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5 September 2012 | The Guardian

Al-Jazeera websites hacked by Assad loyalist group

The websites of the Arabic news network, Al Jazeera, were hacked on Tuesday, apparently by a group sympathetic to the Syrian regime. Al-Jazeera's English and Arabic websites were affected by the hack, made by a group calling itself al-Rashedon, or "the guided ones". "This is a response to your position against the people and government of Syria, especially your support of the armed terrorist groups and spreading false fabricated news," the group said in a statement blanketing aljazeera.net. "Your website has been hacked, and this is our response to you." In a statement, the network said its external services had been "compromised". It added: "The company that operates them quickly resolved this, though some users may continue to experience issues for a while longer." Commentators said they were not familiar with the group that claimed responsibility. Aaron Zellin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a thinktank based in Washington DC, said: "I think the hackers were just trying to make a statement and get their voices heard. It will get them attention, if just for a few days." Zellin said there were suggestions that the hackers may be a cyber arm of the Shabiha militia loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, but that such a connection was difficult to prove.

Original source

5 September 2012 | The Local

Swedish service launches ‘Spotify for TV’

Swedish cloud-based TV service Magine launched a Spotify-like channel but for television on Monday, where viewers can choose exactly which programmes they want to watch and when. “It works exactly the same way that a usual cable-TV works today, except without wires, satellite receivers or boxes and it can be viewed on all screens,” explained company head Erik Wikstrom to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper (DN). “You pay a subscription fee and then can bring with you whatever channels you like.” All programmes will be available for viewing on smartphones, tablet computers and laptops – as well as on traditional television sets. The concept has been likened to Spotify, but Wikstrom believes there is a lot more to his product. "What we do is we offer live TV and play services and films from other companies. We aim to be an alternative to existing operators," Wikstrom said. The project has taken two years of planning and will revolutionize TV, according to the creators. A beta version is currently available for those who wish to test the channel, and Magine hopes that the full product will be launched in the first half of 2013. Magine is a cloud-based service made for watching live and recorded television. The Stockholm based company describes themselves as a group of digital entrepreneurs, pay-TV veterans and a world class development team who love TV.

Original source

5 September 2012 | Knight Center

Anti-terrorism bill in Peru could muzzle freedom of expression, press

On Aug. 28, a new anti-terrorism bill was presented in the Peruvian Congress that could restrict freedom of expression and the press in the South American country, according to the AFP. The bill, proposed by the executive branch, proposes adding "denial of terrorist crimes" to the criminal code, reported the newspaper El Comercio. According to the newspaper, the bill would allow prison sentences between four and eight years for anyone who, in a public manner, approves of, justifies, denies or minimizes criminal acts committed by terrorist organizations. The government said that the "Denial Law," as it has come to be known, aims to strengthen the rule of law by "criminalizing conduct that goes beyond socially recognized norms and trivializes or tries to justify grave acts of violent terrorism perpetrated in [Peru]," reported the website RPP. Ombudsman Eduardo Vega Luna said that the bill would undergo a review to understand how it could restrict freedom of expression, reported the news agency Andina. Vega said the review process would focus on two subjects: first, fighting terrorism by legal means and second, determining if this bill could limit other rights, reported the news agency.

Original source

5 September 2012 | Journalism.co.uk

UK: The Telegraph makes ‘substantial’ investment in live video streaming

The Telegraph has announced that it has made "a substantial new investment" in live video streaming, enabling the news outlet to broadcast live video online and to its iPad and iPhone apps. The news outlet will be able to livestream from the Telegraph's existing three-camera studio as a story breaks, plus a reporter on the ground can wear a backpack device that allows high-quality live video to be sent over 3G networks. As part of the move the Telegraph has signed deal with Associated Press and will take live feeds of footage from the 'AP video hub', which was announced in April. It will use AP for "quality world news, entertainment, sport and lifestyles video", according to a release. The Telegraph Media Group declined to give details of the amount of money invested; in the release the group said new facilities include a permanent circuit from BT Tower. The release adds that "the new streaming strategy is part of TMG’s increasing commitment to video - with an increased emphasis on in-house production".

Original source

5 September 2012 | Knight Center

Hurricane Isaac news coverage illuminates potential of hybrid form of journalism

Reporters and news organizations covering Hurricane Isaac, which left a path of destruction and flooding in U.S. Gulf Coast states last week, may have offered a glimpse into the future of journalism, suggests an industry observer for the Nieman Journalism Lab. Watching the storm from her home in south Mississippi, Gina Musallo Chen said she "saw the emergence of a hybrid form of media coverage," one that bodes well for the future of an embattled industry. Chen noted traditional media enhanced their coverage by the use of social media, still images and video shot by news organizations and amateurs, and apps, such as Hurricane Tracker, to help people decide whether to evacuate, and what routes were safe. "The mix of media offered me — who had just moved to hurricane country three weeks before the storm — a media experience that I’d argue would be unmatched in the old days of print, TV, and radio," Chen argued.

Original source

5 September 2012 | Fox News

Press rights group criticizes censorship in Mexico

Reporters Without Borders said the refusal of a magazine wholesaler owned by Televisa to distribute the August issue of Zocalo magazine, which carried an article critical of the media giant, amounted to censorship. "Distribution company Intermex failed to supply copies of issue 150 to more than 160 branches of the Sanborn's chain of stores, a major magazine retailer. The apparent circulation boycott affected sales of an edition whose cover story focused on the political power of Televisa," the Paris-based press rights group, known as RSF, said. The press rights organization asked that Zocalo be given the undistributed issues and paid compensation for its lost sales. Two issues of the weekly Proceso magazine were were not distributed to newstands operated by the Soriana chain, "which had reportedly played a role in alleged electoral fraud on behalf of the Revolutionary Institutional Party - the PRI - whose candidate was declared the winner. Enrique Pena Nieto is scheduled to take office on 1 December," RSF said. The press rights group called for an independent investigation of the blocked magazine deliveries.

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