Tag: Media

UK revokes license for Chinese State Broadcaster CGTN
5Feb By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

UK revokes license for Chinese State Broadcaster CGTN

Broadcasting regulators in the United Kingdom have pulled the license for China Global Television Network (CGTN) in a bid to put an end to content that lacks “editorial responsibility”.As per media reports, Ofcom on Thursday said that it had conducted an investigation into the company’s ownership structure and that CGTN’s parent company was beholden to Beijing.“Our investigation showed that the license for China Global Television Network is held by an entity which has no editorial control over its programmes. We are unable to approve the application to transfer the license to China Global Television Network Corporation because it is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is not permitted under UK broadcasting law,” Ofcom said.“We now consider it appropriate to withdraw
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Pakistani media mogul’s bizarre arrest shows how media freedom is being squeezed
17Jul By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Pakistani media mogul’s bizarre arrest shows how media freedom is being squeezed

The country’s most prominent media mogul Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is detained and incarcerated. The image-conscious Prime Minister Imran Khan ignores a letter from United Nations officials about the detention. The media tycoon is held for over 100 days without charge; five bail hearings are postponed, and the bench assigned to hear his case is changed three times in as many months.Even for a nascent democracy such as Pakistan, under military rule for much of its existence, the bizarre arrest and ongoing detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is novel and tragic.The owner-editor of Jang, Pakistan’s most powerful media conglomerate, was arrested on March 12. The move was so unexpected that he didn’t obtain pre-arrest bail when responding to a summons by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office
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Indian newspapers, websites not accessible in China
12Jul By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

Indian newspapers, websites not accessible in China

While Chinese newspapers and websites continue to be accessible in India, people in China can only access the Indian media websites with Virtual Private Network (VPN) server.According to diplomatic sources in Beijing, the Indian TV channels can be accessed through IP TV as of now. However, ExpressVPN had not been working in the Communist state for the past two days on iPhone as well as desktops.A virtual private network (VPN) gives users online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. VPNs mask internet protocol (IP) address so a user's online actions are virtually untraceable. But China has created such a technologically advanced firewall that it blocks even the VPNs.The blocking of India news websites comes amid the ongoing tension between In...
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24Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Hundred days of arrest for a case with no evidence

It has been hundred days since Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Editor-in-Chief of Jang Group has been in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) detention, held behind bars.In the most recent development, a bench of the Lahore High Court adjourned the hearing in his bail petition in a 34-year-old land property case on the grounds that the bench had received the case files late. Previously, another bench hearing the case had been dissolved due to the unavailability of one of its members. The court has already sought a reply from NAB on the petition.As per the details of the case, there is no real justification for there to even be a case regarding the purchase of the land. Nevertheless, Mir Shakil still continued to cooperate with NAB. And now we have a situation where even after a hundred days, there i...
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China attempts to shape European media outlets to propagate its narratives
4Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

China attempts to shape European media outlets to propagate its narratives

In the wake of its drowning international image due to coronavirus spread, China has been found investing billions every year in European media firms to present its own narrative through tactics like funding paid-for advertorials and sponsored journalistic coverage.During 2008-2018, China made an investment of Euro 2.8 billion focusing on acquisition of shares in European media firms accounting for about 1% of its total European investments.In its efforts to reshape the global information environment with massive infusions of money, China has resorted to tactics like mergers and acquisitions of media organizations, commercial cooperation with media outlets, hiring PR companies to project Chinese views in mainstream media, cooperation by Chinese agencies with local news agencies, increasing...
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