Daily Archives: January 8, 2015

(01-07 12:07)

Chinese censors should pay more attention to public opinion, a state-run newspaper argued Wednesday, after an online backlash over the removal of all cleavage from a TV show about China's only female emperor. "Empress of China'', about the Tang dynasty ruler Wu Zetian, who came to power at the end of the 7th century, was abruptly taken off the air soon after its debut on satellite station Hunan TV late last month, ostensibly for ''technical reasons''. When it returned a week later, the show -- which stars actress Fan Bingbing in the title role -- had been conspicuously edited so that shots of female characters in mildly revealing period dresses were instead tightly cropped to remove any sight of the bulge of a breast. The move ignited the fury of China's Internet users, who contended that censors had gone a step too far and had sought to rewrite the country's fashion history. The Global Times newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist Party, noted in an editorial that while the censorship was "largely done out of moral concerns'', the resulting public outcry should serve as a warning for the future. "While it is powerful, censorship lacks authority,'' it said. "In this sense, when using censorship, more considerations should be given to public opinion to garner support and avoid similar incidents.'' The rules governing censorship in China are opaque and reasons are not provided for why cuts are made, but negative portrayals of contemporary politics are often banned, as are revealing scenes and issues that authorities believe could lead to social unrest. The Global Times insisted that the system of control was necessary. "The reality is that censorship exists in many countries and it is unlikely to be reversed in China,'' it wrote. The strict approval process has been criticized as arbitrary at times, with films and TV series often scuttled at the last moment -- and sometimes, as in the case of "Empress of China'', even after they have begun airing. Last month, the premiere of acclaimed director Jiang Wen's latest film, ''Gone with the Bullets'', was abruptly delayed due to eleventh-hour demands by censors. An online survey released by the Sina Weibo microblogging service on Monday found that nearly 95 percent of respondents disapproved of the "Empress of China'' censorship. According to the culture ministry website chinaculture.org, Tang dynasty women inherited the traditional Chinese "ruqun'' jacket and gown combination ''and developed it further, opening up the collar as far as exposing the cleavage between the breasts''. "This was unheard of and unimaginable in the previous dynasties, in which women had to cover their entire body according to the Confucian classics,'' it says. "But the new style was soon embraced by the open-minded aristocratic women of the Tang Dynasty.'' --AFP

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Cleavage censorship 'lacks authority': state media

A fascinating insight into the state of press freedom (lack of) in Russia is provided by Valery Pavlukevich on the Open Democracy site.

He profiles just one region, Samara - in the southeastern part of European Russia beside the Volga - where there are 363 newspapers and more than 60 radio and television stations. Yet despite the quantity, he says, there is little quality because few are truly independent.

He quotes Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the leading opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, as saying that journalism in Russia has become a form of prostitution.

Nearly all media outlets in Samara are controlled by a single official entity overseen by the regional governor, Nikolai Merkushkin. During his election campaign, the newspaper Volzhskaya Kommuna, which is funded by the regional budget, included six photographs of Merkushkin in each issue.

Private media outlets are also loyal to the governor. One group that publishes five popular newspapers plus a radio and TV broadcaster is owned by the deputy governor.

In September, Sergey Melnik, a journalist on the radio station Lada FM in Tolyatti, was suspended while on air for speaking about the Samara gubernatorial elections.

In addition to such overt censorship, there is censorship behind the scenes. Officials from the governors media relations department have called TV news editors to stop the broadcasting of reports of opposition rallies.

Despite the censorship and pressure from officials, Pavlukevich writes that independent journalists and independent media outlets in Samara do exist. There are two independent newspapers and an online journal, all of which attract many readers.

Andrey Astashkin, a blogger and deputy head of the local cell of the liberal political party Yabloko, is quoted as saying: Today, Samara is a region with no freedom of speech. The internet remains the only space for independent media here.

Source: Open Democracy

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Russian region where press freedom is compromised

By Phuntsok Yangchen

DHARAMSHALA, January 7: A leading Tibetan advocacy group based in Washington DC has petitioned the social networking giant Facebook to account after it deleted a post by a Beijing based Tibetan writer, allegedly under Chinese pressure.

The International Campaign for Tibet, a prominent advocacy group based in Washington DC, is urging people to tell Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to let the Tibetan voices be heard.

Tell Facebook: Let Tibetans Be Heard, as the petition is called, has already been signed by over 4000 people and counting.

The ICT said that the social networking site has violated Woesers freedom of expression and Tibetans right in letting the world know the real situation in Tibet.

Calling the removal of her post wrong and shameful, it said, Censoring the truth about Chinas oppression of Tibetan- so severe and pervasive that some see setting themselves on fire as their only way to be heard.

Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, said the existence of freedom of expression on any media can be fully assessed only when social and political activism is taken into account.

Chinas ban on Facebook reflects that so far the social medias giant had refused to apply the censorship standards typical of Chinas social media. It was therefore worrying to see a video posted by Woeser about Kalsang Yeshis self immolation deleted by Facebook, as other recent interference with individual accounts. We are seeking a full explanation and calling on Facebook to fully uphold the freedom of expression that has become an integral part of its brand, added Matteo.

Matteo said his organization launched the campaign to call on Facebook to stop blocking images of Tibetan self-immolations, especially if the users are posting them with many technical difficulties from within China, as Woeser does.

Censorship from the free world would be the ultimate offense to these courageous people who are trying to bring justice and freedom to places where people do not now enjoy them.

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Censorship by Facebook "shameful": US based Tibet advocacy group