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Twitter and internet freedom: distinguish democracies from dictatorships

Reports that Twitter is planning to ‘censor’ the content of certain tweets has caused alarm amongst pro-democracy bloggers and other cyberactivists. “If Twitter censors, I’ll stop tweeting,” China’s dissident artist Ai Weiwei tweeted in response to the news. But there is a world of difference between a democracy banning speech on “security” grounds and a dictatorship banning “security”-infringing speech by autocratic fiat, writes Richard Fontaine, a Senior Advisor at the Center for a New American Security.

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Russia and the West: why democracy threatens Putin

Democracy Digest from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED): A new two-part BBC series on Russia’s democratic regression is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand the

Broadcasting Board of Governors member lashes out against domestic critics, calling them ‘cowards’

BBG Watch Commentary We have just heard that the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Walter Isaacson is stepping down from his post at the BBG. He

Voice of America hushed up mistakes by former CNN employees

BBG Watch Commentary We have reported earlier that former CNN employees, who lack experience in international broadcasting, speak no foreign languages and have poor management skills, have been

Russia – Office of opposition newspaper destroyed in firebomb attack

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the arson attack that ravaged the editorial offices of the weekly Vecherny Krasnokamsk in the Perm

Russia – Independent newspaper suspends publication in response to pressure

International Freedom of Expression eXchange: According to the general director of "Moi Gorod-Kostroma", the paper was subjected to various inspections while its staff was repeatedly detained by

Media freedom activist Ted Lipien warns against diminished public stake in U.S. international broadcasting

Republished from the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB) website: In an article published in American Diplomacy, a quarterly electronic journal of commentary, analysis, and research on American

VOA Reporter Killed In Pakistan, BBG Watch urges BBG to do more to take care of contract and overseas-based employees

BBG Watch reporters and contributors, many of us former and current Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) employees, are shocked and saddened by the killing in Pakistan of Mukarram

CUSIB’s open letter to BBG urges greater public scrutiny of U.S. international broadcasting

The Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB) has sent an open letter to members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) warning against a threat of diminished public

Gunmen kill Pakistani journalist who reported on Taliban

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) -

New York, January 17, 2012--Unidentified gunmen killed broadcast journalist Mukarram Khan Aatif in a mosque north of Peshawar today, according to

United States – Reporters Without Borders to close its English-language site for 24 hours in protest against SOPA and…

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) - In an unprecedented move, Reporters Without Borders will shut down its English-language website for 24 hours from 8 a.m. EST tomorrow,

‘Old white guys’ meet ‘cute young intern’ and First Amendment at the Broadcasting Board of Governors

A commentary by BBG Watch Cute High School Intern Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) officials have gotten so used to running their small federal agency like their own

Under pressure at home, Chinese writer chooses exile

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) -

New York, January 13, 2012--The decision of prominent Chinese writer Yu Jie to seek exile in the United States this week is

In Russia, unknown attacker stabs exiled Tajik journalist – CPJ

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) -

New York, January 13, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Thursday's attack in Moscow on Dododzhon Atovulloyev, exiled publisher and editor-in-chief

Blog: What US can’t accept in Belarus, it supports in Uzbekistan – CPJ

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) -

Last week, President Obama signed into law a bill that expands sanctions against Belarus, whose authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko continues to

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