Ethiopia: Denial of Access to Somali Region to Hide What?

Since Ethiopia`s direct interference in Somalia right groups , aid workers and journalists have systematically reported barbaric ab-uses in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Collective punishment , rape, razing and burning of villages, forcing civilians to pick up the gun are among many.

As usual Ethiopia denied those accusation and fired aid agencies and individuals who brought the issue to the world. Sceince monitor today reported that government warns aid workers if they talk to press about atrocities in Somali region, they will lose access.

The Monitor which is published by a church reports the dilemma that aid workers are facing and the horror that the residents are facing. The newspaper confirms how the government made the region unaccessible to independent fact finders.

Why Ethiopia continue to issue simple denial statements which is no more credible, and let journalists, aid workers and right groups free access and find out the reality of the alleged mass graves?

As long as Ethiopia continues with black-out policy it is quite natural to believe that there is something inhumane acts going under the cover of the darkness. However, history teaches us that politicians hardly go with their crime and would pay at some stage. Saddam did a lot against his people being a close ally with US and probably with American weapon .Now after the political game changed US is playing the leading role in exposing a crime many believe it had a share.What we have to be sure is that the mass graves and barbaric abuses would only make people to stand firm for justice and without doubt justice prevails and wins even if might take some time to see that happen

Somalia: End the repression of journalists

IFEX

His Excellency Nur Hassan Hussein
Somali Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Mogadishu, Somalia

Your Excellency,

We are deeply concerned about the rapidly degenerating press freedom situation in Somalia, where safety, professional rights and working conditions for media get worse every day. Since early 2007 tensions have heightened, especially in the south-central regions of the country. Last year was the most dangerous year for journalists in Somalia's history, as we witnessed numerous attacks on journalists and the death of nine of our colleagues.

Full from International Freedom of Expresssion Exchange

Free and Fair Rigging of an Election!!

Last night a Moroccan who express his political view in a comedian way appeared on Al-jazeera`s live "bilaa hudduud"( without border) program. The topic was to discuss where the widely condemned Arab interior Minster`s new media charter , set the future of political comedy.

Along the discussion he was once asked the progress made by the regimes in the field of democracy and freedom of press.

His answer made me lough!! Guess what he said..

" A lot, and among them is free and fair rigging of elections"

He was apparently indicating how they transformed from blatant stealing of votes to a very systematic way using the recent technology..and of course he gave an example of how they manipulate votes using what he called "Undemocratic Computers"!!!

In fact this man was gagged for the last 18 years, that he can not appear on state media.
___________

This is rough translation and once AL-jazeera uploads the transcript and th discussion as usual one might get full and more appropriate information.

Ethiopia: State Media Source for AFP?

Over 300 police officers suspected of links with separatists rebels have been arrested in Ethiopia's restive Ogaden region as part of a government crackdown, state-media reported on Monday.

AFP

____________________________________________________________________

All the media outlets reported this news which is a claim made by the government. This what we the state media reported and it makes one wonder why main stream media like AFP do simple copy and paste work, rather than do their job as `independent source`. What the reader wants today is not just make loud the claim of state media reports which is part of the game and don`t carry much credibility , but to add some effort to reveal the truth about the report. The government is being accused of forcing civilians to pick up the gun against the rebels. Right watch group has accused the government of series ab-uses including rape and collective punishment. Perhaps, these police officers couldn`t bear to carry such ab-uses against the people they are from . Ethiopians deserve the truth and so is the world, and the so called independent media should prove that they are really independent.

Ethiopia: Editors of two Newspapers Arrested

[Nejashi ]Editor of Al-Qudus weekly Newsletter, Ato Ezedin Muhammed along with his wife W/o Maria Qadi Abafita, and editor and owner of Salafiyya Newsletter Ato Ibrahim were arrested yesterday, 16/02/07. Ato Ezedin and W/o Maria were taken by about 10 security personnel from their home.

Read more

Ethiopia:New Entertainment TV to Hit Soon the Air

It is privately-owned pay TV service by the name of GTV- Gateway Community Television (GTV) is poised to enter the broadcasting market with the main objective of educating and entertaining the Ethiopian public, its senior official said on Monday.

Accrding to All Africa , the process of legalizing is over and it will announce details of prices, channels and service offerings through Metro Plc, its official agent in Ethiopia.

Check about GTV

Opinion
It is well come move to offer alternatives, but this apportunity should extend to non entertainment channels as well. Other wise Ethiopia may end up as Middle Eastern regimes where entertainment channels are multiplying in a frightening rate, while the rope is tight to other channels. In fact, Arab foreign Minsters adopted a charter yesterday which feared that it may take the media to the dark age. Check why?

Hide From Media!!

Mediation in Kenya to move to a secret location, to avoid media after Anan expressed discomfort over previous leak.

"Negotiators trying to break the deadlock between Kenya's government and the opposition are planning to relocate to a secret location."

[press tv]

Opinion

To be successful avoid the media!!This shows how de-constructive the so called media is turning to?

MEMRI Propoganda Machine as News source!!

"My problem with Memri (Middle East Media Research Institute) is that it poses as a research institute when it's basically a propaganda operation," Says Brian Whitaker The Guardian Journalistt when explains Selective MEMRI.

Here are some more facts about MEMRI

*The co-founder and president of Memri, and the registered owner of its website, is an Israeli called Yigal Carmon.

*Mr - or rather, Colonel - Carmon spent 22 years in Israeli military intelligence and later served as counter-terrorism adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin.

*Retrieving another now-deleted page from the archives of Memri's website also throws up a list of its staff. Of the six people named, three - including Col Carmon - are described as having worked for Israeli intelligence.

*Among the other three, one served in the Israeli army's Northern Command Ordnance Corps, one has an academic background, and the sixth is a former stand-up comedian.

*Col Carmon's co-founder at Memri is Meyrav Wurmser, who is also director of the centre for Middle East policy at the Indianapolis-based Hudson Institute, which bills itself as "America's premier source of applied research on enduring policy challenges".

*Ms Wurmser is the author of an academic paper entitled Can Israel Survive Post-Zionism? in which she argues that leftwing Israeli intellectuals pose "more than a passing threat" to the state of Israel, undermining its soul and reducing its will for self-defence."

*MEMRI is funded by Neo-Cons

Refer for more

The Guardian

Wikipedia

Opinion

MEMRI is not void of truth, however, as Brian says it is selective and notorious for its mis interpretation and distortion. I am not sure, if they are aware but I am alarmed when I came across a website which covers nes realted with Ethiopia making news based on MEMRI. If they want beat the drum with this propaganda machine and put aside objectivity(Perhaps in exchange of cash!) then that is would be their choice other wise making News based on MEMRI would not make them more credible than MEMRI.

Ethiopia: Restrictions Lifted and Freed Journalists to Launch New Publications

[All Africa]The Ethiopian government today reversed its decision last month to deny two journalists released from prison last year on pardon from launching new newspapers, according to local journalists. Three other journalists who were acquitted and set free last year remained blocked from launching their own publications.
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Al Jazeera most trusted channel

[The peninsulane]DOHA • In an extensive poll of Arab Academics in over 19 countries, Arab polling agency The Knowledge World Centre for Polls found that Al Jazeera was the most respected news agency in the Middle East, and over 98 per cent of Political Science and Media professors in the region claimed to watch at least three hours of Al Jazeera per day.

Demonstrating its unrivaled popularity in the region, the poll found that Al Jazeera's viewership was over three times that of its closest rival, and over twenty-eight times that of its third closest competitor.

Over 96 per cent of the Arab academics surveyed found Al Jazeera a reliable source for news, and over 73 per cent expressed their confidence that the channel would quickly correct any mistakes that surfaced in news reports.

The Director of the Knowledge World Centre for Polls said, "This is the largest poll of its kind ever undertaken in the Arab world. By working for almost one year and sampling almost half of all political science and media professors in the region, we believe that we have illuminated people's understanding of broadcast news viewing patterns in this part of the world. As the results show, our study found that Al Jazeera is the most trusted and widely viewed channel in the Arab world."

Al Jazeera's Director General Wadah Khanfar said: "We are very pleased with the results of this poll. It is further recognition by academic professionals across the Middle East on the value of our mission of bringing groundbreaking independent news to the Arab world. This poll serves as a testament to the professionalism and hard work of Al Jazeera's staff around the world."

According to the Knowledge World Centre for Polls, based in Amman, Jordan, the poll was designed to measure the perceived objectivity and professionalism of Al Jazeera among the Arab world's academic elite. Conducted over 11 months in 19 Arab countries, the Knowledge World Centre for Polls sampled over 600 PhD holders, almost 50 per cent of all Political Science and Media professors in the Middle East, almost all of whom reported using Al Jazeera as a primary source of news.