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	We need a free and unbiased press more than ever before by UN News, EJN, PBS Frontline, agencies   Mar. 2017   Freedom of Expression Monitors issue Joint Declaration on ‘Fake News’, Disinformation and Propaganda.   Leading monitors of freedom of expression around the world have come together to issue a Joint Declaration on freedom of expression, focusing this year on so-called fake news, disinformation and propaganda.   The action was taken by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, along with his counterparts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).   Mr Kaye says: “Fake news” has emerged as a global topic of concern and there is a risk that efforts to counter it could lead to censorship, the suppression of critical thinking and other approaches contrary to human rights law. In this Joint Declaration, we identify general principles that should apply to any efforts to deal with these issues.”   The Declaration identifies the applicable human rights standards, encourages the promotion of diversity and plurality in the media, and emphasizes the particular roles played by digital intermediaries as well as journalists and media outlets.   * Access the Joint Declaration: http://bit.ly/2lLkJas   Jan 2017   Ethics in the News: Truth-Telling remains Key to Democracy in “Post-Truth” Era   After a year of unprecedented news-making, media around the world are stepping back to ask a pertinent question – what is the future of ethical journalism in an age when it appears that the public around the world are falling out with facts, humanity and accountable truth-telling?   Ethics in the News by the Ethical Journalism Network, throws some light on ethical challenges for media and gives journalists some key tips on ethical survival techniques.   In Europe and America the report looks at how media covered the UK vote to leave the European Union and the Trump election which intensified concerns about the revival of racism, extremism and political propaganda across the western world.   Ethics in the News analyses fake news and how journalism with a public purpose can be overwhelmed in a do-it-yourself world of communications that has led to a so-called post-truth movement in which facts and expert opinion are left on the sidelines of public discourse.   But this is no “western media” crisis. Elsewhere, the question is equally relevant. Turkey, for instance, is on the frontline of a catastrophic and on-going assault on free expression and the year ended with a full-scale information war between India and Pakistan.   The report also examines the continuing global rise of hate speech, particularly in Asia, where there are increasing regional tensions around China and Japan, not least because of territorial disputes and increasing nationalism. Ethics in the News shows how a glossary for hate in Hong Kong might help take the sting out of some of the media’s bad language.   In Africa, media struggle to rise above conflicts in central and eastern regions covering Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan. The report highlights the efforts of journalists to cool things down through the EJN’s ‘Turning the Page of Hate campaign’.   Beyond politics the report examines how media covers the plight of women who are victimised by repressive social and cultural attitudes that continue to dominate media coverage of the shockingly misnamed “honour killings” in Pakistan.   Despite the grim news agenda, it was not all bad news for journalism in 2016. Perhaps the biggest single, corruption-busting story of the decade came from an unprecedented piece of investigative journalism carried out by 400 journalists in 80 countries – the Panama Papers.   The report highlights two areas of particular ethical practice that make journalism a cornerstone of reliability and trust: firstly, a tribute to all the whistle-blowers and sources who make public interest journalism possible through the eyes of the reporter; and, second, a thoughtful examination of how we use images to tell stories, focused on migration.   Ethics in the News also provides tips for journalists on how to stick to the facts, protect sources, report fairly on migration, identify hate speech, block fake news and guard against war-mongering and propaganda.   The report notes a growing movement to strengthen the craft of journalism and how, in every part of the world, even where megaphone politics is in power, journalists committed to the values of accuracy, humanity and transparency are doing good work and connecting with audiences. But much more needs to be done to support media.   * Access the report via the link below.   March 2017   A Devastating Budget, by Raney Aronson-Rath Executive Producer PBS Frontline   You usually hear from me when I’m eager to share an inside look at one of our upcoming investigations, new innovations or collaborations. Today my message is even more pressing.   As you may have heard, President Trump’s budget proposal calls for ending funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.   This is just the beginning of what will likely be a vigorous debate, and it’s worth noting that past calls to end funding of public media have failed due to deep, bipartisan support – in Washington and around the country.   That said, the specter of such cuts is very serious; if they do come to pass, our work, and the work of so many others across public media, would suffer. So, your support is all the more important and appreciated now.   At Frontline, we are dedicated to telling stories others can’t or won’t. We have been bringing you powerful, thought-provoking, investigative journalism for nearly 35 years. Our team of award-winning journalists tackles the toughest, most controversial and complex stories of our time, shining a light in the darkest places and holding those in power accountable.   And because we are public media, we strive to make our journalism available and accessible to all. We proudly air on PBS, and you can also access and stream more than 200 documentaries online, any time, for free on www.pbs.org/frontline.   Credible, clear-eyed, unflinching reporting combined with a powerful narrative — that is at the heart of what we do and part of a public media mission that you’ve come to rely on and trust. And of course, we answer to no one but you.   And yet, critical funding that makes our work possible is in jeopardy. The federal funding for public broadcasting represents less than 1/100th of one percent of the federal budget, while PBS is watched by 82 percent of U.S. households. It costs only $1.35 per citizen each year. This investment is critical to providing every American with free access to public media — award-winning educational children’s programming, critical stories about science, history, and culture and, yes, a proven, reliable source of in-depth and informative journalism.   If you feel as I do that public media is essential to our democracy and to enhancing public understanding of the critical issues of our day, please make your voice heard. Visit www.ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to both sign a petition to support continued funding and to find information about the ways public media serves our communities. Let your friends and family know how important public media is to you and watch for updates with additional information on how you can make a difference.   http://protectmypublicmedia.org/   * What role does the media play in driving xenophobia? World Policy Journal asks five experts from around the globe how the media has promoted or deterred xenophobia: http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2017/04/28/world-policy-newsletter-week-april-28th   * Developments in America: http://rsf.org/en/news/us-trumps-attacks-media-send-dangerous-message-worlds-press-freedom-predators http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/opinion/trump-is-damaging-press-freedom-in-the-us-and-abroad.html http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/27/steve-bannon-white-house-official-media-keep-mouth-shut-threat http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/business/media/stephen-bannon-trump-news-media.html http://news.wgbh.org/2017/02/08/news/steve-bannon-aligns-vatican-hard-liners-who-oppose-pope-francis http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/12/business/media/rupert-murdoch-donald-trump-news-corporation.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/18/thats-how-dictators-get-started-mccain-criticizes-trump-for-calling-media-the-enemy/ http://rsf.org/en/news/trump-media-public-enemy-number-one http://bit.ly/2kDfR6g http://bit.ly/2jQjTuV http://dartcenter.org/resources/trump-trauma-and-news-lessons-campaign-trail http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/02/how-to-cover-pols-who-lie-and-why-facts-dont-always-change-minds-updates-from-the-fake-news-world/   http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/ http://www.warren.senate.gov/ http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ http://billmoyers.com/story/welcome-to-the-vortex/ http://robertreich.org/ http://business-humanrights.org/en/companies-denounce-rightwing-us-website-breitbart-after-criticism http://www.prwatch.org/news/2017/01/13204/marc-short-koch-dark-money-operative-trump-legislative-director http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/the-heritage-foundation-a-heritage-of-propaganda-as-news http://theintercept.com/2017/01/24/get-ready-for-the-first-shocks-of-trumps-disaster-capitalism/ http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/01/24/trump-issues-media-blackout-multiple-federal-agencies http://www.thenation.com/article/the-real-enemy-of-the-people-is-a-president-who-opposes-the-free-press/ http://www.thestar.com/news/world/uselection/2016/11/04/donald-trump-the-unauthorized-database-of-false-things.html Visit the related web page
	The future of judicial reform in China is very gloomy by UNHCHR, Global Voices China   5 May 2017   The vast majority of detained lawyers are defending the basic rights of Chinese citizens, reports Ravina Shamdasani from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.   We are deeply troubled that on Wednesday 3 May, defence lawyer Chen Jiangang and his family were reportedly taken by police while they were travelling in Yunnan province in the southwest of China. This latest event takes place in the context of an ongoing crackdown against Chinese lawyers and other human rights defenders. There has reportedly been no official communication of the reasons Chen was taken away. His wife and two children were subsequently released but Chen’s whereabouts remain unclear.   Chen was the defence lawyer chosen by Xie Yang, a lawyer who has been in detention since July 2015. Xie was only officially charged in January 2016 for inciting subversion of state power and disrupting court order. The trial was due to begin last week, but did not.   In March this year, Chen reported that his client and other detained lawyers, including Wang Quanzhang, Jiang Tianyong and Li Heping, were subjected to ill-treatment and torture in custody. Li Heping, who spent 21 months in incommunicado detention, was secretly sentenced on 25 April to three years in prison, with the possibility of a four-year suspension should he choose not to appeal. He remains in custody and pressure continues to be exerted on his family.   Prior to being reportedly taken by police last Wednesday, Chen had, in a video message, expressed concerns that he too may "lose his freedom" and that he may be coerced into self-incrimination.   Despite numerous calls by a number of UN human rights bodies, including Special Rappporteurs, the UN Committee against Torture and by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, we are dismayed by this continuing pattern of harassment of lawyers, through continued detention, without full due process guarantees and with alleged exposure to ill-treatment and coercion into self-incrimination. We also ask the Chinese authorities to halt the harassment against their relatives.   The vast majority of detained lawyers were defending the basic rights of Chinese citizens, mostly economic, social and cultural rights.   We urge the Chinese government to abide by its international human rights obligations, to ensure due process and fair trials, and to release without delay those being held for exercising their fundamental human rights or for defending the exercise of such rights by others. http://bit.ly/2r6EFa1   Jan. 2017   China''s Top Judge warns against the ‘Threat’ of Judicial Independence, by Jack Hu.   The term “rule of law”, referring to the idea that no one in a society is above the law, has become a popular phrase used by top Chinese leaders in their public speeches. But any emerging hope for justice in China has been dampened by the ongoing crackdown on human rights lawyers, the practice of airing “confessions” of those accused of crimes on TV, and most recently remarks made by the country’s Chief of Justice Zhou Qiang.   At a Supreme People''s Court meeting on January 14, Qiang warned the courts against the idea of judicial independence. He said:   "China''s courts must firmly resist the western idea of “constitutional democracy”, “separation of powers” and “judicial independence”. These are erroneous western notions that threaten the leadership of the ruling Communist Party and defame the Chinese socialist path on the rule of law. We have to raise our flag and show our sword to struggle against such thoughts. We must not fall into the trap of western thoughts and judicial independence. We must stay firm on the Chinese socialist path on the rule of law".   Zhou''s speech, widely reported by state-run media outlets, quickly provoked public outrage and a barrage of criticism from academics, intellectuals and a vast number of microbloggers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Many accused the chief of justice of failing to uphold to Chinese Communist Party’s pledge of maintaining the rule of law.   The outcry attracted the attention of China''s censorship authorities, and soon the headline of the article reporting his speech, “Must dare to show the sword to judicial independence and other erroneous western notions”, became unsearchable on Chinese social media. The newspaper People''s Daily withdrew the article, and the Supreme People''s Court published a series of posts on its website and via major media outlets to explain Zhou''s position in more moderate language. But people are continuing to speak out against the ideological position.   Xiang Songzuo, a prestigious economist, pointed out that the current outflow of capital in China was related to the lack of commitment to the rule of law:   "According to some data, in China, there are about 90,000 rich people who can invest above 100 million yuan, and about 1.34 million rich people who can invest above 10 million yuan. 65% of them are eager to shift their assets abroad, and 60% choose the US as the destination. Their biggest concern is the risk of uncertainty in the system. The administration should pay more attention to this phenomenon. Now [the chief of justice] has denounced constitutional democracy and judicial independence. The pledge to follow the rule of law has been turned into an empty promise. How can people live and work in peace when their lives and properties can’t be protected by an independent judicial system?"   Xiang''s comment was echoed by many who are considering leaving the country. Weibo user “Wrong path” said:   "The speech should be the best migration service advertisement of the year". Another comment read: "It seems China’s political reform just cobbles things together and can’t achieve substantial progress, running contrary to the world''s advanced political civilization. So desperate that all 1.3 billion people should flee the country".   As the chief of justice stressed that the Chinese path is distinct from that of the rest of the world, a Weibo user mocked:   "This is a such a distinctive country with special characteristics where judges oppose judicial independence, media oppose free press, upright officials oppose property disclosure, people oppose one person, one vote".   Those in more outspoken circles were more straightforward in expressing their discontent. According the Radio Free Asia, a number of Chinese human right lawyers have launched a joint signature campaign calling for Zhou Qiang''s resignation.   One of the initiators of the petition, Lin Liguo, accused Zhou of destroying China''s international image. He stressed that without judicial independence, the result is the abusive use of law in serving political interests as reflected in the crackdown on human right lawyer since July 2015.   In the past few years, under the Chinese Communist Party''s call to rule of law, Zhou Qiang has reviewed and overturned some significant unjust cases, including the wrongful execution of Nie Shubin 21 years ago; given judges more independence; and restricted local officials’ influence over court rulings, though ultimately courts at all levels are not independent and should answer to the party leadership.   Some, including famous historian Zhang Lifan, have hence interpreted Zhou''s sudden change of attitude as a self-protective move to keep him away from a power struggle happening within the party before the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.   Against this backdrop, political news commentator Wu Zuolai explained on Twitter how judicial independence can be interpreted as a threat to the party:   "Judicial independence is quite a threat. For example, if many people decide to sue Xi Jinping''s government, and if Zhou Qiang is independent, he could subvert the central government or Xi with law. That''s why Zhou needs to be submissive and declares to the public that there is no judicial independence — that he has to obey the central government. Under the dual track system, the party and the national security police use political prosecution to solve their problems, while other problems are solved by the rule of law or by corrupting the law".   Regardless of Zhou Qiang''s intention, as the top representative of the Chinese judicial system, his speech is a declaration that the future of judicial reform in China is very gloomy. http://bit.ly/2jRwFKj
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