Three Vietnamese activists were sentenced to between six and eight years in jail Wednesday for “anti-state propaganda”
Journalism and Free Speech articles on Democracy Chronicles
A basic necessity in a democratic society, is journalism and free speech play a central role in creating a system of checks and balance, and in distributing power equally between governments, businesses, individuals, and other social entities. Access to verifiable information gathered by independent media sources, which adhere to journalistic standards, can also be of service to ordinary citizens, by empowering them with the tools they need in order to participate in the political process. Also see our articles on Civil Rights.
Kenya television shutdown to stop coverage of opposition event
Rights groups on Wednesday criticised the Kenya government’s move to block live coverage of a mock inauguration by the opposition as a “violation” of the public’s right to information. Three of the country’s main private television channels had their live feeds cut or blocked, while the state-run Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) was allowed to continue. […]
VIDEO: Why Think Tanks Matter More Than Ever
Discussion of the current era of political and digital disruption and the role of think tanks and policy-developers
Navalny’s aides arrested for broadcasting anti-Putin protests
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Tuesday that his main spokespeople were arrested
Global rise in internet shutdowns aimed public protest
Governments around the world are increasingly shutting down internet access in an attempt to silence dissent
Supreme Leader Planning New Iranian Internet Restrictions
Many Iranian officials have blamed social media for fomenting unrest that erupted in December
How weak democratic institutions led to an out-of-control Internet
Companies that should have been the subject of government scrutiny instead self-regulated
Russian Ban of Stalin Satire is Part of New Wave of Censorship
Russians have taken to social media to ridicule the state for their decision to ban British satire
Lebanese film gets Oscar nod, and the filmmaker gets arrested
Forty years after it started submitting films to the Oscars, Lebanon got its first nomination for best foreign language film
Free speech is no defense for voter intimidation
If you think that Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Manksy is a “free speech” case, then you’ve already decided the outcome