Media

In the heated climate of the negotiations between the Eurogroup and Greece, it is not enough to be right or win the argument. The German government in particular should take seriously the inflammatory resurgence of resentment it faces.

With the attacks on the French magazine "Charlie Hebdo", a new debate on free speech started, aksing i.e. where does freedom of expression end and where do xenophobia and defamation begin? Does Islam allow for critical self-reflection? In 2011 we organized a conference in Beirut, adressing those question. A documentation.

With fewer reporters willing to enter the killing fields of Syria, the coverage of the conflict is dominated by ideological types, hack reporters and embeded correspondents.

Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus has been arrested in Baku. The regime’s savage crackdown on press and opposition started long before the presidential elections of 2013.

Free media are essential for India, the world's largest democracy. But religious intolerance, political influence and corporate control over the media constitute a common set of factors which harm freedom of expression.

In its attempt to undermine a pluralistic media environment the Hungarian government launched an offensive against the Norwegian NGO Fund operating in the county. It started as a usual political battle, but behind the scenes there is going on much more.

In spite of formal efforts, people of the LGTB population are still subjects to discrimination and are not being treated equally in Serbia. The analysis of media contents shows periodically repeated incidence of homophobic, patriarchal patterns. Media actors have to become aware of their responsibility, and of the impact of public words on the society.

Arts manager and a cultural activist Basma El Husseiny points out that art is one of the most essential assets during social change. Being creative enables people to feel and think beyond their immediate reality and outside their usual capacity.

Due to political conflicts in Thailand over the last few years, new media have been widely used as tools in public discussions. The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia Regional Office organized a public discussion forum to stimulate discussion between representatives of different groups about the protection of freedom of expression and access to information.

During the 1998 United States embassy bombings, the ambassy in Nairobi Kenya was attacked on August 7, killing approximately 212 people. The Kenyan drama film "From a Whisper" portrays the aftermath, capturing the lives of the victims and families who had to pick up the pieces of their lives shredded by the blast. An interview with the films director Wanuri Kahiu.

In the three years since its enforcement, the Thai Computer Crime Act has led to 117 court orders to block access to 74,686 Internet URLs. A situational report supported by our Southeast Asia office concludes, that "no one can deny that the Thai people’s right to freedom of expression and opinion in the online world is in crisis."

Interview with Supinya Klangnarong, Media-rights advocate and researcher, about the crisis in Thailand, the polarisation of Thai society and the mistakes of government, and protesters.