Thursday, August 26, 2010

RSF - CHINA - Private-sector companies in battle with journalists over information

Reporters Sans Frontières - CHINA - Private-sector companies in battle
with journalists over information
http://ow.ly/2vlrp

RSF - Entreprises vs. Journalistes : la bataille de l'information
http://ow.ly/2vlye
graves pour la liberté de la presse en Chine

Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières

26 August 2010

CHINA
Private-sector companies in battle with journalists over information

Chinese journalists and media are increasingly finding themselves the
targets of threats and censorship by private-sector companies (and some
state companies as well). Several cases with serious implications for
press freedom in China have illustrated this privatisation of censorship
and violence against journalists in the past few weeks. The phenomenon is
not new, but it is tending to grow in an alarming manner.

In one case, two journalists had a run-in with the police for writing a
story about a biotech company. In another case, a respected Beijing
journalist was physically attacked a few weeks ago after several articles
about doctors and health sector entrepreneurs had a big impact.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the way certain companies harass
journalists. Often accused of corrupting local media, many Chinese
companies are nowadays using their influence over the authorities
(including the police and Propaganda Department) to avoid negative
coverage. Paradoxically, this is taking place at a time when the Chinese
public is taking more interest in consumer rights and the quality of goods
and services.

"We urge the government to take energetic measures to protect Chinese
journalists who sometimes put their lives in danger to cover these
companies," Reporters Without Borders said. "We welcome the statement that
the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) issued on 30
July expressing its support for journalists. It is time the authorities
investigated all these cases thoroughly."

Reporters Without Borders has gathered information about all the main
press freedom cases involving Chinese companies.

One of the latest was the interrogation of journalist Liu Hongchang on 9
August by police, over an article he wrote together with a colleague, A
Liang, about the internal problems of Hanlin, a Laiyang-based company
based in Laiyang, in the eastern province of Shandong, and its ambitions
to become a biotech giant. The article was posted on the Qianlong.com
website, which was ordered to withdraw it after the Laiyang Propaganda
Bureau alerted the authorities in Beijing.

The police who interrogated Liu Hongchang questioned him above all about
his sources and the bribes they suspected he and A Liang were given to
write the article. A Liang was not interrogated because he was absent from
Beijing at the time. The police threatened to issue a warrant for his
arrest if he did not respond to the summons. Several Chinese journalists
have publicly expressed their support for Liu Hongchang and A Liang and
accused the police of violating press freedom.

Dangerous for health, dangerous for journalists

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for an exhaustive
investigation into an assault on Fang Xuanchang, a science reporter for
the magazine Caijing, as he was returning home on 24 June in Beijing.
Beaten over the head and back with a steel bar by two unidentified
assailants, Fang had to be rushed to hospital. Until now, the police have
conducted no more than desultory enquiries into what appears to have been
a murder attempt.

Fang told the US magazine Foreign Policy (www.foreignpolicy.com) that his
mysterious assailants clearly tried to kill him. But who tried to kill him
and why? Fang does not know the identity or motives of his attackers but
he has some theories. He thinks for example that they might have been
hired by a doctor he criticised in one of his articles. Fang has written
about medical charlatans, fake discoveries and the questionable practices
of several small health-sector companies.

There are other possible motives for the attack. Fang exposed the presence
of genetically-modified cereals in China. In a TV programme, he challenged
a scientist's claim to be able to predict earthquakes. And he exposed a
doctor who claimed to have found a miracle cure to cancer.

In another case, on 13 August, the Propaganda Department imposed
censorship on reports about Synutra, a brand of milk-powder produced by a
company based in the northeastern city of Qingdao. Several media reports
had blamed the powder for hormonal problems in young girls. The health
ministry issued a denial on 12 August, claiming that the powder had been
analysed by nine experts and that no link with the hormonal problems had
been established. Thereafter the media were told they could only use the
official news agency Xinhua's dispatches on subject.

Meiri Jingji Xinwen (National Business Daily), a newspaper based in
Shanghai, has also paid the price for questioning a product's quality. A
Hong Kong-based newspaper claimed in June that Bawang, a famous herbal
shampoo endorsed by film star Jackie Chang in ads, contained a very high
level of a carcinogen called dioxane. After Meiri Jingji Xinwen reported
these allegations, four people from the Bawang company stormed into its
offices on 30 July and threatened the editor and staff.

In May this year, Bao Yueyang was moved from his job as editor of the
newspaper Zhongguo Jingji Shibao (China Economic Times) to another post
within the Development Publishing Company as a result of his coverage of
allegations about contaminated vaccines in Shanxi province. It had been a
big story in the Chinese press since March until the authorities
restricted reporting on Chinese websites and ordered the traditional media
to just use Xinhua's dispatches. Bao, who refused to comment on his
demotion, had a reputation for encouraging his reporters to investigate
sensitive issues.

Censorship favouring companies

Here are some other recent cases in which the authorities have protected
companies and businessmen at the expense of media freedom:

Tang Jun's spurious doctorate claim
The Propaganda Bureau in Beijing banned the media on 12 July from
repeating allegations that Tang Jun, one of the former CEO of Microsoft's
operations in China, had not obtained the US university doctorate listed
in his résumé. The allegations caused a major stir online and led
journalists to check the authenticity of the diplomas claimed by other
prominent Chinese figures.

The magazine Business Watch and the state power company Grid Corp
The magazine Business Watch was suspended for a month in early May over an
article it had published in March about the state power company Grid Corp.
The authorities did not like the magazine's user of internal company
documents for the story.

Explosion in a Nanjing factory
When there was an explosion at a Nanjing factory with a toll of 300
injured and 10 missing on 28 July, a Jiangsu TV crew went there and began
broadcasting reports until an official intervened and told them to stop,
threatening them with "serious problems" if they did not. The footage that
had already been broadcast was then removed from the Internet.

Attack on Zhongguo Shibao reporter
When Chen Xiaoying, a reporter for the newspaper Zhongguo Shibao (China
Times), arrived at the place in Shenzhen where she was supposed to meet an
anonymous source on 29 July, a man punched her hard in the face several
times. She had gone there because she had been told she would be given
information about the Shenzhen International Enterprise Co., a company she
had already written about on 8 July. Chen thinks the attack was linked to
that story, in which she suggested that the company's CEO was involved in
illegal activity. The CEO had told her after its publication that: "This
kind of story will not be good for you." The company denied any role in
the assault.

Exemplary support for Qiu Ziming

Cases of this kind can sometimes have a happy ending. Economic Observer
reporter Qiu Ziming went into hiding in July after being placed on a list
of most wanted criminals by the police in the eastern province of
Zhejiang, for allegedly defaming Kan Specialties Material Corporation, a
Suichang-based company that is one of China's biggest battery
manufacturers. The Zhejiang authorities finally rescinded the warrant for
his arrest on 29 July after he won a great deal of support online thanks
to his blog, in which he said he stood by the allegations of improper
practices that he had levelled against the company.

These cases show that more and more journalists are testing the limits of
press freedom in China. But, with increasing frequency, they are running
up against solid resistance from the government and both state and
private-sector companies.

---------------

CHINE

Entreprises vs. Journalistes : la bataille de l'information

Journalistes et médias doivent affronter de plus en plus fréquemment les
menaces et la censure des entreprises privées et d'Etat. Cette
privatisation de la violence et de la censure contre les journalistes
s'est illustrée au cours des dernières semaines par des affaires graves
pour la liberté de la presse en Chine. Tout récemment, deux journalistes
ont eu mailles à partir avec la police pour avoir publié une enquête sur
une entreprise de biotechnologie. Par ailleurs, un journaliste réputé de
Pékin a été sévèrement agressé, il y a quelques semaines, après plusieurs
reportages retentissants sur des entrepreneurs du secteur de la santé. Ce
phénomène n'est pas nouveau, mais il tend à s'accélérer dangereusement.

Reporters sans frontières dénonce ce harcèlement de certaines entreprises
à l'encontre des journalistes qui les dérangent. Régulièrement accusées de
corrompre les médias locaux, de nombreuses sociétés chinoises utilisent
aujourd'hui leur influence sur les autorités (police et Département de la
propagande) pour éviter les reportages négatifs. Paradoxalement, ce
phénomène va de pair avec un souci croissant des Chinois pour le droit des
consommateurs et la qualité des produits et des services.

Nous appelons les autorités de Pékin à prendre des mesures énergiques pour
mieux protéger les journalistes chinois qui se mettent parfois en danger
de mort pour enquêter sur ces entreprises. L'organisation note avec
satisfaction le communiqué de la General Administration of Press and
Publication (GAPP), en date du 30 juillet, qui apporte son soutien aux
professionnels de l'information. Il est temps que les autorités se
saisissent de toutes ces affaires.

Reporters sans frontières a recensé et enquêté sur les principales
affaires de liberté de la presse impliquant des entreprises chinoises.

Dernière en date, l'interpellation de Liu Hongchang, qui avait publié, en
association avec son confrère A Liang, une enquête sur une entreprise de
biotechnologie. Le 9 août, Liu Hongchang a été interpellé par la police
de Laiyang pour avoir divulgué des informations sur l'entreprise de
biotechnologie Hanlin, basée dans cette ville de la province du Shandong
(Est). Le rapport des deux journalistes révélait les ambitions du groupe
de devenir un "géant" du secteur, ainsi que des problèmes internes. Ce
rapport a été publié sur le site internet qianlong.com, ensuite contraint
de le retirer, sur ordre des autorités locales.

En effet, le Bureau de la propagande de Laiyang a alerté les autorités de
Pékin. Lors de l'interrogatoire de Liu Hongchang, les questions se sont
focalisées sur ses sources, et d'éventuels pots-de-vin qui auraient
poussé les journalistes à écrire ce rapport. A Liang, quant à lui, n'a
pas encore été interrogé, car il était absent de Pékin. La police a
menacé de lancer un mandat d'arrêt s'il ne se présentait pas de lui-même
à la convocation.

Plusieurs journalistes ont exprimé publiquement leur soutien à Liu
Hongchang et A Liang, considérant que les procédés de la police violent la
liberté de la presse.


Dangereux pour la santé, dangereux pour les journalistes

Reporters sans frontières réitère sa demande aux autorités de mener une
enquête exhaustive sur l'agression, le 24 juin dernier, à Pékin, de Fang
Xuanchang, journaliste scientifique du magazine Caijing. Alors qu'il
rentrait à son domicile, le journaliste a été violemment agressé, frappé
notamment à la tête et au dos à coups de barre de fer et a dû être
hospitalisé d'urgence. A ce jour, la police n'a pas mené d'enquête
exhaustive sur cette tentative d'assassinat.

"Ils ont essayé de me tuer", a déclaré Fang Xuanchang au journal en ligne
www.foreignpolicy.com en parlant de ses deux mystérieux assaillants. Mais
qui a essayé de tuer Fang Xuanchang et pour quelles raisons ? Le
journaliste explique ne pas connaître l'identité ni le motif de ses
assaillants, cependant il émet des hypothèses : ces hommes pourraient
avoir été engagés par un médecin qu'il avait dénoncé dans un de ses
articles. En effet, Fang Xuanchang s'intéresse au charlatanisme,
inventions mensongères, et autres incompétences scientifiques qui se
multiplient dans les milieux médicaux. Il a publié plusieurs enquêtes sur
des petites entreprises du secteur de la santé aux pratiques douteuses.

Autres hypothèses pour expliquer cette agression : il avait révélé la
présence de céréales génétiquement modifiées en Chine ; réfuté, dans une
émission télévisée, la thèse d'un scientifique qui affirmait pouvoir
prédire les séismes ; ou encore dénoncé l'abus de confiance d'un médecin
qui prétendait avoir trouvé un remède miracle contre les cancers.

Autre cas de censure imposé par le Département de la propagande est celui
datant du 13 août, qui concerne la diffusion d'informations sur le lait en
poudre de la marque Synutra produit par une compagnie basée à Qingdao
(Est). Plusieurs articles de presse avaient dénoncé le fait que ce lait
serait la cause de dérèglements hormonaux chez des fillettes. Après que le
ministère chinois de la Santé a démenti les informations le 12 août en
affirmant que le lait en poudre avait été analysé par neuf experts et
qu'aucun lien avec ces dérèglements hormonaux n'avait pu être prouvé, les
autorités ont imposé aux médias de n'utiliser que les dépêches de l'agence
officielle Xinhua sur cette affaire.

Autre média à faire les frais d'un article sur la mauvaise qualité d'un
produit est le Meiri Jingji Xinwen (National Business Daily) publié à
Shanghai. En juin, un journal de Hongkong dénonçait la présence de
substances chimiques cancérigènes dans un célèbre shampooing de la marque
Bawang. Ce shampooing aux plantes médicinales qui rendrait les cheveux
encore plus brillants, comme l'affirme la star de cinéma Jackie Chan dans
une publicité, contiendrait un taux très élevé de dioxane, un agent
cancérigène.

L'information a été reprise par le Meiri Jingji Xinwen, mais le 30
juillet, quatre personnes de l'entreprise Bawang ont fait irruption dans
les bureaux du journal pour menacer le personnel et particulièrement le
rédacteur en chef.

Des enquêtes sur les vaccins contaminés dans la province du Shanxi ont
également valu à Bao Yueyang, rédacteur en chef du journal Zhongguo Jingji
Shibao (China Economic Times), d'être écarté de son poste pour être
transféré à une autre fonction au sein de la Development Publishing
Company. Cette affaire de vaccins a fait grand bruit depuis mars 2010 dans
la presse chinoise. Le gouvernement avait restreint la publication
d'informations sur ce scandale sur les sites chinois, et les médias
traditionnels avaient été priés de se limiter aux dépêches de l'agence
officielle Xinhua.

Bao Yueyang est connu pour avoir incité ses journalistes à enquêter sur
des sujets sensibles. Il a refusé de commenter la sanction prise à son
encontre.


Censure favorable aux entreprises

D'autres affaires récentes révèlent comment les autorités ont couvert les
entreprises au détriment de la liberté d'informer.

L'affaire du faux diplôme doctoral de Tang Jun

Le 12 juillet, le Bureau central de la propagande a interdit aux médias de
reprendre l'information selon laquelle l'un des anciens présidents de
Microsoft en Chine, Tang Jun, était impliqué dans une affaire de
falsification de diplôme académique américain. L'affaire faisait grand
bruit sur le Web, et avait poussé des journalistes à faire des recherches
sur l'authenticité des diplômes de certaines personnalités chinoises.

Le magazine Business Watch et l'entreprise d'électricité d'Etat Grid Corp

Début mai, le magazine Business Watch a été suspendu pendant un mois suite
à une enquête datée de mars sur l'entreprise d'électricité d'Etat Grid
Corp. Les autorités n'auraient pas apprécié que le journaliste utilise des
documents internes.
L'explosion d'une usine à Nanjing
Le 28 juillet, à Nanjing, une usine a explosé faisant trois cents blessés
et dix disparus. Une équipe de la chaîne Jiangsu TV s'est rendue sur les
lieux et a diffusé des images dans la foulée. Mais un fonctionnaire a
empêché les reporters de continuer de prendre des images de l'usine, les
menaçant de "sérieux problèmes". Les images ont ensuite été retirées du
Web.
Agression d'un journaliste du Zhongguo Shibao

A Shenzhen, le 29 juillet, Chen Xiaoying, du journal Zhongguo Shibao
(China Times), a reçu plusieurs violents coups de poing au visage alors
qu'elle arrivait sur les lieux d'un rendez-vous avec une source anonyme, à
Shenzhen. Cet inconnu lui avait affirmé qu'il pourrait lui révéler des
informations sur l'entreprise Shenzhen International Enterprise Co. La
journaliste pense que l'attaque a un lien avec son article publié le 8
juillet, qui présumait que le directeur de cette compagnie était impliqué
dans des activités illégales. Le directeur l'avait menacé auparavant : "Ce
genre de publication ne t'apportera rien de bon." Après l'agression, des
responsables de l'entreprise ont nié toute implication dans cet incident.


L'affaire exemplaire de Qiu Ziming

Certains cas similaires peuvent avoir un dénouement heureux, comme en
témoigne l'affaire très médiatisée de Qiu Ziming. Journaliste de The
Economic Observer, il a été contraint, en juillet, de se cacher après
avoir été placé sur la liste des criminels les plus recherchés par les
autorités de police de Suichang, province du Zhejiang (Est). Il était
accusé de "diffamation" pour avoir dénoncé les mauvaises pratiques d'un
important producteur de batteries, Kan Specialties Material Corporation.
Le 29 juillet, les autorités du Zhejiang sont revenues sur ce mandat
d'arrêt, après que le journaliste avait gagné le soutien massif des
internautes grâce à son blog. Pendant sa cavale, il affirmait être
innocent.

Ces différentes affaires démontrent que de plus en plus de journalistes
testent les limites de la liberté de la presse en Chine. Mais ils se
heurtent encore trop souvent à un bloc toujours plus soudé, celui du
gouvernement et des entreprises aussi bien étatiques que privées.

Vincent Brossel
Asia-Pacific Desk
Reporters Without Borders
33 1 44 83 84 70
asia@rsf.org

CRTC changes community television policy to enhance local participation

CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail

Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission

Transmitted by CNW Group on : August 26, 2010 14:00


CRTC changes community television policy to enhance local participation

OTTAWA-GATINEAU, Aug. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today issued a new policy that will give Canadians more opportunities to participate in their community television channels. The CRTC's policy will also ensure that these channels better reflect the realities and interests of local citizens.

"Community channels give Canadians the unique ability to see themselves and their neighbourhoods, towns and cities reflected on television," said Michel Arpin, the CRTC's Vice-Chairman of Broadcasting. "This can only be achieved through equal partnerships between cable companies and the communities they serve. Access to the broadcasting system must be as open as possible, especially for people who are new to the production of television programming."

Under the new policy, the CRTC will require that community members must be involved in the creation of at least half of a community channel's programming. This means that the original idea for a program must come from members of the community, who must also be involved in some aspect of the production, whether in front or behind the camera.

Additionally, at least half of a channel's programming expenditures will have to be devoted to this type of programming, as well as to community outreach initiatives and the training and development of volunteers.

Given the significant changes to the policy, the CRTC has determined that the new requirements will take effect on September 1, 2014.

The CRTC has also introduced measures to improve the accountability and transparency of the funds cable companies allocate to the operation of their community television channels. Cable companies will have to provide this information on a yearly basis starting in 2012.

Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-622
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-622.htm

The CRTC

The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

Reference document:
Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-661
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-661.htm

These documents are available in alternative format upon request.

Additional information on community television stations

The Canadian broadcasting system is made up of three basic elements: private broadcasters, public broadcasters and community broadcasters.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's community television policy is designed to:

  • ensure the creation and exhibition of more locally produced programming that is reflective of the community, and
  • foster a greater diversity of voices and alternative choices by facilitating the entry of new participants to the broadcasting system.

To meet these objectives, at least 30 per cent of the programming aired each week by community channels must be created and produced by local citizens and community groups. As of September 1, 2014, the minimum will be raised to 50 per cent.

On that same date, the Commission will require that community channels allocate 50 per cent of their programming expenditures to this type of programming. Initiatives to promote and generate programming and to train and develop volunteers will also qualify as eligible expenditures.

There are presently 119 cable systems funding community channels in Canada. Unlike local television stations, community channels are not permitted to air mainstream commercial advertising, with the exception of sponsorship messages. Any revenues generated through sponsorship messages must be reinvested in community programming.

As part of their total contributions to Canadian programming, the larger cable companies may allocate up to 2 per cent of their gross revenues to the operation of their community channels. This percentage resulted in contributions of approximately $119 million in 2009. The Commission considers that community channels have enough funds to achieve the policy's objectives, and has decided to maintain funding at current levels.

For further information:

Media Relations:
http://support.crtc.gc.ca/CRTCSubmissionMU/forms/Mediarelations.aspx?lang=e
Tel: 819-997-9403, Fax: 819-997-4245

General Inquiries:
Tel: 819-997-0313, TDD: 819-994-0423, Fax: 819-994-0218
Toll-free # 1-877-249-CRTC (2782),
TDD - Toll-free # 1-877-909-CRTC (2782)
http://crtc.gc.ca/RapidsCCM/Register.asp?lang=E




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