Reporters Without Borders has strongly criticized Kyrgyzstan for denying access to the website of a news organization.

The Paris-based media monitoring organization said it was «shocked» by the action taken against the website of Ferghana.

The group described the action as a «major step backward for a country that aspires to be Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy.»

Earlier, Kyrgyztelecom announced it had blocked Ferghana as requested by the Kyrgyz parliament.

In June of last year, the Kyrgyz legislature voted to take the step to punish Ferghana for what Kyrgyz lawmakers described as its «subjective» and provocative» coverage of violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June, 2010.

Reporters Without Borders had described the coverage as «exemplary.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/reporters_without_borders_rsf_criticizes_kyrgyzstan/24491992.html

A state-controlled Internet provider in Kyrgyzstan has blocked access to a leading independent news website.

The move came some eight months after the Kyrgyz parliament voted in support of a resolution calling for the Moscow-based Ferghananews.com to be blocked across the Central Asian country.

The journalist advocacy group Reporters Without Borders has described itself as «shocked» by the decision of Kyrgyztelecom to block access to Fergananews.com, describing it as «a major step backwards.»

Kyrgyztelecom has explained its actions by saying it was merely following instructions from Kyrgyz authorities.

In June of last year, the Kyrgyz legislature voted to take the step to punish Ferghana for what lawmakers described as its «subjective» and provocative» coverage of violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010.

Reporters Without Borders had described the coverage as «exemplary.»

Internet users in Kyrgyzstan are currently still able to visit Fergananews.com through other web providers.

http://www.rferl.org/content/independent_news_website_partly_blocked_in_kyrgyzstan/24492408.html

Full-time students and recent graduates can apply for a summer internship in eight U.S. cities — Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — and 10 international locations — London, Jerusalem, Seoul, Mexico City, Rome, Bangkok, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow.

After a one-year suspension, the Associated Press resumes its Global News Internship Program — a 12-week paid, individually tailored training program for students who are aspiring cross-format journalists.

Interns will contribute to AP’s text, video and photo reports. Responsibilities include tracking down information, conducting interviews, monitoring social media and covering breaking news stories, either by phone or going to the scene. Assignments may include covering general, sports, business or entertainment spot news or features.

Interns must show proof of legal authorization to intern in the assigned country prior to the start of the internship.

Candidates must send a 300-word autobiographical essay, a resume and cover letter, three to five work samples and two recommendation letters by March 2.

For more information, click here: http://www.ap.org/apjobs/index.html

http://www.ap.org/apjobs/index.html

Journalists from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can apply for a scholarship to study at Polish universities.

The Lane Kirkland Scholarships includes two semesters of study at Polish universities and a two to four week professional internship in public and private institutions.

The program is aimed a young leaders with master’s of art degrees determined to be actively involved in the development of democracy, economy and civil society in their countries and the region.

Knowledge of Polish or English and at least two years of professional experience are required.

Deadline is March 1.

For more information click here: http://www.kirkland.edu.pl/mod/resource/view.php?id=35

http://www.kirkland.edu.pl/mod/resource/view.php?id=35

Journalists can participate in a free, two-day webinar on understanding economic studies.

The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism presents «How not to be bamboozled by local economic studies.»

The webinar covers the tools and techniques needed to read economic studies with a critical eye.

In just one hour on each of two days, Sarah Cohen, Knight Chair at Duke University, will teach participants the key questions to ask sources about their studies, how to spot pumped-up estimates and how to find sources to do your own analysis instead.

Register now for the webinar held at noon or 4 p.m. EST February 8-9.

For more information, click here: http://businessjournalism.org/2011/08/10/how-not-to-be-bamboozled-by-local-economic-studies-online-f

http://businessjournalism.org/2011/08/10/how-not-to-be-bamboozled-by-local-economic-studies-online-f

Journalists working in a specialized field can apply for an eight-month fellowship.

The Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto seeks a new generation of global correspondents with expert knowledge of complex topics.

These 10 fellows will be mentored by a professional journalist while freelancing to major media and attend journalism courses and lectures. Fellows graduate with a certificate in global journalism.

Qualifications include a graduate degree, professional degree or equivalent work experience in a specialized field — business, economics, health, technology, science and more — and English fluency. Professional journalism experience is not a requirement.

Applicants must submit a resume, transcripts, two story proposals, work samples, a personal essay, video statement and three recommendation letters.

The deadline is February 13, 2012.

For more information, click here: http://www.munkschool.utoronto.ca/journalism/

http://ijnet.org/opportunities/deadline-upcoming-fellowships-global-journalism-worldwide

DUSHANBE, February 6, 2012, Asia-Plus — Monitoring by the National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (Nansmit) of the freedom of speech situation in Tajikistan in 2005-2010 has shown that the main problems facing freedom of speech and media in Tajikistan include imperfection of the legal foundation, lack of clear strategy of development of media in the country, lack of a civilized media market in Tajikistan and improper training of journalists.

Lack of uniform law in the field of media is also one of problems facing media in Tajikistan. Demand for a broadcasting license, non-transparency and complex mechanism of issuance of licenses by the Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting put activities of some media in dependence on special permission from the government body. This leads to state-run media’s dominance and deprives citizens of access to alternative source of information.

The survey notes that cases when government bodies file lawsuits against media have become more frequent in the country. Six such lawsuits against eight media outlets for a total amount of 1.42 million euros were registered in Tajikistan in 2010-2011 alone.

The Tajik Penal Code criminalizes defamation and insult laws: Article 135 – defamation; Article 136 – insult; and Article 137 – publicly insulting the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. Thereby, the legislation provides a special protection to the public authorities against criticism. In this connection, the question of decriminalization of defamation and insult laws arises, the survey says.

The survey also notes that despite legally established guarantees the problem of access of media and journalists to the socially significant information remains topical.

http://news.tj/en/news/tajik-media-watchdog-complains-imperfection-legal-foundation