Podcasts about world press freedom index

During the last year of Bashar al-Assad's rule of Syria, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country second to last in the World Press Freedom Index. The country was incredibly dangerous for journalists who had to manage strict government censorship. But in December 2024, Assad's rule was toppled by a swift rebel offensive that took the capital city Damascus within a few days. The country then experienced a level of press freedom it hadn't seen for decades. Dalia Haidar of BBC Arabic worked as a journalist in Syria whilst Assad was in power, she joins us to describe what it was like and what the hopes are for the future. Plus, a tour of Chiclayo, the Peruvian city Pope Leo XIV used to call home, with José Carlos Cueto from BBC Mundo; and how a Ferrari flag became a symbol of protest, with Slobodan Maričić from BBC Serbian. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Evi Mariani - Media Freedom In March this year parcels containing a pig's head and the carcasses of dead rats were sent to the offices of Tempo magazine in Jakarta. The story made international headlines and led to an outpouring of support and condemnation from across Indonesia's mediascape and public more broadly. Known for its deep investigative reporting the magazine's chief editor described the brazen threat on its journalists as an act of terrorism. Just weeks after the attack on Tempo, the latest World Press Freedom Index downgraded Indonesia's rating across all indicators. Media organisations and news outlets across the world face inevitable decline and are struggling to maintain relevance in the face of competition from social media platforms, content creators and influencers. In Indonesia, mass layoffs of journalists are imminent as the old commercial model collapses. In response, a new, although undeniably small movement of independent journalism is pushing back with the aim of finding new ways to beat both the algorithm and those seeking to suppress press freedoms. So what is the state of the media in Indonesia today? What protections are in place for journalists and in the midst of political, economic and technological challenges, who will stand up for a free press? In this week's episode Jemma chats with Evi Mariani, journalist and co-founder of the independent journalism collective, Project Multatuli. In 2025, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales and Tito Ambyo from RMIT. Image: With permission Project Multatuli

The World Press Freedom Index, which is issued by Reporters without Borders, measures the health of press freedom around the world. They do so along a number of axes, including the economic health of independent media, legal protections for the press and the physical security of journalists. In 2025, the global score on the index was the lowest it's ever been.On this episode, Dan Richards talks with three journalists and media thinkers who work in a part of the world where press freedom is, at times, a matter of life and death. Chernoh Bah is a Sierra Leonean journalist, historian and postdoctoral research fellow at the Watson Institute. Sadibou Marong is a journalist and Sub-Saharan Africa bureau chief for Reporters Without Borders, based in Sénégal. Zubaida Ismail is a freelance journalist and Ghana's correspondent for Reporters Without Borders.They discuss the state of press freedom in countries across Africa, what the struggle for independent journalism in countries in Africa can teach the rest of the world, and the broader relationship between independent media and democratic health. These guests, along with many others, gathered at the Watson Institute this Spring as part of the Media and Democracy Conference hosted by Watson's Africa Initiative. You can watch more conversations and presentations from the conference here. Transcript coming soon to our website.

The annual World Press Freedom Index ranks the UK as 20th out of 180 countries. We reflect on the big trends and turning points from the last 12 months

The Monocle Daily with Fiona O’Brien at Reporters San Frontières, Nick Paton Walsh from CNN, Monocle’s Jessica Bridger and Konfekt’s Sophie Grove.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Produced by KSQD 90.7, 89.5 & 89.7FM “Be Bold America!” Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 5:00pm (PT) “First they came for the journalists. We don't know what happened after that.” – Maria Ressa Every year, Project Censored highlights the vital stories that corporate media underreported, exposes rampant news abuse, and tracks emerging threats against the press from financial and political powers “State of the Free press 2025” comes at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low.  A 2024 Pew Research Poll found that a remarkable 73 percent of adult Americans believe a free press is either extremely or very important to the well-being of society—though only a third of those polled believe that US media are completely free to report news. Half of those surveyed believe that US news organizations are influenced a great deal by corporate/financial or government/political interests. Reporters Without Borders gave the US a score of 66.59 out of a possible 100 points in their 2024 World Press Freedom Index—a drop of nearly five points from 2023. Tragically, 2024 stands out as the year that the corporate media failed to adequately cover Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and the threat it poses to the whole world. With their gaze trained elsewhere, the powerful got a pass from the very institution that should hold them to account. In 2023 Reporters Without Borders labeled US press freedom “satisfactory;” in 2024, they called it “problematic.” Interview Guest: SHEALEIGH VOITL is the digital and print editor at Project Censored. She first began her research with the Project at North Central College alongside Steve Macek, co-authoring the Déjá Vu News chapter in the State of the Free Press 2022 and 2023 yearbooks, and the Top 25 chapter in SFP 2023. 

pWotD Episode 2778: Syria Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 546,113 views on Monday, 9 December 2024 our article of the day is Syria.Syria is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is under a transitional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 25 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 57th most populous and 87th largest country.The name "Syria" historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant and known in Arabic as al-Sham. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Damascus and Aleppo are cities of great cultural significance. Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital for the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule, as a French Mandate. The state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained de jure independence as a parliamentary republic in 1945 when the First Syrian Republic became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the French Mandate. French troops withdrew in April 1946, granting the nation de facto independence.The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple military coup attempts shaking the country between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt, which was terminated in the 1961 coup d'état and was renamed as the Syrian Arab Republic in constitutional referendum. The 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Ba'ath Party established a one-party state and ran Syria under emergency law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending constitutional protections for citizens. Internal power-struggles within Ba'athist factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, which eventually resulted in the seizure of power by Hafiz al-Assad. He effectively established an Alawite minority rule to consolidate power within his family. After Assad's death, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency in 2000.Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with involvement of different countries, leading to a refugee crisis where more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country. The Islamic State (IS) militant group captured many Syrian cities in 2014–15, in response to which the United States launched an international coalition that territorially defeated IS in Syria. Thereafter, three political entities – the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and Rojava – emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule. In late 2024, a series of offensives from a coalition of opposition forces led to the capture of several major cities, including Damascus, and the fall of Assad's regime.A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. Up until the capture of Damascus by rebel forces, it was the only country governed by neo-Ba'athists. The neo-Ba'athist government was a totalitarian dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Assad family and attracted widespread criticism for its severe domestic repression and war crimes. Being ranked 4th worst in the 2024 Fragile States Index, Syria is one of the most dangerous places for journalists. Freedom of the press is extremely limited, and the country is ranked 2nd worst in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index. It is the most corrupt country in the MENA region and was ranked the 2nd lowest globally on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. Syria has also become the epicentre of an Assad-sponsored Captagon industry, exporting billions of dollars worth of the illicit drug annually, making it one of the largest drug cartels in the world.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:44 UTC on Tuesday, 10 December 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Syria on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

Eritrea is the worst place to work as a journalist in the world and is one of the most repressive countries on press freedom. In the latest World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Eritrea was ranked last out of 180 countries. Since 2001, the government has banned all independent media outlets, leaving only state-controlled media under the Ministry of Information. That year, about 11 journalists were arrested and put in jail without trial in a crackdown against the country's first independent newspaper. Half of them have since died while the rest, including journalist Dawit Isaak, languish in prison. Mr Isaak is now considered to be one of the world's longest detained journalists. He was recently recognised with the prestigious Edelstam prize in Sweden for his commitment to freedom of expression. His daughter Betlehem Isaak will be receiving the award on his behalf today. Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja spoke to her about campaigning for her father's release and what she believes needs to be done to make this happen.

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry's Tanishka Sodhi and the Hindu's Ashna Butani.Tanishka talks about her deep-dive on Shubhash Chandra, Zee Media founder and former Rajya Sabha MP, and the shift in his stance on the central government. She explains why his recent remarks on the dip in India's rank on the World Press Freedom Index and the SEBI's investigation into his alleged financial improprieties hint at souring terms between Chandra and the Modi government. Ashna delves into her recent report on the gender gap in owning digital devices, especially mobile phones. She says that this digital gap faced by many young women in rural India, due to conservative mindsets and stereotypes, impacts their day-to-day lives. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:57 - Subhash Chandra00:13:15 - Digital Gap00:31:50 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAshnaGod of Small ThingsTanishkaSona darlingShivnarayanSubhash Chandra's winds of changeA phone of her own: Digital gap's fallout on young women in rural IndiaProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National-level celebrations for HAWANA 2024 (National Journalists Day) were held in Kuching, Sarawak over the weekend. During the event, comments by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the relevance of World Press Freedom Index rankings raised questions about the government's commitment to free, independent media. We discuss the divergence between government rhetoric and action concerning news media with Wathshlah Naidu of the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ).Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

An increase in lending rates, the Saulos Chilima case, Israeli farm workers, RBM's losses, the World Press Freedom Index, and more! Thanks for tuning in!Let us know what you think and what we can improve on by emailing us at malawi@rorshok.com Like what you hear? Subscribe, share, and tell your buds.We want to get to know you! Please fill in this mini survey:https://forms.gle/NV3h5jN13cRDp2r66Wanna avoid ads and help us financially? Follow the link:https://bit.ly/rorshok-donate

Audio Siar Keluar Sekejap Episod 102 yang bersiaran secara langsung di UCSI University antaranya membincangkan kedudukan Malaysia yang jatuh 34 anak tangga ke tempat 107 dalam World Press Freedom Index yang disiarkan Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Episod ini turut membincangkan tentang Pempamer di DSA dan NATSEC Asia 2024 yang terlibat secara langsung membekal senjata ke Israel. Keluar Sekejap turut mengulas tentang Pengajian Tinggi di Malaysia yang juga menampilkan Professor Datuk Ir Ts Dr Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir, Vice-Chancellor UCSI University. Dikesempatan ini, Keluar Sekejap ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada UCSI yang telah menaja episod ini. Universiti UCSI mempunyai tawaran istimewa untuk penonton dan pendengar KS sejajar dengan pengambilan pelajar bulan Mei yang sedang berlangsung. - Pelajar yang mendapat sekurang-kurangnya 4A dalam SPM boleh mendapat biasiswa sebanyak 45%. Kuantum biasiswa ditentukan oleh keputusan peperiksaan dan pelajar boleh menikmati biasiswa sehingga 100%. - Pelajar yang mendaftar untuk pengambilan Mei juga akan menikmati pengecualian yuran pendaftaran sebanyak 50%. - Calon Sarjana dan PhD juga akan menikmati biasiswa pascasiswazah sehingga 50%. Hubungi Universiti UCSI dengan pautan WhatsApp ini https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=601135081585 *Tertakluk kepada terma dan syarat Bagi yang berminat menaja episod Keluar Sekejap untuk 2024, boleh hubungi +601119191783 atau emel kami di taja.keluarsekejap@gmail.com.

The rule of law case, the morning-after pill policy, a protest in a Medical University in Warsaw, the World Press Freedom Index, an attack on a Synagogue, and much more!Thanks for tuning in!Let us know what you think and what we can improve on by emailing us at poland@rorshok.com. You can also contact us on Twitter & Instagram @rorshokpoland Like what you hear? Subscribe, share, and tell your buds.We want to get to know you! Please fill in this mini survey:https://forms.gle/NV3h5jN13cRDp2r66 Wanna avoid ads and help us financially? Follow the link:https://bit.ly/rorshok-donate

Sanctions against Russian gas, deepwater oil drilling operations, bird flu affecting walruses, potential benefits from ancient crops, the World Press Freedom Index, and much more! Thanks for tuning in!Let us know what you think and what we can improve on by emailing us at podcast@rorshok.comLike what you hear? Subscribe, share, and tell your buds. 2024 World Press Freedom Index:https://rsf.org/en/2024-world-press-freedom-index-journalism-under-political-pressure?data_type=general&year=2024 We want to get to know you! Please fill in this mini survey:https://forms.gle/NV3h5jN13cRDp2r66 Wanna avoid ads and help us financially? Follow the link:https://bit.ly/rorshok-donateOops! It looks like we made a mistake. In 1:19, the reader should have said, "even."Sorry for the inconvenience!

Across the Baltic sea, GPS jamming has led to flights being cancelled, posing serious security risks. Could Russia be behind this? Then: the UN convenes a “mega-summit” of chief executives in Chile, the importance of Nordic influence in Africa and the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. Plus: we meet Swiss skier Marc Rochat of the documentary ‘La Roche'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our in-house edition of The Monocle Daily includes a look at the World Press Freedom Index, the return of the diss track and Madonna in Brazil. Plus: Ukraine's cricket team and the latest on Turkey cutting ties with Israel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News manipulation and political constraints are increasingly impacting journalists worldwide, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index. What are the implications for India, where there are reports of growing restrictions on the press?

In this special episode to mark World Press Freedom Day, Jeffrey Gedmin, cofounder and editor-in-chief of American Purpose and former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, joins Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins to discuss the global state of press freedom. They cover the challenges that a growing number of journalists face in exile or imprisonment, the U.S. role in upholding freedom of the press, and more.    Mentioned on the Podcast   “Exile Journalists Map—Fleeing to Europe and North America,” Reporters Without Borders   “Media Freedom,” Freedom House   2023 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders   Journalists:    Parnaz Azima   Jamal Khashoggi   Alsu Kurmasheva   Monica Lovinescu   Georgi Markov   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/world-press-freedom-day-2024-mounting-threats-renewed-purpose 

In this week's special edition of Access Asia, we focus on India as the country's record-breaking election gets under way. In the past few years, India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has plummeted. With the country's independent media increasingly under threat, YouTube has become a key medium to fact-check trending topics. Twenty-nine-year-old Dhruv Rathee has been using the platform to fact-check issues and hold the Indian government to account. He spoke to FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza.

The level of press freedom in Kenya media outlets is among the highest in East Africa, according to the most recent World Press Freedom Index. And Reuters' research claims that trust in the news grew by six percent last year in Kenya, right after an election. However, there is still much work to be done when it comes to making newsrooms a safe place for Kenyan women. According to a survey from Women in News in early 2022, about 90% of women working in Kenyan media reported they were likely to be sexually harassed while on assignment. And for both women and gender nonconforming respondents, more than half said they expected to face sexual harassment in the workplace. Thankfully, leaders in Kenyan media have started to take meaningful steps to address this issue.  On today's episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we will look at what actually works when it comes to ending sexual harassment at work. First, reporter Sharon Kiburi talks to Judie Kaberia. During her tenure as executive director of the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK), Kaberia helped Kenyan media outlets develop policies and procedures to tackle sexual harassment.  Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Prof. Alexandra Kalev, a Tel Aviv University associate professor of sociology and dean of the sociology and anthropology departments. Kalev and her colleague Harvard Prof. Frank Dobbin recently wrote a book together called Getting to Diversity. Among other workplace inclusivity topics, Kalev and Dobbin conducted groundbreaking research about how to decrease sexual harassment in the workplace. According to Kalev, most of the well-intentioned programs that they analyzed actually backfired. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Election 2023 re-air, Crystal chats with Cydney Moore about her campaign for re-election to Burien City Council Position 2, accomplishments from her first term, and her consistent progressive track record. They then dig into the details of Burien government's recent non-handling of their unhoused population as sweep after sweep has disrupted and endangered lives, caused community division, and failed to solve anything. Highlighting the importance of upcoming elections, a 4-3 majority on the Burien City Council has been unwilling to accept an offer of help from King County and has instead focused on retaliation against those working on solutions. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Cydney Moore at @vote_cydney.   Cydney Moore Cydney Moore is a mother, activist, and elected representative with a long history of service to her community. Her background includes over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, and years of experience as a small business owner, a journalist covering politics, and as an advocate for social justice issues including housing for all, fair wages, women's rights, LGBTQIA2S+ rights, immigrant rights, ending the war on drugs, and more. She has worked on policy issues at the city, county, and state level, and currently holds office as a Burien City Councilmember. Cydney also serves on the board of 3 nonprofits (the Burien Arts Association, Tukwila Pantry food bank, and the Multi Service Center), and is on several regional boards and committees, including the Domestic Violence Initiative Regional Task Force. Her other experience includes acting as a Lead Organizer for ACLU Burien People Power, and volunteering for organizations like the Burien Severe Weather Shelter and Burien C.A.R.E.S. Animal Shelter.   Resources Campaign Website - Cydney Moore   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. I am very excited today to be welcoming Burien City Councilmember Cydney Moore to the program. Welcome, Cydney. [00:01:00] Cydney Moore: Hi, thank you so much for having me - I'm really excited to be here. [00:01:04] Crystal Fincher: Well, we certainly have no shortage of things to talk about, especially with recent news and events in Burien. But I do want to start because you are a councilmember, you are running for reelection right now - is to talk about what led you to run for office, to want to serve, and what have you been spending your time doing in your first term? [00:01:24] Cydney Moore: Well, I feel like I've always been drawn towards public office. Even as a kid, I used to dream about becoming the first female president. Even as far as third grade - I found some old notes in school folders my mom had stashed away where I had written policy proposals for what I would do - and it's pretty consistent, actually. One of the things that I talked about was everyone will have a home. I guess I've always wanted to serve my community, I've been an activist my whole life, I have been working in nonprofit leadership for over a decade now. So this is my passion, this is what drives me - creating a better community for all of us, creating a better future for our people - that's what gives me joy. In my first term - it's been a rough go - I took office in January of 2020, right before the pandemic hit, so I had a lot of goals and aspirations for what I wanted to do, and we ended up scrambling to mitigate the harms that were ongoing in the crisis we were all facing. But throughout that, we were able to accomplish some great good. One of the things that we were able to do in Burien that I'm really, really proud of was approve hazard pay for essential workers throughout the pandemic, and we also implemented an eviction moratorium that kept people from losing their homes throughout the entire state of emergency in Washington. I also have been involved with passing a groundbreaking list of renters' protections in Burien. We're leading the charge in some of these areas and other cities are certainly looking to us as an example - I'm incredibly proud of that. We have launched a new co-responder model that integrates behavioral and mental health professionals and crisis responders alongside police on calls. I am hoping that we can work towards having an individual standalone crisis response team that can call in police if needed, but can operate independently. I proposed an increase in our human services budget, so I'm really, really proud of that - that was just in our last budget cycle and it actually funds a lot of incredible services across our city, including things like rental assistance, utility assistance, education opportunities, mental health support, therapy for children, youth and adults, food banks - just all the good things - doubled the city arts budget. Right now, we are working on passing legislation to raise the minimum wage here in Burien - very, very excited about that, that's something that I started working on initially right after I got into office and that sort of got put on halt due to the pandemic, so I'm really excited to be taking that back up again. I created a lobby effort to King County Council through my work with the Domestic Violence Initiative Regional Task Force, serving as a representative from our council, to allocate additional funding for domestic violence protection order advocates, and proud to announce that we actually got $375,000 allocated to the protection order advocacy program. So, yeah - I think we've done some good, I'm really proud of what we have been able to accomplish. I'm really proud of my track record so far in office, and I'm hoping to continue the work. [00:04:54] Crystal Fincher: It is an impressive track record, particularly with new councilmembers coming in, dealing with things during the pandemic. But, hey - it sounds like you guys have a totally progressive council - there's no friction or issues in Burien, is there? [00:05:10] Cydney Moore: You know - it's funny because it's not funny. But if you don't laugh, you cry. So one would think that - forward-facing - our council is progressive. We have people - the majority of our council has claimed to be progressive - they ran on progressive values. And as of late, we're not seeing quite so much of that as we would like. There has been a lot of divisiveness. And I'll tell you - getting positive things passed is like pulling teeth with our council - to put it plainly. It's brutal. It's painful work. And I really wish that we were a little more cohesive and aligned in our goals and our values so that we could do more work because it is slow-going and it's unfortunate. [00:05:59] Crystal Fincher: It is unfortunate, and we've seen it blow up in the news. So, is it that there's a 4-3 kind of moderate conservative majority on the council now? [00:06:07] Cydney Moore: Yes, that's very accurate. You can see a pretty consistent 4-3 split on just about everything major, and especially when it comes to passing progressive policies. Absolutely. [00:06:21] Crystal Fincher: So, Burien has been in the news because of sweeps, a lease, what to do with the unhoused population, and whether to help, how to help, the county has stepped in. This has been an ongoing saga that we have been talking about during the week-in-reviews. But can you walk us through what has been happening and where things stand? [00:06:42] Cydney Moore: Okay. So, we had a number of unhoused people who were camping on property that is jointly owned and operated by our City and the King County Library system. Our building - the first two stories is our Burien Library, and then the third story is City Hall, and we share a space on the ground floor for city council meetings and multipurpose uses for the library. So, there's a condo association of those two entities that operates this building. We had a lot of campers out there for quite a long time. Some of them had been there for - I'd say, a year, maybe more - and it was fairly mellow. A lot of these people are individuals that those of us who've worked directly with our homeless population have known for, sometimes years. But the condo association decided they wanted to sweep people off the property - and our city council and our city manager essentially took a hands-off approach, deferred to the condo association, and we did not take action to allocate new space for people to go. We directed our contractors that provide outreach services, LEAD and REACH, to go out and offer people what support they can, but it's been abundantly clear there is not shelter space available in Burien - we don't have any significant shelter here. And the shelters in the surrounding area are absolutely full, so we were told outright there aren't shelter beds available for most of these people. We moved forward with the sweep, and I worked very diligently for the weeks leading up to the sweep to try and find any alternative options for people in terms of places they could relocate to, looking for different property, reaching out to different organizations, and fell short. So the night before the sweep, myself and my dear friend and colleague, Charles Schaefer, who was then the chair of our planning commission, we went out and we told the unhoused people camping there - We don't have anywhere for you to go. Do you have any plans for where you might go? And most of them said - No, they had no idea where to go, otherwise they would have gone there already. Most of them were scared and didn't know what was going to happen to them, and so Charles and I let them know legally they have a right to camp on public property - besides parks, because Burien has a ban on camping in parks. And we have very little public property in the city that is not parks. It's very minimal - and I can say that with a very strong degree of certainty because I've looked, I've looked at length - but we did locate a small piece of public land one block away in our downtown core, and we told people - If you camp here - legally, that is allowed and per Martin v. Boise, the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that says we can't criminalize homelessness, our city will not sweep you until policy changes or they figure out some loophole. We told them straight up - the City doesn't condone this, we're not acting on behalf of the City, the City is not sanctioning this, and quite frankly, people are gonna be upset, and the City is probably going to work to remove you as quickly as possible. But for the time being, until there's some other alternative, you can go here if you choose to - and they did. And so the following morning, we had a big media circus - lots of people coming out to watch the sweep, see what happens. A lot of people in the area were devastated at the prospect, but there were, alternatively, people who were very excited to see people removed and were under the impression that by removing them from this piece of property, they were somehow going to disappear. Again, many of these unhoused people have been living here in Burien for years - this is their home - even if they don't have a house, they have strong roots here, connections, family even. So there was quite an uproar when people came out the next morning and realized that the problem had not gone away, they didn't solve anything, and people they thought they were going to disperse out of our downtown core moved one block away, and at that point could not be swept. Our city council and our city manager collaborated to take action to lease out that property quickly, and they decided to lease the property to Burien C.A.R.E.S., which is our contracted animal shelter here. They leased the property for $185 a month, which has been speculated as far below fair market value - it's a sizable piece of land in a prime location, so that is of some concern. And as soon as the lease was signed, they conducted a sweep on that property and did not allocate any space for those people to relocate to. I begged them for months, I tried at every city council meeting between the two sweeps to ask our council to consider any option. I made a few proposals - none of them are ideal, but emergency temporary places that people could stay for the time being while we sorted through it - and they denied all asks for taking action. So they swept the unhoused population again, which had grown in size because people here have, again, close ties, and there are people who I know of personally who typically tend to avoid camps, that realized that that was a safe place, that there was safety in numbers there, that it was someplace they would be able to stay in contact with people like service providers and family members because they were not hiding off on the side of the road or in a bush somewhere - they were centrally located and stable for the time being. So they got swept again, and Charles and I went up there again and informed people - Hey, we've been looking, we still haven't found anything, but we have located some other public property that is big enough for you to camp on if you decide to go there. Charles and I consulted the King County parcel viewer and a number of city maps, and we found a little slice of - patch of grass - that ran adjacent to a park just a few blocks away. And according to the King County parcel viewer and all the city maps we consulted, that piece of land was somehow overlooked or whatever - it just wasn't part of the park, so legally, it would be acceptable for people to camp there. So many of the people relocated there, and they stayed there for a couple of days until one of our city councilmembers apparently called the police. The police said they wouldn't sweep them because as far as the police could see, that's not part of the park and it's legal for them to be there. She contacted our city manager, who took it upon himself to do some digging, and found one map in our city files that contradicted all the other maps we have and said that it was a park. And so he told the police - This is a park, I'm deciding that this is a part of a park, you have to go remove them. A testament to the ambiguity of the legal status of whether this piece of land is park or not park is the fact that our police will immediately sweep people who are in a park - that's just a policy that's standard ops for them. They did not immediately sweep people. They posted a 72-hour notice, giving people time to get their things together and try and relocate. City council still did not take any action. So Charles and I went out and spoke to people again, and the options continue to get increasingly worse - the land is increasingly smaller every time that we are finding. We let them know there is a very small piece of dirt that runs along our main downtown strip, right next door to the Library-City Hall building - literally on the next block, and two blocks down from the original lot that they went to after the first sweep - so they're right back where they started, pretty much. But a number of our unhoused people camping out have relocated to this very small patch of dirt. Some people decided to go try their odds camping on some vacant private property that had sat empty for a while - they managed to go unnoticed for a few weeks. But I got a text last Tuesday from one of their mothers - and she's a very kind woman, she does what she can, but she lives in Puyallup and is on the verge of homelessness herself, so she's not able to fully support her son - but she let me know that there were 14 people who were camping on this private lot in the north end of town, and police had just arrived with a trespass order, and they were giving them two hours to get out. So I went out again and tried to get whoever I could to come out and help get people assistance in relocating and getting their stuff, and trying to make sure they could get where they were going to go without losing too many of their important belongings. And some of them decided to come down to the patch of dirt on 152nd and our downtown core and join the others, and some of them decided to drag their tents to a median in the middle of a very busy road just down the block, and it's a really dangerous area in that particular corridor, but they asked the police - Is this public land, are you gonna sweep us? And the police said no, and so they decided that they were gonna take their chances. And so to my understanding, there are still a couple of people who are camping out in a very small island median in the middle of a very busy road. And to this day, our council has refused to take action. We have had an offer come in from King County of $1 million and 35 Pallet homes, which house two people apiece, to allocate property and help us operate a safe space for people. Our council voted that down. [00:16:43] Crystal Fincher: And I wanna talk about this for a minute - because you talked about what was happening on the ground, but during this process, the City of Burien received a letter from the Office of the King County Executive, Dow Constantine, from his legal counsel, saying - Hey, it is illegal to sweep people off of public property when there is no shelter available. You basically made it explicit, City of Burien, that there's no shelter available. And your police force are actually county sheriff's deputies who are contracted by the City of Burien, so because they fall under the authority of the county as deputies, we are saying they can't participate in that - which caused quite an uproar. What was the response to that? [00:17:25] Cydney Moore: People were confused and upset. Some of us were very pleased. I was very surprised when I found out our city got that letter, and I was very grateful to our county for their response and taking a stance that they're not going to violate people's constitutional rights to exist in a public space with nowhere else to go. [00:17:47] Crystal Fincher: And that's really the crux of it right there - is that time after time, as we've seen in so many other cities, just sweeping someone and saying - Well, you can't camp here - does not do anything to address the issue of homelessness. It doesn't do anything to provide shelter, to provide housing, to address that underlying problem. And so many times, people who come at this problem from the issue of - Well, the people being there, their existence, me having to look at them and deal with them is the problem - when the root of the problem is they don't have a home, and so many other issues become exacerbated, and so many things get destabilized from not having a home. So as you said, they move from one location to another to another, because it's not like there's any attempt to work on housing from the council majority. And also, illustrative of how councils work, you can have people on very different sides, but the majority is going to carry the day. So although there were three people who have been working diligently on the council to try and provide a real solution that doesn't just create the next spot for someone to camp, or once you've made all of the spots in one city illegal, just push them into another city and say it's their problem - it's about really finding a way to provide people with shelter. Because it is not ideal for people to be sleeping outside. As you said, it's dangerous, it's completely suboptimal. So this offer from the county that came in - about three weeks ago now, I think - has the majority of the council done anything to take advantage of the million dollars, the 35 Pallet shelter help? [00:19:24] Cydney Moore: No, we had that brought before us for a vote, and our council majority declined and they voted it down. And at this point, our next regularly scheduled council meeting isn't until July 17th, and so we are working to take advantage of this gap to rally public support and coordinate with a variety of different organizations in our community to hopefully put pressure on council enough that they will take action. Burien is actually in the middle of a budgetary shortfall - we're facing an impending fiscal cliff if we don't raise taxes and fees and find new revenue sources. And so turning down a million dollars for anything at this point seems pretty irresponsible, but certainly turning down a million dollars to serve our unhoused and vulnerable population is - it's unconscionable in my mind. I can't tell you how many times I've sat there thinking how amazing it would be if somebody dropped a million dollars in front of me to go help the homeless - that's literally the stuff that dreams are made of. And to turn it down is - I just can't fathom why anybody would say no to that. And like you pointed out, sweeps are dangerous. People living outside - it's dangerous. Unhoused people are disproportionately targeted as victims of harassment and violence. And we have data that shows that sweeps cause a number of disruptions to people's lives - they result in people losing things like documentation, identification, medication - disrupting any kind of progress they are making towards stability. It interrupts their contact with service providers, case managers, family members that serve as a support system. And they increase the mortality rate of unhoused people. It just - they're dangerous. Burien already has a disproportionately high mortality rate for our unhoused population compared to King County as a whole. So we are facing a very real crisis here - our region is facing a homelessness crisis in general, but Burien is finally having to stare that issue in the face and we're failing in our response, our leaders are failing in our response. And our people are suffering as a consequence of that. And it is quite devastating to witness, especially being on the ground in direct contact with these people that some of us have worked with for years. We know their names, we know their faces, we know some of their backstories, some of them I know family members of. It's an ugly thing to witness seeing people who are already in crisis being shuffled around and disregarded and hung out to dry - by leaders who are tasked with protecting the safety and wellbeing of all of our constituents. So it's disappointing, to say the least. [00:22:05] Crystal Fincher: Very disappointing. And very disappointing that your attempt to help people while following the law, and the law that the Office of King County Executive Dow Constantine very helpfully and forcefully advised the City of Burien that they were running afoul of in their current way, their reaction wasn't to say - Okay, let's pause and reevaluate. Obviously we're getting legal advice that this is illegal. It does jive with the court decision saying that we can't sweep without offers of shelter. We've pretty much just flatly admitted that there aren't offers of shelter. So maybe we pause and talk with some of our partners and figure out ways to get these people housed. No one wants people out on the street - if we can try and work to find a way to get them into shelter, that would be excellent. They decided not to do that. They decided to double down on the way things were going, to basically - I think a fair characterization to the letter from the King County Executive's legal counsel was indignation from the city manager, who then went forward and basically just kept doing the things that he was doing, even appearing to not check with the council before some of the things - although he does have the support of the council majority. So now we're in a situation where they haven't taken up any of this offer to house people, and people are being harmed by this. People are out exposed to the elements and to a very hostile, activated, conservative, radical element that has been drawn to Burien over this issue. And some of the contentious scenes that we've seen across the region with people just talking in very dehumanizing ways about the homeless population - really not seeing them as people, really just seeing the problem is that they're inconvenienced by having to look at people and not really caring about what that person is going through - that's a challenge. So they haven't had time to address the offer of a million bucks and Pallet shelters. They did have time, however, to hold a special meeting to consider censuring you and to consider removing Charles, who you talked about - the Chair of the Planning Commission - because of your helping and trying to find a solution to this problem. What in the world? What was your reaction to that? [00:24:16] Cydney Moore: Yeah, I spoke to this during the special meeting when the council was considering removing Charles from the Planning Commission - who I might add, has served our community dutifully for many years and has been serving the homeless directly, I think, for 14 years in our city - so he knows them very well. And what are you going to expect from somebody who's been in that field for so long other than trying to help? But my response is that - throughout history, there is a pattern of punishments being doled out to people who try to help persecuted minority groups, whether that's people based on their race or their religion or who they love - it's a consistent pattern. And history does not look kindly on those who are enacting those punishments against people who try and help. I told our council, I said - Charles is going to have to live with what we do tonight for the rest of his life, or at least until our council makeup changes. But every person on this council is also going to have to live with their decision and this decision may follow you. Are you prepared to answer for it, for what you do tonight? 'Cause I'm very comfortable in my position, but I don't know if later on when people ask you - Why would you do this? - if you'll have justification or excuses enough to explain why you would take such action. It was very, very clear that what Charles and I have done is try to inform our constituents of what our laws are and how best to comply. And I think that's something that really needs to be noted in these conversations - these unhoused people have been asking how they can follow the law. They're asking - Where is it legal for me to go? Where can I be? Where am I allowed to exist? And our city has offered no real option, but has publicly stated - Oh yeah, you can be on public property - until we find a loophole to take it away from you. And you can be on sidewalks, which obviously is true to the extent of people can stay on sidewalks large enough where they're not obstructing them - you have to maintain a three feet clearance path on a sidewalk and there's not that many sidewalks that are wide enough for people to camp on in Burien without obstructing. So these individuals are literally just asking their leaders - Where can I go? Where am I allowed to be? And we did our best to inform our constituents of what the City's policies are, where they are legally allowed to go, how they can comply with the laws. And that's the duty and obligation of any public servant, especially a councilmember that makes those laws and policies and a planning commissioner, the Chair of the Planning Commission, whose job it is to advise on zoning and land use issues. So arguably we were doing our job to the best of our ability and to the expectation that I think we should all be held. And our council - the term that has been used by many in our community - used Charles as a scapegoat. They can't remove me - I am an elected official. But Charles was appointed, and they found a target and took advantage of that. And I think it just reflects really, really poorly on our council and on our city as a whole that our leadership would penalize someone for informing people of their constitutional rights and informing people of knowledge that is public, by the way - all of the information that we shared is all public knowledge, it's all easily accessible on government websites. Yeah, I don't know how they felt comfortable doing that. I really don't understand any valid justification for that - and that's what I said. [00:28:08] Crystal Fincher: Well, I'm gonna hop in here and editorialize. We know there wasn't a valid reason for that - but as we've seen in Tennessee, as we've seen in so many other places - if they feel they have the power to do it, they will. They had the power to remove Charles. I think they initially thought they may have the power to remove you. You were actually, as you said, doing your job. They still have not taken up the offer to house people. Their job is to serve and take care of their constituents. They have constituents who have been out on the street. There's an offer of shelter and money to make that happen available that they just won't do - they would rather just sweep people, just kick them out - knowing how destabilizing that is and knowing how much it has failed directly in the City of Burien. This clearly isn't working. It's really expensive to do - requires a lot of public enforcement resources, law enforcement resources, parks resources - requires a whole lot and it's not making a difference. So one would think that they would stop doing the same thing over and over again - getting failing results - and start to do something that would work. The county didn't just say - This is illegal, you can't do it. They offered an olive branch and said - And we will help you. And they basically slapped that hand away and said - No, we're good. In fact, we're not even gonna deal with that. We're just gonna try and kick out people who disagree with us and enact these really retaliatory actions. And it is really a shame. But what happened was lots of people saw this and people of all cross-ideological spectrums - I don't think many of the commissioners who wound up taking action would call themselves progressive, but they do call themselves public servants - and were appalled at this negligence and scapegoating and retaliation by the majority on the city council, mayor, deputy mayor, city manager, others, and said - This is unacceptable - and resigned in protest. And the entire Planning Commission resigned in protest and several other commissioners throughout the city - I think 12 in total resigned from their position. So now, Burien is in a crisis - doesn't have a planning commission, has several other commissions short-staffed. Many cities - this is comprehensive planning time where the Planning Commission is doing some heavy lifting - and now there is nothing there, because they decided to act petty and retaliate and not use money offered to them for free to house people. So where do things go from here? [00:30:35] Cydney Moore: That's a good question. As you said, we don't have a planning commission now, and they were absolutely in the middle of a major project. We haven't heard from our city any official statement in regard to what the plan is going to be to fill these vacancies. So our entire Planning Commission is gone. Our Parks Board has lost their chair, the vice-chair, and another member. We've lost at least one Airport Committee member and arts commissioner. Like we - arguably our city is in a spiral right now, and I don't know what's going to happen next. I don't know what we're going to do, I haven't heard anything from our leadership, I haven't heard anything from our city manager - certainly haven't heard anything regarding plans to move forward. As I said, my goal right now is to work with my fellow progressives on council to lobby as much support as we can and pressure as we can to get the council majority to approve use of this million dollars and designate a safe space for people to go. Our unhoused population is still waiting for a response and things aren't getting better. And as you said, there is significant anger in the community and there's been a large conservative presence - and the hostility there is not dissipating. I'm aware of people who have - like I said, unhoused people are always disproportionately targeted as victims of harassment and violence, but people have been very aggressive towards our unhoused people here throughout this - throwing fireworks at their tents, stealing their tents, and bragging about it openly. There are people who are openly in public talking about wanting to shoot them and shoot me. So this violent rhetoric has maintained and our unhoused people are out there exposed with nowhere to go, no safety, no walls to hide behind. And so we're going to continue pushing for our council to take action - because we don't have an option not to, honestly - doing nothing is just not an option in my mind and in the mind of many others in our community. As far as our city operations go - like I said, I really just don't know. We are legally required to have a planning commission and to have a comp plan, a comprehensive plan, and we just don't have the people now. And it usually takes quite a while for us to go through the process of putting out a call for new applicants and going through the screening process, interview process, all of this. And quite frankly, the strain on our staff has been significant - like you said, it takes a lot of resources to engage in things like sweeps. Our staff is already pretty bare bones. Burien operates with some incredible people, but they are stretched thin. And having to call multiple special meetings certainly doesn't help with their workload. Having to engage in sweeps doesn't help with their workload. And now having to add on to their plate - trying to figure out what to do with a whole bunch of empty spaces and an entire empty planning commission - yeah, I don't know what that process is going to look like, or how quickly any of that will move forward. You would expect our city manager to be offering some insight or - the City was really quick to respond to that letter from King County, but obviously not so quick to respond to the fact that we have had a mass resignation from our public servants that we need, we legally have to have. So I'm waiting with bated breath, just like everyone else, to see what happens there. [00:34:20] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. I should note, while they haven't taken up any substantive action at all to try and house people - even though there's an offer of a million dollars, 35 Pallet shelters, they've had meetings to censure and retaliate against their opponents - they also had time to welcome Prime Minister Modi from India, who has taken a lot of heat from the human rights community for human rights violations, free speech violations. They rank very, very low - I think they've dropped from something like 140th to just under 160th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index. Certainly seeing a lot of protests - I think there's no one who says - Ah, everything is great. And yes, this is someone we should celebrate and welcome. Although those three Burien city councilmembers did somehow and they found time for that, but not time to take up the ability to house their residents who are without homes right now. Now, before we close - usually we talk about a lot of other stuff with candidates - this time, I felt it was appropriate to talk about everything that has been happening with the situation in Burien because it has been in the news and is so pressing - and is still just languishing with the council not doing anything at the time that we're recording. But this is happening also while you're running for reelection. And you've drawn several opponents - I think most, if not all, come from the people who are virulently anti-homeless - is the way to say it. They don't seem to have any solutions or care at all about the actual housing - Just get them out of here - seems to be the thing. And they're running to take a hard line on getting those people out of here and getting someone who actually is doing the work to house people out. What can people do if they're looking for more information about your campaign? [00:36:09] Cydney Moore: I would encourage everyone to check out my website - it's votecydney.com - C-Y-D-N-E-Y. Sign up for updates, sign up to volunteer. Please donate if you can - I run a grassroots campaign, always have - I'm not a particularly wealthy person that's self-funding my operations here, so anything that you can do to help will help us get through this election. I am working very diligently with our partners in the community to build a coalition of support for my campaign. But this is of the people, by the people, for the people - so if you can, please contribute however you are able to. Also, you can always follow me on social media - @vote_cydney on Twitter, Facebook - Cydney Moore for Burien City Council. I welcome any feedback people might have, any input you might have, any ideas for creative campaigning you might have. This is rough - it's a rough time to be dealing with all of these things and running a campaign - and I have drawn out a lot of scrutiny. I guess you could say that I'm a pretty polarizing person at this moment and people are drawing some hard lines. And people aren't always falling on the side of those lines that you would expect. I have had people who don't actually necessarily agree with my position, but do respect the fact that I'm willing to stand up for my position, who have expressed their support. And I have people who you would think are progressive, who you would think would be aligned with me, who are pissed - they're really mad at me for what I've been doing. And so, yeah, I can use all the support I can get at this time. And what I'll say about my opponents are the most vocal one is avidly anti-homeless and has been actively asking our council to sweep people and seems to be of the mindset that we should let them hit rock bottom, which I guess in my mind means let them die - because if you're outside and have nothing and have nowhere to go and have - barely even have clothes on your back, no food, no safety, I don't know how much more rock bottom it gets than that than just letting them die. And that's what happens. Our unhoused people are dying. So that's certainly concerning and not somebody that I would want representing me in elected office in my city. And my other two opponents - I just have not seen or heard much at all from - I literally just met one of them for the first time the other day. I've never missed a city council meeting in all of my years of serving, and I've never seen those individuals attend a single meeting. I've never seen them out in the public engaging with people, and I'm actively involved in a lot of things - I serve on the board of three different nonprofits in this community, I volunteer for a number of different organizations and causes. And so it concerns me that we have people running that I don't know and nobody that I know who are also involved in the community have ever seen, so I can't speak to their values. But I'm here and I am present and I'm active and I will remain so. And you can look at my track record - my voting record is available on the City of Burien website and I encourage everyone to look to it - I don't think you're ever gonna find a single vote I've ever taken that is not solidly progressive. So I'm - like I said, I'm pretty consistent in that - and I am adamant about maintaining the fight for positive change in our city. And I would ask and invite everyone who is willing to join me in that. What happens here in Burien has a ripple effect across our region - like I said, we are leading as an example in a lot of different ways for a lot of different policy issues. And so community doesn't end at city limits - what happens here can absolutely impact our neighboring cities and cities across this area and sometimes across the country - there are other cities who have looked at us and our policies from around the country. So please help me because there are a lot of people who are against what's going on here and we need all the help we can get. We need people who will continue to fight for what's right in office and keep things real in local politics. [00:40:14] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Cydney Moore. And we'll continue to follow the events happening in Burien. Thank you. [00:40:22] Cydney Moore: Awesome, thank you so much for having me. And I look forward to following your future coverage. [00:40:27] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.  

India has fallen down the ranks of the World Press Freedom Index, sitting at 161 out of 180 countries. Journalists have been harassed, arrested and even killed. Today, what it's like to be a journalist in India under the Modi government. Read more:Over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Biden at the G-20 summit in New Delhi. But there were some people noticeably absent from the leaders' big meeting: the press.Growing restrictions on the press in India have become a concerning trend for many people in the country. And last year's takeover of television news channel NDTV by India's richest man and close ally of prime minister Modi, became a turning point for perceptions of the country's press freedom.Today on “Post Reports,” South Asia correspondent Karishma Mehrotra tells us what it's like to be a journalist in India under the Modi government, what's behind this shift in Indian journalism and what the implications are for India's future. We also speak with former TV news anchor Ravish Kumar on his struggles as a journalist in the country.

eal in hand to draw yet another one of China's neighbors closer to the United States.  In just the last five months, Biden has hosted the Philippines' president at the White House for the first time in over a decade; he has fêted the Indian prime minister with a lavish state dinner; and he has hosted his Japanese and South Korean counterparts for a summit ripe with symbolism at the storied Camp David presidential retreat.  At each turn, Biden's courtship and his team's steadfast diplomacy have secured stronger diplomatic, military and economic ties with a network of allies and partners joined if not by an outright sense of alarm at China's increasingly aggressive military and economic posture, then at least by a growing sense of caution and concern.  The latest page in the US's Indo-Pacific playbook will come via the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” that will put the US on par with Vietnam's highest tier of partners, including China, according to US officials familiar with the matter.  “It marks a new period of fundamental reorientation between the United States and Vietnam,” a senior administration official said ahead of Biden's arrival in Hanoi, saying it would expand a range of issues between the two countries.  “It's not going to be easy for Vietnam, because they're under enormous pressure from China,” the official went on. “We realize the stakes and the President is going to be very careful how he engages with Vietnamese friends.”  The US' increasingly tight-knit web of partnerships in the region is just one side of the US's diplomatic strategy vis-à-vis China. On a separate track, the Biden administration has also pursued more stable ties and improved communication with Beijing over the last year, with a series of top Cabinet secretaries making the trip to the Chinese capital in just the last few months.  The latter part of that playbook has delivered fewer results thus far than Biden's entreaties to China's wary neighbors, a dichotomy that was on stark display as Biden attended the G20 in New Delhi, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not.  The president did not appear overly concerned when questioned Saturday about his Chinese counterpart's absence at the summit.  “It would be nice to have him here,” Biden said, with Modi and a handful of other world leaders by his side. “But, no, the summit is going well.”  As Biden and Xi jockey for influence in Asia and beyond, merely showing up can be seen as a power play and Biden sought to make the most of Xi's absence, seizing the opening to pitch the United States' sustained commitment both to the region and to developing nations around the world.  In Vietnam, it's not only China whose influence Biden is competing with. As he arrived, reports suggested Hanoi was preparing a secret purchase of weapons from Russia, its longtime arms supplier.  On Monday, Biden plans to announce steps to help Vietnam diversify away from an over-reliance on Russian arms, a senior administration official said.  As China's economy slows down and its leader ratchets up military aggressions, Biden hopes to make the United States appear a more attractive and reliable partner. In New Delhi, he did so by wielding proposals to boost global infrastructure and development programs as a counterweight to China.  Beijing and Moscow have both condemned a so-called “Cold War mentality” that divides the world into blocks. The White House insists it is seeking only competition, not conflict. Biden told reporters on Sunday that he is “sincere” about improving the United States' relationship with China.  “I don't want to contain China, I just want to make sure we have a relationship with China that is on the up-and-up, squared away, and everyone knows what it's all about,” Biden said. “We have an opportunity to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability. That's what this trip is all about, having India cooperate much more with the United States, be closer to the United States, Vietnam being closer with the United States. It's not about containing China. It's about having a stable base – a stable base in the Indo-Pacific.”  Still, the desire to pull nations into the fold has been evident.  Squeezed by rival giants  On Saturday, Biden held a photo op with the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa – three members of the BRICS grouping that Xi has sought to elevate as a rival to US-dominated summits like the G20.  If there is a risk in that approach, it is leaving nations feeling squeezed by rival giants. For Biden, however, there is an imperative in at least offering poorer nations an alternative to China when it comes to investments and development. The president on Sunday acknowledged that China's economy has faced “some difficulties” recently, noting stalled growth and an unfolding real estate crisis in the country, but attempted to tamp down the idea that the United States was rooting against China's economic success, telling reporters, “I want to see China succeed economically, but I want to see them succeed by the rules.”  “We're not looking to hurt China, sincerely, we're all better off if China does well – China does well by the international rules,” he added.  But increasingly, China's neighbors – like Vietnam – are seeking a counterweight to Beijing's muscular and often unforgiving presence in the region, even if they are not prepared to entirely abandon China's sphere of influence in favor of the US'.  “We're not asking or expecting the Vietnamese to make a choice,” the senior administration official said. “We understand and know clearly that they need and want a strategic partnership with China. That's just the nature of the beast.”  Days before Biden's visit and the expected strategic partnership announcement, China sent a senior Communist Party official to Vietnam to enhance “political mutual trust” between the two communist neighbors, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.  Asked about Biden's upcoming visit to Vietnam, China's Foreign Ministry on Monday warned the US against using its relations with individual Asian countries to target a “third party.”  “The United States should abandon Cold War zero-sum game mentality, abide by the basic norms of international relations, not target a third party, and not undermine regional peace, stability, development and prosperity,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily briefing.  Vietnam has also sought to maintain good ties with China. Its Communist Party chief was the first foreign leader to call on Xi in Beijing after the Chinese leader secured an unprecedented third term last October. In June, Vietnam's prime minister met Xi during a state visit to China.  But even as it seeks to avoid China's wrath, Vietnam is increasingly pulled toward the US out of economic self-interest – its trade with the US has ballooned in recent years and it is eager to benefit from American efforts to diversify supply chains outside of China – as well as concern over China's military build-up in the South China Sea.  Experts say those tightened partnerships are as much a credit to the Biden administration's comprehensive China strategy as it is a consequence of the way China has increasingly aggressively wielded its military and economic might in the region.  “China has long complained about the US alliance network in its backyard. It has said that these are vestiges of the Cold War, that the US needs to stop encircling China, but it's really China's own behavior and its choices that have driven these countries together,” said Patricia Kim, a China expert at the Brookings Institution.  “So in many ways, China's foreign policy has backfired.”  From foes to friends  The upgrading of the US-Vietnam relationship carries huge significance given Washington's complicated history with Hanoi.  The two countries have gone from mortal enemies that fought a devastating war to increasingly close partners, even with Vietnam still run by the same Communist forces that ultimately prevailed and sent the US military packing.  There were signs during Biden's visit that some of those differences remain. Reporters representing US media outlets were physically held back from covering events at the Communist Party Headquarters – an event the White House and Vietnamese officials had agreed would be covered by the American press.  The episode only served to underscore the extent to which Biden is elevating US strategic and economic interests despite human rights and press freedom concerns.  Vietnam is the world's third-largest jailer of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders, and the country ranks 178th out of 180 countries on the organization's World Press Freedom Index.  The White House has defended its engagement with autocratic regimes around the world, insisting that Biden raises human rights and democracy issues privately.  While the upgrading of that relationship has been a decade in the making, US officials say a concerted drive to take the relationship to new heights carried that years-long momentum over the line.  A late June visit to Washington by Vietnam's top diplomat, Chairman Le Hoai Trung, crystallized that possibility. During a meeting with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the two first discussed the possibility of upgrading the relationship, according to a Biden administration official.  As he walked back to his office, Sullivan wondered whether the US could be more ambitious than a one-step upgrade in the relationship – to “strategic partner” – and directed his team to travel to the region and deliver a letter to Trung proposing a two-step upgrade that would take the relations to their highest-possible level, putting the US on par with Vietnam's other “comprehensive strategic partners”: China, Russia, India and South Korea.  Sullivan would speak again with Trung on July 13 while traveling with Biden to a NATO summit in Helsinki.  The conversation pushed the possibility of a two-step upgrade in a positive direction, but it wasn't until a mid-August visit to the White House by Vietnam's ambassador to Washington that an agreement was in hand. Inside Sullivan's West Wing office, the two finalized plans to take the US-Vietnam relationship to new heights and for Biden and Vietnam's leader, General Secreatary Nguyen Phu Trong, to shake hands in Hanoi.  The trip was still being finalized when Biden revealed during an off-camera fundraiser that he was planning to visit. The remark sent the planning into overdrive.  Still, US officials are careful not to characterize the rapprochement with Vietnam – or with the Philippines, India, Japan and Korea, or its AUKUS security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom – as part of a comprehensive strategy to counter China's military and economic heft in the Indo-Pacific.  “I think that's a deliberate design by the Biden administration,” said Yun Sun, the China program director at the Stimson Center. “You don't want countries in the region or African countries to feel that the US cares about them only because of China because that shows a lack of commitment. That shows that, ‘Well, we care about you only because we don't want you to go to the Chinese.'”  - by Jeremy Diamond and Kevin Liptak, CNNSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It creates this sort of feedback loop of Disinformation that's happening all the time there." On this episode of Disinformation, hosts Paul Brandus and Meredith Wilson delve into the concerning rise of disinformation in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The episode highlights the protests outside the White House during Modi's visit, where opponents accused him of undermining democracy and suppressing freedoms. The transcript reveals that India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has plummeted, with the country now ranked 161st out of 180 countries. The hosts discuss how social media and the internet have exacerbated the spread of disinformation, particularly in the context of Hindu-Muslim tensions. They also touch on the alarming prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation in India and the ease with which false narratives can be generated using artificial intelligence. Overall, the episode sheds light on the challenges India faces in combating disinformation and protecting democratic values. [00:01:24] India's declining press freedom [00:05:08] The Indian news "hyper-cycle" [00:12:09] Fake cricket [00:13:43] The ease of generating disinformation in India Got questions, comments or ideas or an example of disinformation you'd like us to check out? Send them to paulb@emergentriskinternational.com. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Special thanks to our guests Pearl D'Souza and Kyle Walter. Our sound designer and editor Noah Foutz, audio engineer Nathan Corson, and executive producers Michael DeAloia and Gerardo Orlando. Thanks so much for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalists are facing threats and hostility in more countries than ever before, according to this year's World Press Freedom Index, an annual report published by Reporters without Borders. The index analyses legal and physical threats to journalists. This episode focuses on potential consequences - emotional difficulties and compromised well-being. The discussion was filmed with a live audience, featuring a panel with Katy Katopodis, Katleho Sekhotho and Ahmed Kajee. Adcock Ingram

On this Tuesday topical show, Crystal chats with Cydney Moore about her campaign for re-election to Burien City Council Position 2, accomplishments from her first term, and her consistent progressive track record. They then dig into the details of Burien government's recent non-handling of their unhoused population as sweep after sweep has disrupted and endangered lives, caused community division, and failed to solve anything. Highlighting the importance of upcoming elections, a 4-3 majority on the Burien City Council has been unwilling to accept an offer of help from King County and has instead focused on retaliation against those working on solutions. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Cydney Moore at @vote_cydney.   Cydney Moore Cydney Moore is a mother, activist, and elected representative with a long history of service to her community. Her background includes over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, and years of experience as a small business owner, a journalist covering politics, and as an advocate for social justice issues including housing for all, fair wages, women's rights, LGBTQIA2S+ rights, immigrant rights, ending the war on drugs, and more. She has worked on policy issues at the city, county, and state level, and currently holds office as a Burien City Councilmember. Cydney also serves on the board of 3 nonprofits (the Burien Arts Association, Tukwila Pantry food bank, and the Multi Service Center), and is on several regional boards and committees, including the Domestic Violence Initiative Regional Task Force. Her other experience includes acting as a Lead Organizer for ACLU Burien People Power, and volunteering for organizations like the Burien Severe Weather Shelter and Burien C.A.R.E.S. Animal Shelter.   Resources Campaign Website - Cydney Moore   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. I am very excited today to be welcoming Burien City Councilmember Cydney Moore to the program. Welcome, Cydney. [00:01:00] Cydney Moore: Hi, thank you so much for having me - I'm really excited to be here. [00:01:04] Crystal Fincher: Well, we certainly have no shortage of things to talk about, especially with recent news and events in Burien. But I do want to start because you are a councilmember, you are running for reelection right now - is to talk about what led you to run for office, to want to serve, and what have you been spending your time doing in your first term? [00:01:24] Cydney Moore: Well, I feel like I've always been drawn towards public office. Even as a kid, I used to dream about becoming the first female president. Even as far as third grade - I found some old notes in school folders my mom had stashed away where I had written policy proposals for what I would do - and it's pretty consistent, actually. One of the things that I talked about was everyone will have a home. I guess I've always wanted to serve my community, I've been an activist my whole life, I have been working in nonprofit leadership for over a decade now. So this is my passion, this is what drives me - creating a better community for all of us, creating a better future for our people - that's what gives me joy. In my first term - it's been a rough go - I took office in January of 2020, right before the pandemic hit, so I had a lot of goals and aspirations for what I wanted to do, and we ended up scrambling to mitigate the harms that were ongoing in the crisis we were all facing. But throughout that, we were able to accomplish some great good. One of the things that we were able to do in Burien that I'm really, really proud of was approve hazard pay for essential workers throughout the pandemic, and we also implemented an eviction moratorium that kept people from losing their homes throughout the entire state of emergency in Washington. I also have been involved with passing a groundbreaking list of renters' protections in Burien. We're leading the charge in some of these areas and other cities are certainly looking to us as an example - I'm incredibly proud of that. We have launched a new co-responder model that integrates behavioral and mental health professionals and crisis responders alongside police on calls. I am hoping that we can work towards having an individual standalone crisis response team that can call in police if needed, but can operate independently. I proposed an increase in our human services budget, so I'm really, really proud of that - that was just in our last budget cycle and it actually funds a lot of incredible services across our city, including things like rental assistance, utility assistance, education opportunities, mental health support, therapy for children, youth and adults, food banks - just all the good things - doubled the city arts budget. Right now, we are working on passing legislation to raise the minimum wage here in Burien - very, very excited about that, that's something that I started working on initially right after I got into office and that sort of got put on halt due to the pandemic, so I'm really excited to be taking that back up again. I created a lobby effort to King County Council through my work with the Domestic Violence Initiative Regional Task Force, serving as a representative from our council, to allocate additional funding for domestic violence protection order advocates, and proud to announce that we actually got $375,000 allocated to the protection order advocacy program. So, yeah - I think we've done some good, I'm really proud of what we have been able to accomplish. I'm really proud of my track record so far in office, and I'm hoping to continue the work. [00:04:54] Crystal Fincher: It is an impressive track record, particularly with new councilmembers coming in, dealing with things during the pandemic. But, hey - it sounds like you guys have a totally progressive council - there's no friction or issues in Burien, is there? [00:05:10] Cydney Moore: You know - it's funny because it's not funny. But if you don't laugh, you cry. So one would think that - forward-facing - our council is progressive. We have people - the majority of our council has claimed to be progressive - they ran on progressive values. And as of late, we're not seeing quite so much of that as we would like. There has been a lot of divisiveness. And I'll tell you - getting positive things passed is like pulling teeth with our council - to put it plainly. It's brutal. It's painful work. And I really wish that we were a little more cohesive and aligned in our goals and our values so that we could do more work because it is slow-going and it's unfortunate. [00:05:59] Crystal Fincher: It is unfortunate, and we've seen it blow up in the news. So, is it that there's a 4-3 kind of moderate conservative majority on the council now? [00:06:07] Cydney Moore: Yes, that's very accurate. You can see a pretty consistent 4-3 split on just about everything major, and especially when it comes to passing progressive policies. Absolutely. [00:06:21] Crystal Fincher: So, Burien has been in the news because of sweeps, a lease, what to do with the unhoused population, and whether to help, how to help, the county has stepped in. This has been an ongoing saga that we have been talking about during the week-in-reviews. But can you walk us through what has been happening and where things stand? [00:06:42] Cydney Moore: Okay. So, we had a number of unhoused people who were camping on property that is jointly owned and operated by our City and the King County Library system. Our building - the first two stories is our Burien Library, and then the third story is City Hall, and we share a space on the ground floor for city council meetings and multipurpose uses for the library. So, there's a condo association of those two entities that operates this building. We had a lot of campers out there for quite a long time. Some of them had been there for - I'd say, a year, maybe more - and it was fairly mellow. A lot of these people are individuals that those of us who've worked directly with our homeless population have known for, sometimes years. But the condo association decided they wanted to sweep people off the property - and our city council and our city manager essentially took a hands-off approach, deferred to the condo association, and we did not take action to allocate new space for people to go. We directed our contractors that provide outreach services, LEAD and REACH, to go out and offer people what support they can, but it's been abundantly clear there is not shelter space available in Burien - we don't have any significant shelter here. And the shelters in the surrounding area are absolutely full, so we were told outright there aren't shelter beds available for most of these people. We moved forward with the sweep, and I worked very diligently for the weeks leading up to the sweep to try and find any alternative options for people in terms of places they could relocate to, looking for different property, reaching out to different organizations, and fell short. So the night before the sweep, myself and my dear friend and colleague, Charles Schaefer, who was then the chair of our planning commission, we went out and we told the unhoused people camping there - We don't have anywhere for you to go. Do you have any plans for where you might go? And most of them said - No, they had no idea where to go, otherwise they would have gone there already. Most of them were scared and didn't know what was going to happen to them, and so Charles and I let them know legally they have a right to camp on public property - besides parks, because Burien has a ban on camping in parks. And we have very little public property in the city that is not parks. It's very minimal - and I can say that with a very strong degree of certainty because I've looked, I've looked at length - but we did locate a small piece of public land one block away in our downtown core, and we told people - If you camp here - legally, that is allowed and per Martin v. Boise, the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that says we can't criminalize homelessness, our city will not sweep you until policy changes or they figure out some loophole. We told them straight up - the City doesn't condone this, we're not acting on behalf of the City, the City is not sanctioning this, and quite frankly, people are gonna be upset, and the City is probably going to work to remove you as quickly as possible. But for the time being, until there's some other alternative, you can go here if you choose to - and they did. And so the following morning, we had a big media circus - lots of people coming out to watch the sweep, see what happens. A lot of people in the area were devastated at the prospect, but there were, alternatively, people who were very excited to see people removed and were under the impression that by removing them from this piece of property, they were somehow going to disappear. Again, many of these unhoused people have been living here in Burien for years - this is their home - even if they don't have a house, they have strong roots here, connections, family even. So there was quite an uproar when people came out the next morning and realized that the problem had not gone away, they didn't solve anything, and people they thought they were going to disperse out of our downtown core moved one block away, and at that point could not be swept. Our city council and our city manager collaborated to take action to lease out that property quickly, and they decided to lease the property to Burien C.A.R.E.S., which is our contracted animal shelter here. They leased the property for $185 a month, which has been speculated as far below fair market value - it's a sizable piece of land in a prime location, so that is of some concern. And as soon as the lease was signed, they conducted a sweep on that property and did not allocate any space for those people to relocate to. I begged them for months, I tried at every city council meeting between the two sweeps to ask our council to consider any option. I made a few proposals - none of them are ideal, but emergency temporary places that people could stay for the time being while we sorted through it - and they denied all asks for taking action. So they swept the unhoused population again, which had grown in size because people here have, again, close ties, and there are people who I know of personally who typically tend to avoid camps, that realized that that was a safe place, that there was safety in numbers there, that it was someplace they would be able to stay in contact with people like service providers and family members because they were not hiding off on the side of the road or in a bush somewhere - they were centrally located and stable for the time being. So they got swept again, and Charles and I went up there again and informed people - Hey, we've been looking, we still haven't found anything, but we have located some other public property that is big enough for you to camp on if you decide to go there. Charles and I consulted the King County parcel viewer and a number of city maps, and we found a little slice of - patch of grass - that ran adjacent to a park just a few blocks away. And according to the King County parcel viewer and all the city maps we consulted, that piece of land was somehow overlooked or whatever - it just wasn't part of the park, so legally, it would be acceptable for people to camp there. So many of the people relocated there, and they stayed there for a couple of days until one of our city councilmembers apparently called the police. The police said they wouldn't sweep them because as far as the police could see, that's not part of the park and it's legal for them to be there. She contacted our city manager, who took it upon himself to do some digging, and found one map in our city files that contradicted all the other maps we have and said that it was a park. And so he told the police - This is a park, I'm deciding that this is a part of a park, you have to go remove them. A testament to the ambiguity of the legal status of whether this piece of land is park or not park is the fact that our police will immediately sweep people who are in a park - that's just a policy that's standard ops for them. They did not immediately sweep people. They posted a 72-hour notice, giving people time to get their things together and try and relocate. City council still did not take any action. So Charles and I went out and spoke to people again, and the options continue to get increasingly worse - the land is increasingly smaller every time that we are finding. We let them know there is a very small piece of dirt that runs along our main downtown strip, right next door to the Library-City Hall building - literally on the next block, and two blocks down from the original lot that they went to after the first sweep - so they're right back where they started, pretty much. But a number of our unhoused people camping out have relocated to this very small patch of dirt. Some people decided to go try their odds camping on some vacant private property that had sat empty for a while - they managed to go unnoticed for a few weeks. But I got a text last Tuesday from one of their mothers - and she's a very kind woman, she does what she can, but she lives in Puyallup and is on the verge of homelessness herself, so she's not able to fully support her son - but she let me know that there were 14 people who were camping on this private lot in the north end of town, and police had just arrived with a trespass order, and they were giving them two hours to get out. So I went out again and tried to get whoever I could to come out and help get people assistance in relocating and getting their stuff, and trying to make sure they could get where they were going to go without losing too many of their important belongings. And some of them decided to come down to the patch of dirt on 152nd and our downtown core and join the others, and some of them decided to drag their tents to a median in the middle of a very busy road just down the block, and it's a really dangerous area in that particular corridor, but they asked the police - Is this public land, are you gonna sweep us? And the police said no, and so they decided that they were gonna take their chances. And so to my understanding, there are still a couple of people who are camping out in a very small island median in the middle of a very busy road. And to this day, our council has refused to take action. We have had an offer come in from King County of $1 million and 35 Pallet homes, which house two people apiece, to allocate property and help us operate a safe space for people. Our council voted that down. [00:16:43] Crystal Fincher: And I wanna talk about this for a minute - because you talked about what was happening on the ground, but during this process, the City of Burien received a letter from the Office of the King County Executive, Dow Constantine, from his legal counsel, saying - Hey, it is illegal to sweep people off of public property when there is no shelter available. You basically made it explicit, City of Burien, that there's no shelter available. And your police force are actually county sheriff's deputies who are contracted by the City of Burien, so because they fall under the authority of the county as deputies, we are saying they can't participate in that - which caused quite an uproar. What was the response to that? [00:17:25] Cydney Moore: People were confused and upset. Some of us were very pleased. I was very surprised when I found out our city got that letter, and I was very grateful to our county for their response and taking a stance that they're not going to violate people's constitutional rights to exist in a public space with nowhere else to go. [00:17:47] Crystal Fincher: And that's really the crux of it right there - is that time after time, as we've seen in so many other cities, just sweeping someone and saying - Well, you can't camp here - does not do anything to address the issue of homelessness. It doesn't do anything to provide shelter, to provide housing, to address that underlying problem. And so many times, people who come at this problem from the issue of - Well, the people being there, their existence, me having to look at them and deal with them is the problem - when the root of the problem is they don't have a home, and so many other issues become exacerbated, and so many things get destabilized from not having a home. So as you said, they move from one location to another to another, because it's not like there's any attempt to work on housing from the council majority. And also, illustrative of how councils work, you can have people on very different sides, but the majority is going to carry the day. So although there were three people who have been working diligently on the council to try and provide a real solution that doesn't just create the next spot for someone to camp, or once you've made all of the spots in one city illegal, just push them into another city and say it's their problem - it's about really finding a way to provide people with shelter. Because it is not ideal for people to be sleeping outside. As you said, it's dangerous, it's completely suboptimal. So this offer from the county that came in - about three weeks ago now, I think - has the majority of the council done anything to take advantage of the million dollars, the 35 Pallet shelter help? [00:19:24] Cydney Moore: No, we had that brought before us for a vote, and our council majority declined and they voted it down. And at this point, our next regularly scheduled council meeting isn't until July 17th, and so we are working to take advantage of this gap to rally public support and coordinate with a variety of different organizations in our community to hopefully put pressure on council enough that they will take action. Burien is actually in the middle of a budgetary shortfall - we're facing an impending fiscal cliff if we don't raise taxes and fees and find new revenue sources. And so turning down a million dollars for anything at this point seems pretty irresponsible, but certainly turning down a million dollars to serve our unhoused and vulnerable population is - it's unconscionable in my mind. I can't tell you how many times I've sat there thinking how amazing it would be if somebody dropped a million dollars in front of me to go help the homeless - that's literally the stuff that dreams are made of. And to turn it down is - I just can't fathom why anybody would say no to that. And like you pointed out, sweeps are dangerous. People living outside - it's dangerous. Unhoused people are disproportionately targeted as victims of harassment and violence. And we have data that shows that sweeps cause a number of disruptions to people's lives - they result in people losing things like documentation, identification, medication - disrupting any kind of progress they are making towards stability. It interrupts their contact with service providers, case managers, family members that serve as a support system. And they increase the mortality rate of unhoused people. It just - they're dangerous. Burien already has a disproportionately high mortality rate for our unhoused population compared to King County as a whole. So we are facing a very real crisis here - our region is facing a homelessness crisis in general, but Burien is finally having to stare that issue in the face and we're failing in our response, our leaders are failing in our response. And our people are suffering as a consequence of that. And it is quite devastating to witness, especially being on the ground in direct contact with these people that some of us have worked with for years. We know their names, we know their faces, we know some of their backstories, some of them I know family members of. It's an ugly thing to witness seeing people who are already in crisis being shuffled around and disregarded and hung out to dry - by leaders who are tasked with protecting the safety and wellbeing of all of our constituents. So it's disappointing, to say the least. [00:22:05] Crystal Fincher: Very disappointing. And very disappointing that your attempt to help people while following the law, and the law that the Office of King County Executive Dow Constantine very helpfully and forcefully advised the City of Burien that they were running afoul of in their current way, their reaction wasn't to say - Okay, let's pause and reevaluate. Obviously we're getting legal advice that this is illegal. It does jive with the court decision saying that we can't sweep without offers of shelter. We've pretty much just flatly admitted that there aren't offers of shelter. So maybe we pause and talk with some of our partners and figure out ways to get these people housed. No one wants people out on the street - if we can try and work to find a way to get them into shelter, that would be excellent. They decided not to do that. They decided to double down on the way things were going, to basically - I think a fair characterization to the letter from the King County Executive's legal counsel was indignation from the city manager, who then went forward and basically just kept doing the things that he was doing, even appearing to not check with the council before some of the things - although he does have the support of the council majority. So now we're in a situation where they haven't taken up any of this offer to house people, and people are being harmed by this. People are out exposed to the elements and to a very hostile, activated, conservative, radical element that has been drawn to Burien over this issue. And some of the contentious scenes that we've seen across the region with people just talking in very dehumanizing ways about the homeless population - really not seeing them as people, really just seeing the problem is that they're inconvenienced by having to look at people and not really caring about what that person is going through - that's a challenge. So they haven't had time to address the offer of a million bucks and Pallet shelters. They did have time, however, to hold a special meeting to consider censuring you and to consider removing Charles, who you talked about - the Chair of the Planning Commission - because of your helping and trying to find a solution to this problem. What in the world? What was your reaction to that? [00:24:16] Cydney Moore: Yeah, I spoke to this during the special meeting when the council was considering removing Charles from the Planning Commission - who I might add, has served our community dutifully for many years and has been serving the homeless directly, I think, for 14 years in our city - so he knows them very well. And what are you going to expect from somebody who's been in that field for so long other than trying to help? But my response is that - throughout history, there is a pattern of punishments being doled out to people who try to help persecuted minority groups, whether that's people based on their race or their religion or who they love - it's a consistent pattern. And history does not look kindly on those who are enacting those punishments against people who try and help. I told our council, I said - Charles is going to have to live with what we do tonight for the rest of his life, or at least until our council makeup changes. But every person on this council is also going to have to live with their decision and this decision may follow you. Are you prepared to answer for it, for what you do tonight? 'Cause I'm very comfortable in my position, but I don't know if later on when people ask you - Why would you do this? - if you'll have justification or excuses enough to explain why you would take such action. It was very, very clear that what Charles and I have done is try to inform our constituents of what our laws are and how best to comply. And I think that's something that really needs to be noted in these conversations - these unhoused people have been asking how they can follow the law. They're asking - Where is it legal for me to go? Where can I be? Where am I allowed to exist? And our city has offered no real option, but has publicly stated - Oh yeah, you can be on public property - until we find a loophole to take it away from you. And you can be on sidewalks, which obviously is true to the extent of people can stay on sidewalks large enough where they're not obstructing them - you have to maintain a three feet clearance path on a sidewalk and there's not that many sidewalks that are wide enough for people to camp on in Burien without obstructing. So these individuals are literally just asking their leaders - Where can I go? Where am I allowed to be? And we did our best to inform our constituents of what the City's policies are, where they are legally allowed to go, how they can comply with the laws. And that's the duty and obligation of any public servant, especially a councilmember that makes those laws and policies and a planning commissioner, the Chair of the Planning Commission, whose job it is to advise on zoning and land use issues. So arguably we were doing our job to the best of our ability and to the expectation that I think we should all be held. And our council - the term that has been used by many in our community - used Charles as a scapegoat. They can't remove me - I am an elected official. But Charles was appointed, and they found a target and took advantage of that. And I think it just reflects really, really poorly on our council and on our city as a whole that our leadership would penalize someone for informing people of their constitutional rights and informing people of knowledge that is public, by the way - all of the information that we shared is all public knowledge, it's all easily accessible on government websites. Yeah, I don't know how they felt comfortable doing that. I really don't understand any valid justification for that - and that's what I said. [00:28:08] Crystal Fincher: Well, I'm gonna hop in here and editorialize. We know there wasn't a valid reason for that - but as we've seen in Tennessee, as we've seen in so many other places - if they feel they have the power to do it, they will. They had the power to remove Charles. I think they initially thought they may have the power to remove you. You were actually, as you said, doing your job. They still have not taken up the offer to house people. Their job is to serve and take care of their constituents. They have constituents who have been out on the street. There's an offer of shelter and money to make that happen available that they just won't do - they would rather just sweep people, just kick them out - knowing how destabilizing that is and knowing how much it has failed directly in the City of Burien. This clearly isn't working. It's really expensive to do - requires a lot of public enforcement resources, law enforcement resources, parks resources - requires a whole lot and it's not making a difference. So one would think that they would stop doing the same thing over and over again - getting failing results - and start to do something that would work. The county didn't just say - This is illegal, you can't do it. They offered an olive branch and said - And we will help you. And they basically slapped that hand away and said - No, we're good. In fact, we're not even gonna deal with that. We're just gonna try and kick out people who disagree with us and enact these really retaliatory actions. And it is really a shame. But what happened was lots of people saw this and people of all cross-ideological spectrums - I don't think many of the commissioners who wound up taking action would call themselves progressive, but they do call themselves public servants - and were appalled at this negligence and scapegoating and retaliation by the majority on the city council, mayor, deputy mayor, city manager, others, and said - This is unacceptable - and resigned in protest. And the entire Planning Commission resigned in protest and several other commissioners throughout the city - I think 12 in total resigned from their position. So now, Burien is in a crisis - doesn't have a planning commission, has several other commissions short-staffed. Many cities - this is comprehensive planning time where the Planning Commission is doing some heavy lifting - and now there is nothing there, because they decided to act petty and retaliate and not use money offered to them for free to house people. So where do things go from here? [00:30:35] Cydney Moore: That's a good question. As you said, we don't have a planning commission now, and they were absolutely in the middle of a major project. We haven't heard from our city any official statement in regard to what the plan is going to be to fill these vacancies. So our entire Planning Commission is gone. Our Parks Board has lost their chair, the vice-chair, and another member. We've lost at least one Airport Committee member and arts commissioner. Like we - arguably our city is in a spiral right now, and I don't know what's going to happen next. I don't know what we're going to do, I haven't heard anything from our leadership, I haven't heard anything from our city manager - certainly haven't heard anything regarding plans to move forward. As I said, my goal right now is to work with my fellow progressives on council to lobby as much support as we can and pressure as we can to get the council majority to approve use of this million dollars and designate a safe space for people to go. Our unhoused population is still waiting for a response and things aren't getting better. And as you said, there is significant anger in the community and there's been a large conservative presence - and the hostility there is not dissipating. I'm aware of people who have - like I said, unhoused people are always disproportionately targeted as victims of harassment and violence, but people have been very aggressive towards our unhoused people here throughout this - throwing fireworks at their tents, stealing their tents, and bragging about it openly. There are people who are openly in public talking about wanting to shoot them and shoot me. So this violent rhetoric has maintained and our unhoused people are out there exposed with nowhere to go, no safety, no walls to hide behind. And so we're going to continue pushing for our council to take action - because we don't have an option not to, honestly - doing nothing is just not an option in my mind and in the mind of many others in our community. As far as our city operations go - like I said, I really just don't know. We are legally required to have a planning commission and to have a comp plan, a comprehensive plan, and we just don't have the people now. And it usually takes quite a while for us to go through the process of putting out a call for new applicants and going through the screening process, interview process, all of this. And quite frankly, the strain on our staff has been significant - like you said, it takes a lot of resources to engage in things like sweeps. Our staff is already pretty bare bones. Burien operates with some incredible people, but they are stretched thin. And having to call multiple special meetings certainly doesn't help with their workload. Having to engage in sweeps doesn't help with their workload. And now having to add on to their plate - trying to figure out what to do with a whole bunch of empty spaces and an entire empty planning commission - yeah, I don't know what that process is going to look like, or how quickly any of that will move forward. You would expect our city manager to be offering some insight or - the City was really quick to respond to that letter from King County, but obviously not so quick to respond to the fact that we have had a mass resignation from our public servants that we need, we legally have to have. So I'm waiting with bated breath, just like everyone else, to see what happens there. [00:34:20] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. I should note, while they haven't taken up any substantive action at all to try and house people - even though there's an offer of a million dollars, 35 Pallet shelters, they've had meetings to censure and retaliate against their opponents - they also had time to welcome Prime Minister Modi from India, who has taken a lot of heat from the human rights community for human rights violations, free speech violations. They rank very, very low - I think they've dropped from something like 140th to just under 160th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index. Certainly seeing a lot of protests - I think there's no one who says - Ah, everything is great. And yes, this is someone we should celebrate and welcome. Although those three Burien city councilmembers did somehow and they found time for that, but not time to take up the ability to house their residents who are without homes right now. Now, before we close - usually we talk about a lot of other stuff with candidates - this time, I felt it was appropriate to talk about everything that has been happening with the situation in Burien because it has been in the news and is so pressing - and is still just languishing with the council not doing anything at the time that we're recording. But this is happening also while you're running for reelection. And you've drawn several opponents - I think most, if not all, come from the people who are virulently anti-homeless - is the way to say it. They don't seem to have any solutions or care at all about the actual housing - Just get them out of here - seems to be the thing. And they're running to take a hard line on getting those people out of here and getting someone who actually is doing the work to house people out. What can people do if they're looking for more information about your campaign? [00:36:09] Cydney Moore: I would encourage everyone to check out my website - it's votecydney.com - C-Y-D-N-E-Y. Sign up for updates, sign up to volunteer. Please donate if you can - I run a grassroots campaign, always have - I'm not a particularly wealthy person that's self-funding my operations here, so anything that you can do to help will help us get through this election. I am working very diligently with our partners in the community to build a coalition of support for my campaign. But this is of the people, by the people, for the people - so if you can, please contribute however you are able to. Also, you can always follow me on social media - @vote_cydney on Twitter, Facebook - Cydney Moore for Burien City Council. I welcome any feedback people might have, any input you might have, any ideas for creative campaigning you might have. This is rough - it's a rough time to be dealing with all of these things and running a campaign - and I have drawn out a lot of scrutiny. I guess you could say that I'm a pretty polarizing person at this moment and people are drawing some hard lines. And people aren't always falling on the side of those lines that you would expect. I have had people who don't actually necessarily agree with my position, but do respect the fact that I'm willing to stand up for my position, who have expressed their support. And I have people who you would think are progressive, who you would think would be aligned with me, who are pissed - they're really mad at me for what I've been doing. And so, yeah, I can use all the support I can get at this time. And what I'll say about my opponents are the most vocal one is avidly anti-homeless and has been actively asking our council to sweep people and seems to be of the mindset that we should let them hit rock bottom, which I guess in my mind means let them die - because if you're outside and have nothing and have nowhere to go and have - barely even have clothes on your back, no food, no safety, I don't know how much more rock bottom it gets than that than just letting them die. And that's what happens. Our unhoused people are dying. So that's certainly concerning and not somebody that I would want representing me in elected office in my city. And my other two opponents - I just have not seen or heard much at all from - I literally just met one of them for the first time the other day. I've never missed a city council meeting in all of my years of serving, and I've never seen those individuals attend a single meeting. I've never seen them out in the public engaging with people, and I'm actively involved in a lot of things - I serve on the board of three different nonprofits in this community, I volunteer for a number of different organizations and causes. And so it concerns me that we have people running that I don't know and nobody that I know who are also involved in the community have ever seen, so I can't speak to their values. But I'm here and I am present and I'm active and I will remain so. And you can look at my track record - my voting record is available on the City of Burien website and I encourage everyone to look to it - I don't think you're ever gonna find a single vote I've ever taken that is not solidly progressive. So I'm - like I said, I'm pretty consistent in that - and I am adamant about maintaining the fight for positive change in our city. And I would ask and invite everyone who is willing to join me in that. What happens here in Burien has a ripple effect across our region - like I said, we are leading as an example in a lot of different ways for a lot of different policy issues. And so community doesn't end at city limits - what happens here can absolutely impact our neighboring cities and cities across this area and sometimes across the country - there are other cities who have looked at us and our policies from around the country. So please help me because there are a lot of people who are against what's going on here and we need all the help we can get. We need people who will continue to fight for what's right in office and keep things real in local politics. [00:40:14] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Cydney Moore. And we'll continue to follow the events happening in Burien. Thank you. [00:40:22] Cydney Moore: Awesome, thank you so much for having me. And I look forward to following your future coverage. [00:40:27] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Norway is number one the World Press Freedom Index, while Australia dropped 14 places in 2022 due in part to its highly concentrated media landscape. This webinar, the second of our special Nordic Talks webinar series, will explore how Norway's targeted ‘press support' subsidies could help Australia to achieve greater diversity in its highly concentrated media landscape and improve its protections for public interest journalism. And what can Norway learn from Australia's world-leading News Media Bargaining Code about regulating Big Tech platforms such as Google and Facebook? This is one of a five-part special series of Follow the Money presented by the Nordic Talks series, presented by the Nordic Policy Centre at the Australia Institute, with support from The Nordics, a project under The Nordic Council of Ministers. #NordicTalks #auspol The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guests: Professor Eli Skogerbø, Co-director of POLKOM – Center for the Study of Political Communication Dr Maria Rae, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Policy, Deakin University// @MariaRae17 Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India continues its free fall on the World Press Freedom Index. The latest edition has India at 161 out of 180 countries, a drop of 11 ranks. Even Afghanistan fares better! If the press is not free but beholden to that power, as we're seeing today, it becomes an extension of that power. Those who refuse to become that extension are threatened and prosecuted. If the media is in peril, then so is our democracy. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

New York Times Investigation Finds Nearly $89 Million Raised Via Robocall Self-Enriching Scheme   A New York Times investigation has found that a circle of conservative nonprofits, consultants, and shell companies together formed a self-enrichment scheme. Nonprofits loosely construed around conservative causes including The American Police Officers Alliance used aggressive robocall tactics to solicit small-dollar donors that raised $89 million. However, the investigation uncovered that a mere $826,904 of the amount raised went to the organizations' purported campaigns—the rest went to the companies and consultants that ran the robocalls. The detailed investigation zeroed in on 3 Republican political consultants who together appeared to be the glue that kept the machine going. The organizations in question were registered IRS 527 groups and as such had a responsibility to file with the IRS. Multiple groups used human-sounding robocalls that, with the burgeoning consumer AI industry, may become even more realistic and responsive. Read more ➝   Summary F.D.A. Eases Ban on Blood Donations From Gay and Bisexual Men  | Nytimes.com Elon Musk Defends MrBeast Against Criticism for Helping Deaf People | Insider  2023 World Press Freedom Index – journalism threatened by fake content industry | rsf.org  Bard by Google is live  - be aware... wholewhale.com/ai  Coastal Duck Derby supports local nonprofit | Port City Daily       Sponsor: Nonprofit.ist   Request for Conversations (RFCs) can save a TON of time in figuring out the type of project you need done and experts at Nonprofit.ist love to have those conversations. Nonprofit.ist is trusted by over 4k nonprofits and is a network designed specifically for nonprofits like you. At Nonprofit.ist, we understand the pain of finding the right expert to help with your specific needs. Endless searching and sifting through irrelevant information can be frustrating and time-consuming. This is why for 5 years we have built up experts across a breadth of areas for the sector:  Accounting & Finance Human Resources Board Development Leadership Development Coaching Legal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Marketing and Communications Evaluation and Learning Organizational Assessment Executive Transition Strategic Planning Fundraising Technology Web Design Ad Grants      

New York Times Investigation Finds Nearly $89 Million Raised Via Robocall Self-Enriching Scheme   A New York Times investigation has found that a circle of conservative nonprofits, consultants, and shell companies together formed a self-enrichment scheme. Nonprofits loosely construed around conservative causes including The American Police Officers Alliance used aggressive robocall tactics to solicit small-dollar donors that raised $89 million. However, the investigation uncovered that a mere $826,904 of the amount raised went to the organizations' purported campaigns—the rest went to the companies and consultants that ran the robocalls. The detailed investigation zeroed in on 3 Republican political consultants who together appeared to be the glue that kept the machine going. The organizations in question were registered IRS 527 groups and as such had a responsibility to file with the IRS. Multiple groups used human-sounding robocalls that, with the burgeoning consumer AI industry, may become even more realistic and responsive. Read more ➝   Summary F.D.A. Eases Ban on Blood Donations From Gay and Bisexual Men  | Nytimes.com Elon Musk Defends MrBeast Against Criticism for Helping Deaf People | Insider  2023 World Press Freedom Index – journalism threatened by fake content industry | rsf.org  Bard by Google is live  - be aware... wholewhale.com/ai  Coastal Duck Derby supports local nonprofit | Port City Daily       Sponsor: Nonprofit.ist   Request for Conversations (RFCs) can save a TON of time in figuring out the type of project you need done and experts at Nonprofit.ist love to have those conversations. Nonprofit.ist is trusted by over 4k nonprofits and is a network designed specifically for nonprofits like you. At Nonprofit.ist, we understand the pain of finding the right expert to help with your specific needs. Endless searching and sifting through irrelevant information can be frustrating and time-consuming. This is why for 5 years we have built up experts across a breadth of areas for the sector:  Accounting & Finance Human Resources Board Development Leadership Development Coaching Legal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Marketing and Communications Evaluation and Learning Organizational Assessment Executive Transition Strategic Planning Fundraising Technology Web Design Ad Grants      

In this episode of our Trusted Journalism Matters series, Belinda Barker chats with Fiona O'Brien, the UK Bureau Chief for Reporters Without Borders, about the 2023 World Press Freedom Index and the impact that AI and the fake content industry is having on trusted journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Wednesday Breakfast Rundown - 17th May 2023  With Grace Tan, Claudia Craig and Patrick Morrow 7:00am Acknowledgement of Country 7:04am News headlines  7:12am Grace speaks with Daniel Bastard, head of the Asia-Pacific desk at Reporter Without Borders (RSF) about the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, with highlights of the fake content industry and Australia's situation with press freedom. Read the full global 2023 analysis HERE 7:32am With the rally regarding the residents' future at the public housing estate last Thursday at the steps of the state Parliament, 3CR presenter Joe Malignaggi interviewed impacted residents and speeches conducted by organiser Joe Toscano, impacted resident Margaret Kelly and Victorian Greens Leader Samantha Ratnam.  7:54am Kannagi Bhatt of speaks with CARF (Campaign against Racism & Fascism) organiser and activist Aisha Jago on fighting the far-right's anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQI+ agenda. (This broadcast originally aired on 3CR Breakfast 16th May 2023) Access the Ministerial response to 3CR here Drag Story Time is ongoing as usual, at Eltham Library at 12pm today, despite discussions for moving it online. You can support Drag Story by emailing a solidarity message to eltyprl@yprl.vic.gov.au Follow CARF on Instagram @carf.melbourne to get involved in any future anti-fascist actions they always organise around Naarm. 8:13am Bringing some humour to the post-budget conversation, Claudia speaks with performer, clown and teacher Elizabeth Davie about the importance of fun and her forthcoming comedy show at The Butterfly Club - the Superwoman Money Program.For Superwoman Money Show tickets and information click here. Play in the Park session dates and venue details can be found here. Songs Blackfella/ Whitefella by Warumpi Band Palestine by Mistahi   

Deputy Communications & Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching sits down to discuss what the government plans to do to take even further, Malaysia's 40-rung jump in Reporters Sans Frontières' 2023 World Press Freedom Index. She prioritises what changes need to happen to the Communications & Multimedia Act 1998 which was enacted before Twitter, Facebook and TikTok were even conceived. With 6 state elections happening soon, what is it like for once-sworn-enemies, DAP and Umno, to be working together?

Azerbaijan has ranked 151st on this year's World Press Freedom Index — the 29th worst in the world. On this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, OC Media speaks to Arzu Geybulla, a journalist and media expert, and Orkhan Mammad, an editor at Meydan TV, about how Baku's policies serve to constrict media freedom in Azerbaijan or even force journalists into exile. Read more: Aliyev signs law to muzzle press Censorship and violence: the challenges to press freedom in the Caucasus in 2022 Become a supporter at oc-media.org/support_us, or on Patreon.

SLAPPs and abuse of journalists are causing the UK to slip down the ranks of the World Press Freedom Index. But news organisations do have the power to affect change

Freedom of the Press is such an important pillar of a democracy that it's enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Here in the so-called land of the free, we pride ourselves on our freedoms. So would it surprise you to learn that the US came in at a barely respectable 45th place in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index?This year's rankings were released yesterday. I'm joined by Clayton Weimers, director of the US bureau of Reporters Without Border, RSF.org, who'll explain the findings and why a free press is such an important pillar in any democracy.Of course, we'll being with late breaking news. Today, the Proud Boys are convicted, more from the Clarence Thomas/Harlan Crow grift, and whatever else the day throws at us before showtime.

Bosnia has a new regional government, Turkey's Alevi community rally around their candidate, Britain gets out its bunting, and France's Finance Minister writes a steamy novel. Also on Inside Europe: the World Press Freedom Index, Russian journalists in Riga, Fracking in the Netherlands, and refugee tours in Berlin.

Join Washington Post Live for conversations with top journalists and an exclusive interview with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the state of global press freedom and get an early look at this year's findings from The World Press Freedom Index, an annual assessment from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) about the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories. Conversation recorded on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, lands in Syria, the first state visit to Damascus by an Iranian leader in 13 years. Plus: Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in Helsinki for a Nordic summit and the latest World Press Freedom Index.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 मई यानी आज 30वें विश्व प्रेस स्वतंत्रता दिवस के दिन हमारे सामने कुछ जरूरी सवाल हैं. क्या भारत में स्वतंत्र मीडिया को खामोश कर दिया गया है, या यह अपनी जमीन पर कायम है? भारत में  मीडिया के इकोसिस्टम की सेहत कैसी है? चलिए बात करेंगे आज अबप लाइव पोडकास्टस पर। मैं मानसी हूँ आपके साथ लेकर फई जहाँ मेरे साथ जुड़े हैं जाने माने जौर्नालिस्ट रूमान हाश्मी।  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) हर साल दुनिया में प्रेस की आज़ादी को लेकर ग्लोबल रैंकिंग लेकर आते हैं। Reporters Without Borders (RSF) जिसका हेडक्वार्टर्स पेरिस में हैं, आखिर है क्या? इस रिपोर्ट की आखिर क्या मान्यता है ? इस बार इंडिया की रैंकिंग पिछली बार से काफी खराब हो गयी है। पिछले साल हमने अपनी रैंकिंग को सुधारा था 152  से 150  लेकिन 2023 की रिपोर्ट कहती है की हम 161 रैंक पे है। हमसे बेहतर पाकिस्तान और श्री लंका की रैंकिंग है जिन्होंने अपनी रैंकिंग को सुधारा है। पाकिस्तान 150 और श्री लंका 135 पर है। प्रेस की आजादी  में भारत 161 पर, अफगानिस्तान और पाकिस्तान से भी नीचे, क्यों ? जानें ?

Recently Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis dismissed concerns about media independence in his country and labelled the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) assessment of Greece as lying in 108th place in the organisation's annual World Press Freedom Index as "crap".In this episode, Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista look into why Greece has scored so badly in the RSF ranking and try to find exactly where the problem with Greece's media lies.They speak to Pavol Szalai, the head of EU/Balkans Desk at RSF, about why Greece scores worse than every other EU country when it comes to media freedom.Also, Yannis Palaiologos, a former Brussels correspondent for Kathimerini newspaper, discusses whether the RSF index provides a true reflection of the shortcomings of journalism in Greece.Useful readingRSF World Press Freedom Index: https://rsf.org/en/rsf-s-2022-world-press-freedom-index-new-era-polarisationRSF's factfile on Greece: https://rsf.org/en/country/greeceA game for press freedom in Greece by Stavros Malichudis: https://wearesolomon.com/mag/accountability/a-game-for-press-freedom-in-greece/How Greece became Europe's worst place for press freedom by Nektaria Stamouli: https://www.politico.eu/article/greece-became-europe-worst-place-press-freedom/A State of Absolute Solitude by Tassos Telloglou: https://www.boell.de/en/2022/12/08/state-absolute-solitudeGreek Photojournalist Nikos Pilos Arrested and Charged: https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/107638266Greece's triangle of power (2012) by Stephen Grey: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-media-idUSBRE8BG0CF20121217 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to the RSF (Reporters Without Borders), World Press Freedom Index for 2022 Sweden ranks #3 just behind Norway and Denmark. The list is based on the degree of freedom journalists and news organizations have in each country and the efforts that authorities make to safeguard this freedom. Today I want to explore what freedom of speech and censorship mean in Sweden. Openness and transparency are vital parts of Swedish democracy. There are four fundamental laws that are the controlling this;the Instrument of Government (targets and rules for how the state should be organized and governed)the Freedom of the Press Act (protects freedom of speech in print)the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (the right to express yourself and state your opinion)the Act of Succession (specifies how the royal crown is inherited when the current king or queen dies)A survey was conducted by PEW Research Center in 2019 About how democracy works in their country and we are going to take a look at the following statementsThe rights of people to express their views in public are protectedMost people have a good chance to improve their standard of livingThe court system treats everyone fairlyElected officials care what ordinary people thinkNo matter who wins an election, things do not change very muchMost politicians are corruptMost people live in areas where it is dangerous to walk around at nightAnd we will compare the answers between people in Sweden with people in the US and the world.Support the showThank You for listening to A Swedish Fika. Subscribe to my monthly newsletterMy website, A Swedish FikaFor Support;Buy Me A Coffe shop, A Swedish Fika.PixelPia

Press freedom, never a given in India, has suffered repeated assaults – never more sustained than now. Siddique Kappan's case is emblematic of it. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021 was one of the deadliest years of the past decade for Indian journalists. No wonder India is ranked 150th among 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Mehnaz Kappan's speech: https://twitter.com/AzeefaFathima/status/1559110055194394624?s=20&t=R0lJfmo1K0wtANJxPRi7iw India's World Press Freedom Index ranking: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-falls-8-positions-to-150th-rank-in-rsf-2022-world-press-freedom-index-101651622367861.html Committee Against Assault on Journalists report: https://www.caajindia.org/2022/02/media%20ki%20gherabandi%20caaj%20report%20uttar%20pradesh.html

In this episode, in celebration of SG 160, Singapore's drop to 160th place in the World Press Freedom Index, we turn to the freest part of our media landscape: the Straits Times forum. +++ Music used "Victory" by Monplaisir; "Camper" by Phillip Gross; "Level 4" by Monplaisir; "Japan", "Too Grimy", "Sofa Fitness" by Lobo Loco; and "Seattle" by Yung Kartz. Check them out on freemusicarchive.org.

Fréttamenn án landamæra, RSF, segja í ársskýrslu sinni að fjölmiðlafrelsi hafi hafi ekki verið jafn lítið og nú frá því á tímum Kalda stríðsins. Sótt sé að frjálsum og óháðum fjölmiðlum í öllum heimshlutum, jafnvel í Evrópu þar sem mest frelsi hefur verið. RSF samtökin hafa í tuttugu ár gefið út World Press Freedom Index, lista yfir frelsi fjölmiðla í 180 ríkjum. Á nýjasta listanum sem birtur var í maí er Norðurlöndin í efstu sætunum nema Ísland, sem er í 15. sæti. Þetta var umræðuefni er Björn Þór Sigbjörnsson og Guðrún Hálfdánardóttir ræddu um erlend málefni í Heimsglugganum við Boga Ágústsson. Þau ræddu einnig um Sergei Lavrov, utanríkisráðherra Rússlands, og ferð hans til nokkurra Afríkuríkja, þar á meðal Egyptalands. Það mátti skilja á máli Lavrovs eftir fund hans með forseta Egyptalands að stríðsmarkmið Rússa hefðu breyst og þeir vildu stjórnarskipti í Úkraínu. Lavrov sagði að Rússar vildu hjálpa Úkraínumönnum við að losna undan andlýðræðislegri stjórn.

Fréttamenn án landamæra, RSF, segja í ársskýrslu sinni að fjölmiðlafrelsi hafi hafi ekki verið jafn lítið og nú frá því á tímum Kalda stríðsins. Sótt sé að frjálsum og óháðum fjölmiðlum í öllum heimshlutum, jafnvel í Evrópu þar sem mest frelsi hefur verið. RSF samtökin hafa í tuttugu ár gefið út World Press Freedom Index, lista yfir frelsi fjölmiðla í 180 ríkjum. Á nýjasta listanum sem birtur var í maí er Norðurlöndin í efstu sætunum nema Ísland, sem er í 15. sæti. Þetta var umræðuefni er Björn Þór Sigbjörnsson og Guðrún Hálfdánardóttir ræddu um erlend málefni í Heimsglugganum við Boga Ágústsson. Þau ræddu einnig um Sergei Lavrov, utanríkisráðherra Rússlands, og ferð hans til nokkurra Afríkuríkja, þar á meðal Egyptalands. Það mátti skilja á máli Lavrovs eftir fund hans með forseta Egyptalands að stríðsmarkmið Rússa hefðu breyst og þeir vildu stjórnarskipti í Úkraínu. Lavrov sagði að Rússar vildu hjálpa Úkraínumönnum við að losna undan andlýðræðislegri stjórn.

Fréttamenn án landamæra, RSF, segja í ársskýrslu sinni að fjölmiðlafrelsi hafi hafi ekki verið jafn lítið og nú frá því á tímum Kalda stríðsins. Sótt sé að frjálsum og óháðum fjölmiðlum í öllum heimshlutum, jafnvel í Evrópu þar sem mest frelsi hefur verið. RSF samtökin hafa í tuttugu ár gefið út World Press Freedom Index, lista yfir frelsi fjölmiðla í 180 ríkjum. Á nýjasta listanum sem birtur var í maí er Norðurlöndin í efstu sætunum nema Ísland, sem er í 15. sæti. Þetta var umræðuefni er Björn Þór Sigbjörnsson og Guðrún Hálfdánardóttir ræddu um erlend málefni í Heimsglugganum við Boga Ágústsson. Þau ræddu einnig um Sergei Lavrov, utanríkisráðherra Rússlands, og ferð hans til nokkurra Afríkuríkja, þar á meðal Egyptalands. Það mátti skilja á máli Lavrovs eftir fund hans með forseta Egyptalands að stríðsmarkmið Rússa hefðu breyst og þeir vildu stjórnarskipti í Úkraínu. Lavrov sagði að Rússar vildu hjálpa Úkraínumönnum við að losna undan andlýðræðislegri stjórn.

'We worden krankzinnig slecht bestuurd' schreeuwde Kees de Kort op 10 maart 2020, voorafgegaan door een hartgrondige vloek. Het is misschien niet de mooiste Korteaanse uitspraak maar wat mij betreft wel de meest memorabele: De coronacrisis was net begonnen en Kees had zijn cijfers op orde waardoor glashelder was dat we op een bestuurlijke ramp afstevenden. Toch had Kees ongelijk. We worden niet zozeer krankzinnig slecht maar hemeltergend naïef bestuurd. Of liever gezegd, de vraag is wie ons eigenlijk bestuurt. Er lijkt zich een stille staatsgreep te voltrekken waarvan slechts kleine stukjes van de ijsberg boven komen drijven in de media.   Toen ik in 2018 hier in mijn column het dwingende advies gaf om bij het referendum tegen de sleepwet te stemmen, omdat die een bedreiging voor de vrije samenleving en de onafhankelijke journalistiek zou vormen lachte toenmalig D66 Kamerlid Kees Verhoeven mijn zorgen weg. We weten hoe het afliep. Nederland stemde tegen de sleepwet, maar hij kwam er toch. Alle geruststellende woorden van Verhoeven en alle waarborgen die minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Ronald Plasterk destijds dacht te hebben ingebouwd bleken niet bestand tegen de machtshonger van de inlichtingendiensten. De AIVD en de MIVD tappen grootschalig het internetverkeer van burgers af. Zelfs je Netflix en YouTube kijkgedrag wordt bijgehouden, schrijft journalist Huib Modderkolk in de Volkskrant. Het past in het patroon van de afgelopen twee jaar waarin we zonder veel tegenstand een controlestaat in zijn gerommeld, onder het mom van een pandemie. In de WOB-documenten die vrijkomen blijkt dat de NCTV in de coronacrisis een ongekende macht naar zich toetrok. De terreurbestrijder hield -illegaal!- columnisten zoals ik en kritische burgers in de gaten en had zelfs de macht om een veto uit te spreken over welke bewindslieden wel en niet aan mochten schuiven in het crisisoverleg. Eerder deze maand was journalistiek Nederland geschokt over onze enorme duikeling -van plaats 6 naar 28- in World Press Freedom Index maar over een van de oorzaken: de zware inmenging van de veiligheidsdiensten die maakt dat bronnen van journalisten niet goed beschermd zijn, werd nauwelijks gerept. De NOS-hoofdredacteur huilde weer over stickers op zijn auto's en ander klein bier. Maar het echte gevaar komt niet van boze burgers. De geheime diensten die in Nederland blijkbaar de dienst uitmaken maken burgers, journalisten en columnisten vogelvrij. Kees Verhoeven schreeuwt nu moord en brand, maar hij gaat er niet meer over. De vraag is: wie wel? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this podcast, Abhijit Iyer Mitra has a chat with Kushal about the recent 2022 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The index has placed India at 150 in its rankings. This podcast is a detailed look at their methodology, their rating criteria, and a discussion about the relevance of such indices. Follow Abhijit: Twitter: @Iyervval Link to the index: https://rsf.org/en/country/india #WorldPressFreedomIndex #FreePress #ReportersWithoutBorders ------------------------------------------------------------ Listen to the podcasts on: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kushal-mehra-99891819 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rVcDV3upgVurMVW1wwoBp Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-c%C4%81rv%C4%81ka-podcast/id1445348369 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-carvaka-podcast ------------------------------------------------------------ Support The Cārvāka Podcast: Become a Member on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPxuul6zSLAfKSsm123Vww/join Become a Member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carvaka UPI: kushalmehra@icici To buy The Carvaka Podcast Exclusive Merch please visit: http://kushalmehra.com/shop ------------------------------------------------------------ Follow Kushal: Twitter: https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KushalMehraOfficial/? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecarvakapodcast/?hl=en Koo: https://www.kooapp.com/profile/kushal_mehra Inquiries: https://kushalmehra.com/ Feedback: kushalmehra81@gmail.com

Why did India drop from 142nd rank to 150th rank on the World Press Freedom Index produced Reporters Without Borders? Today in The Wire Talks episode our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to the journalist and a media freedom activist, Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific Desk at Paris-based global press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders and understands the same. Our guest shares about the freedom and limitations of the journalism world; and also states India is a deadly country for journalists.Follow Daniel Bastard on Twitter @danbastFollow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Andrew talks to Kathryn about which stations are tracking well in the latest radio ratings. Also the latest World Press Freedom Index is out, compiled by Reporters without Borders. New Zealand has slipped from 8th to 11th, mainly around the economic stability of the industry. Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne.

Ding Jo-Ann, advisor at the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), explains the myriad factors behind Malaysia's latest decline on the World Press Freedom Index. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

EU elections rules overhaul. Hungary and Slovakia has said it will not support a proposed European Union set of sanctions against Russian energy with no immediate alternatives available. The release of the 20th edition of the World Press Freedom Index shows differing paths for Visegrad countries, with Poland worsening and Slovakia, Czechia, and Hungary improving. In the second part of the podcast, Pavel Havlicek, a Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) Research Centre, highlights some of the major foresights for the month of May, with a particular focus on security, 9th of May celebrations, and the future of the Eastern Partnership. Speakers: Wojciech Przybylski (Editor-in-chief) and Miles R. Maftean (Editorial Director).

Ding Jo-Ann, advisor at the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), explains the myriad factors behind Malaysia's latest decline on the World Press Freedom Index. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

On World Press Freedom Day, as we presented the World Press Freedom Index 2022 together with Reporters without Borders. The annual index is a snapshot of the media freedom situation in the world and highlight some of he challenges to press freedom today: disinformation, censorship, distrust, and prosecution of journalists doing their job. We will get the new statistics that ranks 180 countries by their level of press freedom, hear from media experts and from journalists in the field. Programme Introduction from Kristin Skare Orgeret, professor Oslo MET Presentation from Thibaut Bruttin, Deputy Director, Reporters without Borders. Presentation of the Press Freedom Index 2022 Panel discussion Thibaut Bruttin and Knut Olav Åmås, in conversation with Kristin Skare Orgeret. Reports: Russia/Tbilisi, Marfa Smirnova, journalist, Insider, former TV Rain Ukraine/Lviv. Situation for the press in Ukraine France: Valérie Kasparian, lawyer, Avrillon and Huet Egypt: Cherine Al-Sanaa The event was created in collaboration with Reporters Without Borders and Oslo Metropolitan University. This event was a part of "Nobel Peace Talks" – the Nobel Peace Center's event-series about Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov's Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel Peace Talks is supported by Norsk Hydro, Reitan Retail, Luminate and Fritt Ord.

Elon Musk hints he may charge commercial, govt users from Twitter, India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position, LIC IPO opens for retail and institutional investors today and will close on May 9 and other top news in this bulletin.

Tanishka Sodhi brings you the news from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Russia and Reporters Without Borders. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A month after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India's "democracy will not sustain if we can't guarantee freedom of speech and expression". However, 8 years on, the freedom of one of the fundamental pillars of democracy – the press – has taken a nosedive. In 2015, the World Press Freedom Index, which is compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders, ranked India at 136 out of 180 countries. This number in 2021 reached the all-time low of 142. While India has not slipped further down the index, Reporters Without Borders continues to classify India as “bad” for journalism and termed it as one of the “world's most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly.” A February 2022 report by the Rights and Risk Analysis group points exactly to how dangerous it is. In its India Press Freedom Report 2021, the organisation states that at least six journalists were killed and 121 journalists including 13 media houses were targeted in India just in 2021. Time and again we hear about the state of freedom of the press in India, how journalists have been selectively targeted and attacked in India for their reportage, and in some cases also for their religious identity. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, we take a look at how press freedom in India has shrunk over the years. Joining me to unpack this, for today's episode, are senior journalist Seema Chishti, Patricia Mukhim, the editor of the Shillong Times, and Alishan Jafri, an independent journalist who covers hate crime in India. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Aditya Menon Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Vinita Srivastava is the senior editor of culture and society for The Conversation Canada, and host of the podcast Don't Call Me Resilient, as well as a research associate with the Global Journalism Innovation Lab. This episode, Vinita and Elizabeth chat about post-truth politics and the idea that how people feel about information is sometimes more influential than the actual facts. They discuss differences between the facts contained in a story versus the perspective of who is telling a story, as well as the question of which stories get told, who gets to decide that, and the idea of truth as a product of power. Additional ResourcesElizabeth notes that “post-truth” was Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2016. This Washington Post story explains why (and also gives a good overview of the term). Elizabeth mentions that a key feature of a post-truth world is that there are no longer “universally recognized arbiters or referees of fact.” This idea comes from David Roberts' 2013 post on Grist. There is also general consensus that Roberts coined the term “post-truth politics” in this earlier post.For a more academic take, philosopher Lee McIntyre wrote a book called Post-Truth. Here's a 2020 interview with him.Also, this article by Matt Carlson looks at how the concept of post-truth politics affects journalism specifically.Elizabeth brings up the concept of the “relativization of facts.” Learn more about that in this article by Sebastien Schindler.Vinita gives an example of how India's press is being muzzled by its government. Reporters Without Borders generates an annual World Press Freedom Index to track where press freedoms are being violated and how. (India ranked 142 of 180 in 2020; Canada was 14th and the U.S. was 44th).Vinita brings up the old adage that journalism is “the first draft of history.” Here's the backstory of that saying.Elizabeth talks about how emotion is a big part of mis and dis information. Check out this study that showed how anger contributes to the spread of misinformation. This was also something Claire Wardle talked about in her episode earlier this season on information disorder. Listen here.Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.

Journaliste Ingeborg Beugel moest een aantal weken geleden noodgedwongen uit Griekenland vertrekken. Tijdens een persconferentie stelde ze een kritische vraag over de vluchtelingencrisis aan premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Bedreigingen, een steen naar haar hoofd en intimidatie waren het gevolg. ‘Een ware heksenjacht', volgens Ingeborg. Ze wil terug, maar het kan nog niet. Wat is er aan de hand in Griekenland? Hoe staat het ervoor met de persvrijheid in het land? In de podcast van deze week vertelt Ingeborg over haar redenen voor het stellen van de simpele vraag: when will you stop lying?Productie: Kees van den Bosch & Jitka Marks

A collaborative investigation into Pegasus spyware, based on information accessed by the France non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International and shared with a host of publications, has revealed a list of potential targets for surveillance. The phone numbers of over 40 Indian journalists appear on a leaked list of potential targets for surveillance. Forensic tests have confirmed that some of them were successfully snooped upon by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware. Though the Indian government found itself at the heart of an espionage scandal which created a huge stir across the entire political world, coverage in the mainstream press was not commensurate. The government stonewalled queries on whether it had sanctioned the surveillance. Media commentators say the use of the Israeli NSO Group's military-grade spyware by the world's largest democracy to hack the phones of investigative reporters is the last nail in the coffin of journalism in India. Founders of The Wire among targets The leaked database of potential targets of surveillance includes phone numbers of two founding editors of The Wire, a news portal, its diplomatic editor and two of its regular contributors. “The Indian government has been silent so far. This is most surprising as they have not replied properly to questions in the Indian parliament. The Prime Minister and the home minister have not said a word... even a general kind of statement that this spyware is a threat to democracy and needs to be capped,” M K Venu, a founding editor told RFI. Now, senior journalists have approached India ‘s Supreme Court seeking investigation by a sitting or former judge of the court into allegations of use of Pegasus spyware for surveillance of journalists, activists and others. They have argued that such targeted surveillance using military-grade software is a grossly disproportionate invasion of the right to privacy. Heated debate in a tough industry The investigation comes at a time of heated, polarizing debate in India's fiercely competitive news industry. Many Indian journalists hope that this controversy will be a wake-up call for Indian journalism and the authenticity of the news must not be compromised. India is considered “one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly”, according to Paris-based non-profit Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The NGO has painted a very grim picture of journalism in India after Narendra Modi came to power. The RSF ranked India at an appalling 142 out of 180 countries—below the UAE, Myanmar and Hungary—in its 2021 World Press Freedom Index. Journalists in India face “every kind of attack, including police violence, ambushes by political activists and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials”, the RSF says.

Social media and extreme content. US joins the Christchurch Call, which aims to reduce violent and extremist content and Andrew also talks to Kathryn about Reporters without Borders issuing its 2021 World Press Freedom Index, and New Zealand has risen to 8, up one place.

Social media and extreme content. US joins the Christchurch Call, which aims to reduce violent and extremist content and Andrew also talks to Kathryn about Reporters without Borders issuing its 2021 World Press Freedom Index, and New Zealand has risen to 8, up one place.

Är det verkligen så konstigt om granskare och granskad får en djup relation? Och hur seriöst är egentligen pressfrihetsindex? Det snackar vi om i senaste avsnittet av vår mediepodd Den Svenska Modellen. I det trettiosjätte avsnittet diskuterar chefredaktörerna Jörgen Huitfeldt och Jonas Nordling om turerna kring avslöjandet om ohållbara relationer mellan en reporter på Ekot och en terrormisstänkt person. Dessutom diskuteras värdet av World Press Freedom Index, listan över pressfriheten i världen som ges ut årligen av organisationen Reportrar utan gränser. Den Svenska Modellen är en podd om journalistik och medier som produceras i samverkan mellan Dagens Arena och Kvartal.

Dato’ Ahiruddin Attan, President of the National Press Club discusses Malaysia’s large decline from 101st to 119th spot on the World Press Freedom Index, and the challenges ahead for media players. Image Credit: Afif Abd. Halim / Shutterstock.com

This week, in celebration of SG 160, Singapore's drop to 160th place in the World Press Freedom Index, we turn to the freest part of our media landscape: the Straits Times forum. +++ Music used "Victory" by Monplaisir, "Camper" by Philip Gross, all from www.freemusicarchive.org

Former police officer Derek Chauvin is found guilty by a jury of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Plus: this year’s World Press Freedom Index is published and the wrangle over Verona’s most famous balcony.

We have analysis and reaction as a jury finds Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges in the murder of George Floyd. Plus: we unpack Germany’s leadership race after both the CDU and Green parties name their candidates for chancellor; discuss the future of the Asean summit; and go through the 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Supriti David brings you the latest news from Assam, Delhi, the United States, and the Supreme Court. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Supriti David brings you the latest news from Assam, Delhi, the United States, and the Supreme Court. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reporters Without Borders joins The Post to unveil its 2021 World Press Freedom Index. PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff and international journalists Maria Ressa and Barkha Dutt discuss this year’s findings.

David and Josh trail off into some (maybe not so) conspiracy theories reflecting on journalism after Grace's episode. Enjoy a lighthearted conversation about a myriad of topics with your homeboys. Time Stamps: 1:02 Drink More Water 3:18 David's Pee Stats (lol sorry) 6:52 1 of 3 Times We Talk About Korea 9:17 Journalism and News 12:32 Let the Conspiracies Begin 18:12 Everything is Biased 22:26 World Press Freedom Index 28:17 Skewed Data 31:06 Drug Money and Honest Journalism 33:30 Streetwear and Selling Your Soul 38:00 Conspiracy Inception (or the Truman Show) 40:10 Steve Jobs, Ellen, and Amy Klobuchar 43:02 Branding 46:30 Data is the Devil 50:16 Credit Agencies Caused the Great Recession 51:34 Human Design 56:55 Don't Believe the Internet (feat. KFC Secret Recipe) 1:02:20~ Trust Issues 1:06:55~ Charge It to the Game 1:10:00~ David Discriminates

Hvert år blir alle land rangert av Reportere Uten Grenser i den såkalte World Press Freedom Index - en analyse av levevilkårene til den frie og selvstendig pressen rundt omkring i verden. I 2020 er det vi her i Norge som troner på førsteplassen - vi har etter alt å dømme verdens frieste og mest levedyktige presse. Likevel, mener noen at er det grunn til bekymring også her hjemme. Reporter: Sunny Sharma

Christophe Deloire is Secretary-General of Reporters Sans Frontières, known internationally as Reporters Without Borders. Founded in Paris in 1985, it’s the world’s biggest NGO “specialising in the defence of media freedom” and has over 150 correspondents covering ten international bureaux, and a €6m budget. Since 2002 their annual ‘World Press Freedom Index’ has measured the level of media freedom in 180 countries. Before taking the reins in 2016, Christophe ran the Journalists’ Training Centre in Paris, and spent nine years as an investigative reporter for 'Le Point.' He is also a documentary maker and author of several bestsellers. In this in-depth interview, Christophe reveals the extraordinary fact that nearly half of the world’s population still lacks access to free information; argues these are the most perilous times for journalists in terms of their physical safety, coming under targeted attack as never before; and discusses the night they turned off the Eiffel Tower’s lights to pay tribute to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The 2020 World Press Freedom Index recently ranked India at 142 among 180 countries. Pathikrit Sanyal, a journalist and an author who has worked with CNN-IBN, India Today and NewsCentral24x7 joins us to answer questions about a developing credibility crisis of the Indian media due to fake news, communal hate campaigns, press harassment, sensationalism and about how to get into journalism.

This week on the Mumbrellacast, the team reflect on the state of Australia's media industry after it sank to 26th place on the World Press Freedom Index for 2019. Following the raids on the ABC headquarters and News Corp Australia journalist Annika Smethurst and the closure of AAP newswire, is Australia's reputation as a respected home of democratic journalism at risk?The week in adland saw industry watchdog Ad Standards ban a couple of ads. Despite its best efforts to redefine the term 'whipped', frequent flyer Sportsbet copped a ban for an ad suggesting that Prince Harry was pussy whipped by Meghan Markle. And, an ad for Coles' Stikeez collectables caught the attention of the community panel over the question of whether it amounted to pester marketing.And, what is the value of a pre-recorded radio show? Highlights of the Christian O'Connell show will now air nationally on weeknights, and Stevie Jacobs will be hosting breakfast with his links pre-recorded and inserted into the music programming. As budgets have been tightened, is this the future of entertainment on a shoestring?

The price of oil falls below zero – how it happened and why it matters. Plus: Israel narrowly avoids a fourth election, how Belgium counts Covid-19 fatalities and unpacking this year’s World Press Freedom Index.

Tyler Brûlé on the Swiss government’s pandemic response; why some businesses are faring well during lockdown; and analysis of the 2020 World Press Freedom Index. With Tomos Lewis, Chiara Rimella and Christopher Cermak.

Persvrijheid maakt deel uit van de vrijheid van meningsuiting en ligt daarmee aan de basis van een democratische samenleving. Nederland staat op plek 4 van de World Press Freedom Index, maar dat betekent niet dat Nederlandse journalisten niet te maken hebben met bedreigingen. In deze aflevering verwonderen de Mediadoctoren zich over persveiligheid. Dat doen we met Chris Klomp, freelance journalist gespecialiseerd in rechtspraak. We praten over de bedreigingen die hij krijgt, waarvan er onlangs één verstuurd werd als baksteen door de ruit. Daarnaast hebben we het over maatregelen die politie treft, steun van hoofdredacteuren en de vraag of bedreigingen leiden tot zelfcensuur. In het item komen voorbeelden van geweld tegen redacties aan bod.

Press Conference USA marks World Press Freedom Day.  Sabine Dolan, Interim North America Director for Reporters Without Borders joins host Rick Pantaleo and co-Host Doug Bernard, VOA’s Press Freedom Editor. They’ll talk about her organization’s recent World Press Freedom Index and the state of journalistic freedom around the world.

On this podcast of Reporters Without Orders, we have a guest joining the panel. A reporter from Catch News, Priyata Brajabasi, joins the team to discuss recent remarks made by BJP leaders, fake news conviction in Malaysia, 2018 World Press Freedom Index and more.Cherry discusses the comments made by Biplab Deb, chief minister of Tripura, who was recently summoned by Modi for making controversial remarks. She also talks about the comments made by Kavinder Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir's deputy chief minister, who called the Kathua rape a “minor” accident. The media coverage given to insensitive and unsubstantiated remarks made by political leaders shouldn't be aired as much, she says. "While it is important to call them out, the media should abstain from giving them so much attention," Cherry adds.Priyata and Abhinandan agree that the media does serve as a platform for such leaders to draw the limelight, but Abhinandan adds: "I also understand the importance of a chief minister or deputy chief minister, their utterances kind of suggest or convey how their administrations will move or treat certain issues of governance."Furthermore, Cherry adds that it's a journalist's job to give context and background of a story. She points out that the 'fake news' conviction in Malaysia should have got more coverage. On April 30, a Malaysian court convicted a Danish citizen for inaccurate criticism of the police. The 46-year-old was the first person to be prosecuted under Malaysia's recent 'fake news' law.“In India, we are talking about internet regulations, so if these regulations are going to be used to crack the whip on people who criticise the police then it's problematic," says Cherry.Talking about Biplab's comments, Rohin points out that, according to a source, whatever Biplab is saying is being told to him. "I don't think we should be shocked because when Modi, at a science conference, said Ganesh's trunk was a result of cosmetic surgery, then we shouldn't take ‘internet in Mahabharata times' seriously," he says.Regarding media coverage, Rohin feels that Tripura is getting coverage because of Biplab's comments. “Otherwise there is hardly any ground reporting of Tripura in mainstream media,” he adds.Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the 2018 World Press Freedom Index with India slipping to the 138th position. As per RSF's observation, Rohin reads: “Ever since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, Hindu fundamentalists have been referring to journalists in extremely violent terms. Any investigative reporting that annoys the ruling party or any criticism of Hindutva elicits a torrent of online insults and calls for the death of the reporter or writer responsible, most of it coming from the prime minister's troll army.”Referring to the murder case of Ankit Saxena, who was in love with a Muslim girl, Rohin points out a new development that should have got media coverage - his parents are collaborating with an NGO to promote inter-religion and inter-caste marriages.The panel then deliberates on the Tamil Nadu governor touching a journalist's cheek. "I think it does talk about how women journalists are seen,” says Priyata.Abhinandan further discusses the difference that he noticed in recent debates on TV channels. “There was an absence of Hindu-Muslim India-Pakistan kind of thing. I am wondering if this has anything to do with the Karnataka elections,” he asks.Rohin tells the panel that such issues are still being talked about on Hindi TV channels. “People are saying the Kathua case is being talked about because a Muslim girl is involved but nobody talks about the Ghaziabad case because a maulvi and a Hindu girl are involved,” he says.All this and more on this week's podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Secondo il World Press Freedom Index, l’Europa del 2018 non rappresenta più un’oasi intoccabile per la libertà di stampa e per chi fa informazione. 

Reporters Without Borders reveals the findings of the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, measuring the degree of freedom that journalists and news organizations enjoy in more than 180 countries.

Ambassadors from two countries with disparate rankings on the press freedom index and a prominent free speech thought leader discuss the state of press freedom around the world and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Journalists discuss the challenges of reporting both here at home and in the world’s hot spots where members of the press risk their personal safety in order to get the story.

On this podcast of Reporters Without Orders, we have a guest joining the panel. A reporter from Catch News, Priyata Brajabasi, joins the team to discuss recent remarks made by BJP leaders, fake news conviction in Malaysia, 2018 World Press Freedom Index and more.Cherry discusses the comments made by Biplab Deb, chief minister of Tripura, who was recently summoned by Modi for making controversial remarks. She also talks about the comments made by Kavinder Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir's deputy chief minister, who called the Kathua rape a “minor” accident. The media coverage given to insensitive and unsubstantiated remarks made by political leaders shouldn't be aired as much, she says. "While it is important to call them out, the media should abstain from giving them so much attention," Cherry adds.Priyata and Abhinandan agree that the media does serve as a platform for such leaders to draw the limelight, but Abhinandan adds: "I also understand the importance of a chief minister or deputy chief minister, their utterances kind of suggest or convey how their administrations will move or treat certain issues of governance."Furthermore, Cherry adds that it's a journalist's job to give context and background of a story. She points out that the 'fake news' conviction in Malaysia should have got more coverage. On April 30, a Malaysian court convicted a Danish citizen for inaccurate criticism of the police. The 46-year-old was the first person to be prosecuted under Malaysia's recent 'fake news' law.“In India, we are talking about internet regulations, so if these regulations are going to be used to crack the whip on people who criticise the police then it's problematic," says Cherry.Talking about Biplab’s comments, Rohin points out that, according to a source, whatever Biplab is saying is being told to him. "I don't think we should be shocked because when Modi, at a science conference, said Ganesh's trunk was a result of cosmetic surgery, then we shouldn't take ‘internet in Mahabharata times’ seriously," he says.Regarding media coverage, Rohin feels that Tripura is getting coverage because of Biplab’s comments. “Otherwise there is hardly any ground reporting of Tripura in mainstream media,” he adds.Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the 2018 World Press Freedom Index with India slipping to the 138th position. As per RSF’s observation, Rohin reads: “Ever since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, Hindu fundamentalists have been referring to journalists in extremely violent terms. Any investigative reporting that annoys the ruling party or any criticism of Hindutva elicits a torrent of online insults and calls for the death of the reporter or writer responsible, most of it coming from the prime minister’s troll army.”Referring to the murder case of Ankit Saxena, who was in love with a Muslim girl, Rohin points out a new development that should have got media coverage - his parents are collaborating with an NGO to promote inter-religion and inter-caste marriages.The panel then deliberates on the Tamil Nadu governor touching a journalist’s cheek. "I think it does talk about how women journalists are seen,” says Priyata.Abhinandan further discusses the difference that he noticed in recent debates on TV channels. “There was an absence of Hindu-Muslim India-Pakistan kind of thing. I am wondering if this has anything to do with the Karnataka elections,” he asks.Rohin tells the panel that such issues are still being talked about on Hindi TV channels. “People are saying the Kathua case is being talked about because a Muslim girl is involved but nobody talks about the Ghaziabad case because a maulvi and a Hindu girl are involved,” he says.All this and more on this week’s podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

De nordiske land dominerer i toppen av Reportere uten grensers «World Press Freedom Index», med Norge på topp, etterfulgt av Sverige, Finland og Danmark. Island har en ganske respektabel 10. plass, med mange store Europeiske land bak set. Kurér ser nærmere på levevilkårene for kritiske og gravende journalister på Sagaøya, for å se om plasseringen er velfortjent - eller kanskje ikke.

This week on Hafta, we have Deepanjana Pal joining us on special demand along with Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan and Manisha Pande. The Hafta gang discusses the Sukma attack where 25 CRPF personnel were killed by Maoists. The team reviews the media coverage this received and the lack of reportage from Sukma. We also talk about cow vigilantism in Delhi, Mission Bengal launched by Amit Shah and the Delhi civic polls. India slips three places on the World Press Freedom Index and that gets the team talking about censorship in the media. Listen up! As a bonus, we have two song dedications this time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Prime Minister showed up at Vice to talk about the Liberal government's marijuana legalization plan, but is blindsided when members of the audience demanded he address the opioid overdose epidemic going on across the country. Reporters Without Borders released their annual World Press Freedom Index this week. Canada placed 22nd. Two years ago we were in eighth place. What caused this dramatic decline? Finally, the CBC is scoring some of that sweet Canada150 cash to commission programming it should probably already be making with the $1-billion it receives annually, and J.J. McCullough tries his hand at a nuanced comparison of Canadian and Turkish political systems, but most people just dismiss him as a crackpot. Tom Henheffer, Executive Director of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression joins us.Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A conversation about a new effort by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières) and a coalition of journalism groups and news organizations to ask the United Nations for a Special Representative on journalists’ safety. Host Gene Policinski chats with RSF’s Delphine Halgand and Margaux Ewen about the U.N. initiative, protecting journalists, and the United States’ world rating of 41 (out of 180 nations) on the World Press Freedom Index.