The Committee to Protect Journalists is condemning the recent arrests of online journalists and political bloggers in Vietnam.
The crackdown comes as online journalists and bloggers independent reporting challenges Vietnam’s tightly censored state-run media’s monopoly on local news and opinion.
Journalists Not Protecting Themselves Online
BPM Forum and AVG Technologies released some interesting findings from the Protect the Press Poll, a survey of the cyber security habits of the working press. The biggest takeaway is that the supposedly well-informed members of the press are no better at protecting themselves online than the average user.
North Korea Finds U.S. Journalists Guilty
North Korea on Monday found two American journalists guilty of illegal entry and sentenced them each to 12 years of hard labor.
The Central Court, the North’s highest court, held the trial of the two U.S. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, from Thursday to Monday and convicted them of "committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry," the North’s official news agency, KCNA reported.
Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee were arrested by North Korean soldiers patrolling the border between China and North Korea on March 17.
Online Journalists Optimistic About Future
Online journalists are more optimistic about the future of their profession than those who work in traditional media, according to a new survey by the Online News Association and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.
A majority of those surveyed (57%) say the Internet is " changing the fundamental values of journalism." The biggest changes, the respondents said, were a loosening of standards (45%), more outside voices (31%) and an increased emphasis on speed (25%).
Why Bloggers (All People) Need To Count As Journalists
Recently Murdok readers fired off a couple hundred comments regarding the US House of Representatives’ definition of journalist in the Free Flow of Information Act, a law shielding journalists from having to reveal their sources. A new development in Virginia involving a citizen journalist shows why this definition needs to be broadened to include bloggers, and any other type of journalist.
House Says Bloggers Don’t Count As Journalists
Two versions of a bill in Congress would enshrine a journalist’s right to keep his or her sources confidential, effectively banning the government from forcing journalists to reveal whistleblowers. One version though—the House version—gives an incredibly stupid definition of journalist that excludes not only bloggers, but freelancers, independents, and nonprofit journalists as well.
For the most part, the Senate and House agree on what a journalist’s duties are and what journalism entails:
Online Journalists Now The Most Jailed
More online journalists are in prison globally than any other reporters working in any other medium, according to a new survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
TypePad’s Blogger Bailout For Laid-Off Journalists
TypePad has introduced a "bailout" program for journalists who have been laid off or expect to be.
Journalists Struggle With New Media
Reporters are complaining that news organizations are burning them out by making them use more and different types of technology to tell their stories, journalists said at a National Press Club Forum this week. Journalists charge there is little evidence that new technology is bringing in enough revenue to save jobs and support the news business.
More Journalists Embracing Social Media
Journalist’s use of online resources to cover news stories continues to be more extensive then believed by public relations professionals, according to a study by Bulldog Reporter and TEKgroup International, Inc.