people who do make the trip to Aomori, the Nebuta Festival is the real thing — and a striking way to spend the summer:
[やってまれ、やってまれ〜〜] 北国の #夏祭り 、 #ねぶた祭 見に行きました .。. . 地上20メートルの #立ねぶた が、大迫力でしたよ〜.。. . 今週も夏を楽しみましょうね♡.。. . #北の国から2016 #祭 #夜祭り .。.
A photo posted by aiko (@hondaaiko0810) on
“Don't hold back! Don't hold back!” #SummerFestival in the north country. I went and saw the #NebutaFestival. The site of a sixty-foot-tall Nebuta float was amazing. Let's enjoy the rest of the summer!


‘Support does not necessarily mean understanding’: Interview with founder of Taiwan-based ‘Ukrainian Voices’ Oleksandr Shyn · Global Voices
Filip Noubel

Screenshot of the Facebook page of Ukrainian Voices.
As Taiwan and Ukraine face threats from their large and immediate neighbors — China and Russia — and as Ukraine is actually experiencing a second invasion, Taiwanese public opinion and media are drawing parallels between their situation and that of Ukraine. But is this comparison valid?
To unpack the issue, Global Voices interviewed Oleksandr Shyn, a Ukrainian volunteer of Korean descent who is the founder and coordinator of the Ukrainian Voices, an advocacy platform amplifying Ukraine’s voice in Taiwan, and the organiser at the “Taiwan Stands With Ukraine” solidarity movement. The interview took place by email in English following a meeting in a café in Taipei. The quotes were edited for style and brevity.
Portrait of Oleksandr Shyn. Photo used with permission.
Oleksandr Shyn (OS):  The main inspiration behind the Ukrainian Voices (烏克蘭之聲 in Chinese) was the need to help Ukraine and the voices of  Ukrainian people to be heard in Taiwan. From the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, both the Taiwanese society and political leadership have shown support for Ukraine.
However, support does not necessarily mean understanding. Indeed, there was a lot of misunderstanding and misconception about what was happening in Ukraine. Many people correctly saw it as an unjust armed invasion, but very few also understood that it was a continuation of Russia’s colonial and imperial aggression against Ukraine.
One example — during the first protests here in Taiwan in February (which were quite disorganised given that the Ukrainians here were not a consolidated community back then yet), several Russians joined in to express their support. As expected, some of them brought their flags, heart-shaped posters, where one half was yellow-blue and the other — the Russian tricolour. Apart from the emotional harm that this hideous act caused to some Ukrainians, what was more alarming is that those people were sought after by Taiwanese journalists. The next thing you know, local newspapers were full of reports of ‘shattered brotherhood,’ with a complete disregard for centuries of Russian colonial oppression against Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and other peoples who now constitute the Ukrainian nation.
It was important for us that, despite the significant size of the Russian community here, their deeper presence in places of influence, including a de-facto embassy here, we be heard as Ukrainians.
With other students and scholars, we organized ourselves into a group, started online platforms, and started offline activities. Representing Ukraine, sharing and amplifying Ukrainian voices, connecting Ukrainian voices with Taiwanese journalists, and informing people here about Ukraine. We organised KyivPride’s representation for 2023 Taiwan Pride, consulted Taiwan’s National Human Rights Museum on their Ukraine-themed exhibition, and continue to speak about of Ukrainian narratives on various platforms — television, universities, schools, and artistic spaces.
We also amplify other initiatives here. The Ukrainians in Taiwan and our allies quickly organised themselves into numerous initiatives to aid Ukraine. One of them, Taiwan Stands With Ukraine, where I also volunteer, has helped to collect millions of hryvnias for aid to  Ukraine.
You can follow Ukrainian Voices’ pages in both English and Mandarin on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
OS: There are always words of support and affirmation. I remember that when we were parading at Taiwan Pride in October 2022 with the Ukrainian and Kyiv Pride flags raised, the people on the side of the road kept cheering 烏克蘭加油. (Long Live Ukraine!)
It is my impression that an overwhelming majority of people in Taiwan believe that what is done against Ukraine is a breach of justice. They did not stay oblivious to our tragedy. An overwhelming majority choose to express such understanding — in writing, in speaking, and by donating. It is truly hard to describe with words: So many people come to “Taiwan Stands With Ukraine” fundraisers to express support or to donate. Surprisingly, people of all ages and ethnicities. This is not an exaggeration that here we are heard more than in any other country in Asia.
I often hear words of admiration for the bravery and unity of our people. Sometimes, along with ‘I don’t think that we, the Taiwanese, would be like that if we were attacked.’ To which I always give a humble response: We neither expected to be that resilient and united, but in the face of an existential threat and through this excruciating pain, we united — this is only natural.
OS: Many analogies are being drawn in these situations, and they are all widely discussed — geopolitics, defence and military capabilities, civil defence, disinformation and narratives. I do not think it is wrong, after all Ukrainians and  Taiwanese do share a newly discovered solidarity, while Russia and China have de facto become allies.
However, specific issues of the comparison between Taiwan and Ukraine do not get much airtime, such as colonialism and decolonisation, multiculturalism and nationalism, and identities and voices.
We have received a lot of positive feedback after the recent speaker event that we co-organised with the National Human Rights Museum in Taipei in May. Our speaker there Alim Aliev, the deputy director-general of the Ukrainian Institute, talked to our Taiwanese audience about the Crimean Tatar people and their historical struggle with Russian colonialism in the past and today. This aspect of Ukraine’s history, of course, is new to most Taiwanese people, hence the fascination and feedback.
Taiwan’s Indigenous people have been subjected to oppression as well, and such parallels do help us understand each other. But at the same time, comparisons should not aim to draw perfect parallels, because those never work. That is why it was so important that we communicate with people about nuances of how Ukraine, although multiethnic, is different from Taiwan, a migrant nation, and why in Ukraine, ethnic Ukrainians are also de-facto Indigenous, but not legally considered as such unlike the Crimean Tatars — a framework entirely different from that of Taiwan.
This image from the Instagram account shows Ukrainian Voices’ latest public event:
A post shared by Ukrainian Voices | 烏克蘭之聲 (@ukrainianvoices.tw)
OS: The perception of Taiwan in Ukraine has changed drastically. First of all, it increased. Taiwan is often in the news in Ukraine, and not only related to China’s foreign policy — Taiwan’s internal politics, human rights achievements, and pro-Ukrainian action are often reported. I do not see that level of self-censorship by Ukrainian media, politicians, and authors about Taiwan (so as not to anger China) anymore.
Unfortunately, a lot of Taiwan solidarity comes from the Taiwan–China dichotomy, and as a result of  China’s repeated anti-Ukrainian actions and rhetoric. That does create misunderstandings, such as the  popular perception of Taiwan in Ukraine as the ‘Good China,’ ‘Real China.’
Just as the misperception of Ukraine in Taiwan and the world as a once brotherly nation with Russia, such perceptions originate not from bad intentions but from a lack of direct dialogue and exchange. After all, our knowledge of each other had for a long time been dictated by narratives told by others, not ourselves.
The many platforms that are being created between the two countries will help solve this problem.


Cameroon: bilingualism · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Cameroon blog Scribbles from the den reflects on  Cameroon’s National Bilingualism Day – “Yes, that is the real Cameroon where the English language and English Speaking Cameroonians are treated like inconvenient step-children who are barely tolerated.”


Death: Former Egypt’s President, Morsi Dies After Appearance In Court. - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
June 17, 2019
FormerEgyptian president Mohamed Morsi has died in court, state television reportedon Monday.
Itsaid Morsi had fainted after a court session and died afterwards.
Morsi,a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was toppled by the military in 2013after mass protests against this rule. He had been serving a seven-yearsentence for falsifying his candidacy application for the 2012 presidentialrace.In March 2018, apanel of British politicians and lawyers warned that Morsi’s prison conditionswere poor and could lead to his early death.


Morocco: “Stop French Made TGV Rail Project” · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

StopTGV.com is a web campaign launched by a number of Moroccan NGOs. It calls for the cancellation of the controversial French-made Tangier-Casablanca TGV rail link due to start operating by December 2015 and which is worth an estimated 20 billion dirhams (US$2.4 billion). The campaign calls on the authorities to “reconsider this costly project in a country like Morocco ranked second last in the region in terms of human development.”


Old image falsely shared as ‘Suicide committed due to lack of facilities during the lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 13, 2020
An image is being shared with the claim that, after the sudden announcement of lockdown by PM Modi, the family of a migrant worker who was walking from Surat (Gujarat) to Uttar Pradesh has committed suicide after they were exhausted on their way. ‘FACTLY’ has found the image to be old. It is not related to any recent incident during the lockdown. The image is of an incident that took place in 2018.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.nagpurtoday.in/husband-wife-commit-suicide-wardha/06132134
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye-ltmrx2PQ
Did you watch our new video?


Kyrgyzstan: Forced Marriage · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Golden Road to Samarqand talks bride kidnapping with Kyrgyz law students.


Canadian journalism and its struggle with race, racism, diversity - New Canadian Media
Isabel Inclan
April 14, 2022
The nature of our globalized world, massive media monopolization, and deeply entrenched colonialist practices have all contributed to the systemic exclusion of diverse voices in Canadian newsrooms, which in turn has magnified journalists’ biases and the way they report on racism, according to a recent panel of industry experts discussing “Best Practices on Reporting on Racism.”
The discussion, organized by New Canadian Media on April 8, gave the floor to speakers from various ethnic backgrounds to discuss the ways journalists’ biases have impacted the way they report on racism.
The panel tapped into the ongoing discussion and industry-wide reckoning that’s happened as a result of mounting public criticism of Canadian journalism’s lack of diversity and of how that impacts the marginalized communities journalists cover.
Their discussion was framed by last year’s National NewsMedia Council’s (NNC) report which suggested best practices and tips for reporting on the systemic racism permeating Canadian society. Among some of the most prescient questions “needing careful reflection” raised in that report were: “how to include more diverse voices in reporting, the use of proper language and how to incorporate important historical context and nuance into news stories.”
“We are analyzing how this report could be improved,” Brent Jolly, managing director of the NNC and president of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), said at the event. “Because things are changing.”
Since 1983, the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations has been engaged in public education, training, and assistance for victims of race and other forms of discrimination. That’s why for Fo Niemi, its director, to speak of racism and bias within the media means to speak about the differences between those who own the media and those who work in the media gathering the news, i.e., journalists.
For him, “media concentration” and the “ideological line” that media owners take have a direct impact on the way journalists cover racism. Depending on the way media owners “drive journalism or news information,” it could either create “more division, increase bias (and) racism,” or create more “backlash and misinformation.”
With the added connectivity and globalization made possible by the internet, the “global information network,” as he called it, has gotten even harder to control and monitor.
“We don’t know what is fake news and what is not,” he said. “How do we differentiate the information that meets the basic journalism standards from some others?”
The former Donald Trump administration in the United States, which used divisive rhetoric that polarized Americans, Niemi said, only increased and worsened the level and scope of misinformation with which journalists — and by extension the public — have to contend.
Consequently, he added, journalists today must practice their craft on high alert against what he calls “global influences,” in reference to the growing amount of information manipulation and disseminated disinformation by foreign governments.
“When we talk about journalism, we have to think about those global influences,” he said. “How to ensure the news information can be truly independent, objective, with high standards and accuracy.”
For his part, Jolly questioned the media’s overreliance on police press releases as the main source of information when putting together a crime-related story.
He also criticized the practice of publishing suspects’ names without following up on the cases, which he said could affect them in the future, even if charges are dismissed or they are found not guilty.
“We know that Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) are particularly more susceptible to being stopped by police,” he said.
“The best practice is that if you report, you have to finish the story.”
The 2021 NNC report suggests journalists should “avoid typical story structure that puts police or other authority voices at the top and in control of the narrative while reducing community or BIPOC voices to ‘colour’ and reaction.”
The document also calls for more “inclusive journalism that includes diverse voices in everyday news or as experts, and presents Black, Indigenous and otherwise ‘other’ communities in a wider range of stories and perspectives.”
Jolly further called journalists to reflect on the effects of over-valorizing police as a “supreme resource” and of failing to investigate beyond what police press releases say or further into the charges being laid.
Kelsie Kilawna, syilx and Secwepemc storyteller and cultural editor at IndigiNews, an Indigenous news platform, said journalists who cover Indigenous stories need to educate themselves about the history of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous people, the impact of residential schools, and the rampant poverty that grips many Indigenous communities.
Through her workshop, titled “Decolonize the Media” — which has been offered inside and outside Indigenous communities and has trained around 1,200 people so far — Kilawna provides culture-based editorial support rooted in the Indigenous worldview.
The workshop blends together cultural knowledge and trauma-informed practices and ethics pertaining to media. Each training cohort implements a protocol to create space to talk about how to deal with or support each other in the newsroom or the workplace.
“We gave them real tools and practical tips on how to decolonize media, how to decolonize their mind, how to engage communities, reciprocity; how to create a good space for storytelling,” said Kilawna.
As she sees it, it is possible to decolonize the media because the art of storytelling is not inherited from colonialism but is innate to Indigenous tradition.
“You can’t decolonize what is inherited colonial,” she explained. “The storytelling is not inherited colonial; it is inherited Indigenous, so it is possible to decolonize the media.”
But while that may be possible, the panelists agreed that a consensus on the definition of “race” and “racism” is not only needed but missing, which has stood in the way of that possibility.
“One of the things that I find more difficult for people in Canada when talking about racism is struggling with the word ‘race.’ There is a consistent and persistent confusion about ‘race’ and ‘ethnic’ or ‘ethnicity,’” said Niemi, adding as a way of solution the need for a “practical, operational and critical analysis on what we mean by ‘race.’”
He also cautioned on the use of ‘diversity’ – “because it can mean everything, but it can mean nothing,” he said, referring to the many broad and complex nuances that come with such a diffuse but loaded term. For that reason, he suggests using more specific terms like “class diversity” and “age diversity” instead.
“We have to be very careful when we talk about diversity as systemic discrimination,” he said in his concluding remarks. “We have to use the intersectional lens to make sure we don’t leave anyone behind.”
Isabel Inclan has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, in both Mexico and Canada. She began working as a foreign correspondent in Canada in 1999 for Mexican media. She has been a New Canadian Media contributor since 2018. Her main areas of interest are politics, migration, women, community, and cultural issues. In 2015, Isabel was honoured as one of the “10 most influential Hispanic Canadians.” She is a graduate of Masters in Communication and Culture at TMU-York University. She is a member of CAJ and a member of the BEMC´s Advisory Committee.


Saudi Arabia Human Rights Report Nearly Ready: Global Affairs Official - New Canadian Media
Amanda Connolly
January 12, 2016
The federal government’s 2015 report on human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia is in its final stages of preparation, but no date has been set yet for its release to the public, says an official at Global Affairs Canada.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said over the weekend he would release a redacted version of the report upon request when it is completed.
The report, which is separate from the human rights assessment conducted as part of the export approval process for the government’s $15-billion arms deal with the kingdom, is expected to run between 60 to 70 pages and to be similar in style to those posted publicly by the U.S. State Department and the U.K. Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, the human rights assessment completed to meet federal arms export control requirements for the light armoured vehicles deal is not expected to be made public.
It’s been four years since the government last completed a country report on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
Country reports under the previous Conservative government were not released publicly; Dion said the current government wants to move away from that approach.
Country reports under the previous Conservative government were not released publicly; Dion said the current government wants to move away from that approach — and is open to suggestions on how best to balance security concerns with the public’s right to know what the government knows about how human rights are handled in allied countries.
“I have asked my officials to review current practices regarding these reports and to provide me with recommendations,” Dion said in an e-mailed statement. “I want to ensure that we respect the safety and security of identified sources.”
Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has been a source of controversy in recent years. The country has been widely condemned internationally for its treatment of women, religious minorities and political activists; it’s also a powerful Western partner in Middle Eastern affairs.
The country has been widely condemned internationally for its treatment of women, religious minorities and political activists.
The State Department’s 2014 assessment of human rights in Saudi Arabia flagged multiple issues ranging from denial of due process and arbitrary arrest to human trafficking, discrimination, citizens’ lack of ability to change their government and “pervasive restrictions on universal rights such as freedom of expression, including on the Internet, and freedom of assembly, association, movement and religion; and a lack of equal rights for women, children and noncitizen workers.”
The issue of relations with Saudi Arabia popped up briefly during the election campaign, when party leaders were asked whether Canada ought to cancel the deal to provide light armoured vehicles to the Saudi Arabian National Guard — essentially the royal family’s private army.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper defended the deal, saying it didn’t make sense to deprive Canadian workers of the jobs it would bring.
“Look, we express our outrage, our disagreement from time to time with the government of Saudi Arabia for their treatment of human rights,” he said in September. “I don’t think it makes any sense to pull a contract in a way that would only punish Canadian workers instead of actually expressing our outrage against some of these things in Saudi Arabia.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then debating Harper as leader of the Liberal party, declined to give a clear answer on whether he would scrap the deal — leading to speculation that he would do little to change the relationship if elected.
That’s proved to be the case so far, despite increasing tensions between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran over the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
“Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is strategically important, for our security and for the security of the region.”
Saudi Arabia announced two weeks ago it had killed Nimr al-Nimr, who was charged with terrorism offences over allegations he incited anti-government sentiment during the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’.
Protestors firebombed Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran in response, prompting the kingdom to cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran and urge its allies to do the same.
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries in the region announced over subsequent days that they were severing or downgrading relations with Tehran — but reaction from Canadian political leaders was tepid.
“Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is strategically important, for our security and for the security of the region,” said interim Conservative Party Leader Rona Ambrose in a press release.
Dion also issued a press release in which he stressed that Canada regularly chats with Saudi Arabia about what it should do better to protect human rights.
“The Government of Canada raises concerns about human rights and due process with senior Saudi Arabian officials on a regular basis and will continue to do so,” the release said.
“In the wake of these executions, we reiterate our call to the Government of Saudi Arabia to protect human rights, respect peaceful expressions of dissent and ensure fairness in judicial proceedings.”
Republished in partnership with iPolitics.ca.