ALMATY, Kazakhstan — An Almaty court has fined the editor in chief of a banned Kazakh newspaper for violating the ban. 

Tatyana Trubacheva’s «Golos respubliki» (Voice of the Republic) newspaper and dozens of other media outlets were banned in December 2012 for carrying what the authorities deemed «extremist content.»

The court ruled on February 7 that Trubacheva must pay a $220 fine after she and her team started printing a new newspaper called «Ripablik» two weeks ago.

On the new weekly’s pages, Trubacheva is identified as «Ripablik’s» reader in chief.

«Ripablik» issues 99 copies a week, which allows it to avoid official registration.

Trubacheva’s lawyer told RFE/RL that she will appeal the court’s decision.

Before the hearing started on February 7, the newspaper’s journalists staged a protest in front of the court building calling the court action an act of oppression against independent media in Kazakhstan.

The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan seeks project proposals from both government and independent TV stations and production companies from Tajikistan for the 2013 TV Cooperative program (TV Coop).  The Program sends TV stations and TV production studios’ crews to the United States for a two-week period to film original documentaries and news features on jointly planned topics.

For 2013 the priority themes of the documentaries include:

·         Combating Drug and Alcohol Addiction in the USA;

·         Entrepreneurship;

·         Border Issues and Immigration in the USA;

·         Use of Water Resources.

Applicants can also propose themes of their choice.

The typical cooperative project results in at least one, and frequently a series, of prime time TV documentary-type products, plus multiple short unplanned feature stories about American life captured during the two-week trip.  The team shoots and edits their own material and broadcasts the final programs during prime time.  A producer from the Office of Broadcast Affairs is assigned to the project to work full time from inception to completion.  The visiting crew will receive funding from the State Department to cover expenses related to the production, which includes international and domestic airfare, hotel and food allowances, and miscellaneous production expenses.

The visiting TV team should not exceed three persons, one of whom must speak English fluently.  The team is expected to provide its own equipment, to include a betacam SP, DVC PRO camera or similar professional camera system, tripod, lighting and audio gear and videotapes.  The broadcaster must commit to airing the programs during prime-time.  Following the telecast, producer must provide PA/OBS/BS a broadcast quality videotape containing the completed programs.

Project proposals must include the following items:

1. Project Summary: From one-half to one paragraph;

2. Project Justification: One paragraph justification explaining why this project should be implemented;

3. Project Description: From one to two paragraph description of the scheduled project activities, i.e., what sites the crew will visit, whom they will meet, what topics will be discussed, etc;

4. Project Result: One paragraph description of what product will be produced at the end of the project, including where and how it will be aired;

5. Project Staff: Brief background of the project staff, including names and experience;

6. Project Budget: A brief description of the grantee’s/post contribution to the project.

Eligibility:

Both television broadcast stations and production studios are eligible to apply.  Production studios without broadcast frequencies must include a paragraph on how the final products will be aired.

Project proposals must be submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Tajik, Russian or English languages no later than Monday, March 4, 2013, 8:00am.

Proposals should be submitted to:

Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy

109 A Ismoili Somoni Avenue

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Email: usembassydushanbe@state.gov

Phone numbers: 229 23 58; 229 20 00

Several UN human rights experts have called on Iranian authorities to immediately stop a recent wave of journalist arrests and to release those already detained.

The experts said in a statement that security forces arrested 17 mostly independent journalists last week and raided the offices of five newspapers.

Arrest warrants were issued for several other journalists.

The group said more than 40 journalists were already imprisoned in Iran before the latest crackdown.

The UN experts include the special rapporteur on freedom of expression, the chair-rapporteur of the working group on arbitrary detention, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders, and the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran.

The group called the detentions «disturbing» and said they represented «a flagrant violation of Iran’s obligations under international human rights law.»

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, February 5, 2013

The United States has long supported freedom of speech, mass media freedom, and the right of journalists to work without fear of censorship or reprisal.  We, the U.S. Embassy, have regularly raised our concerns regarding the treatment of journalists in Tajikistan, including that of Mr. Abduqayum Qayumzod, with the Tajik government.  We urge the Government of Tajikistan to respect media freedom and establish a clear and transparent mechanism governing the accreditation of journalists.

Journalists worldwide working for broadcast news organizations can apply for fellowships to attend a course in London.

TrustMedia, a Thomson Reuters Foundation Service, offers a writing and reporting course May 13 — 17.

The core activity concerns the actual writing and reporting of news, as practiced by Reuters and other global agencies. Practical exercises form the core of the program, with an emphasis on improving basic reporting and writing skills including accuracy, impartiality, speed, clarity and structure.

Applicants must be currently working as a journalist or regular contributor to broadcast media organizations. They must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, have at least two years’ professional experience and a good level in spoken and written English.

Full bursaries are available for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organizations with no resources for training. Bursaries include return air travel (economy class), accommodation and a modest living allowance.

Thomson Reuters Foundation also offers training for journalists from any region from an organization that has the resources to fully cover the costs of the program.

The deadline is February 25.

For more information, click here: http://www.trust.org/trustmedia/journalism-training/courses-detail.dot?id=8368580c-8c86-4772-bb1e-d37eba214d0e

Photojournalists, graduate students and undergraduates can apply for a grant.

The Alexia Foundation is seeking applicants for its cultural and student photography grants, which aims to help photographers produce substantial picture stories that further the foundation’s goals of promoting world peace and cultural understanding.

The winner of the professional grant will receive US$15,000 for the production of the proposed project photo story, picture essay or photo-documentary project.

Awards for the graduate and undergraduate grants include tuition for study at Syracuse University in London and cash grants.

Grants will be awarded to applicants who can further cultural understanding and world peace by conceiving and writing a concise, focused and meaningful story proposal, and who can demonstrate the ability to visually execute that story with compelling images.

There is no mathematical formula for determining grantees, but the proposal and photography must both be considered of the highest quality.

The application deadline is February 1.

For more information, click here: http://www.alexiafoundation.org/grants

Freelance journalists worldwide can apply for a fellowship

The University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs invites specialized freelancers to apply for one of 15 Fellowships in Global Journalism. The university is seeking top individuals with advanced knowledge of a specialty, who wish to cover that specialty as full-time or part-time reporters for media around the world.

Fellows will spend September 2013 to April 2014 reporting on their respective beats as stringers for major media around the world, while being mentored by leading journalists. Participants will learn editorial disciplines and freelance tradecraft to become full-time specialty reporters.

Curriculum topics include broadcast and mobile journalism, investigative journalism, global dynamics and new media platforms. Fellows will also participate in a one-month bootcamp that will aid in the transition from freelancing to full-time reporting.

The application deadline is February 11.

Date:

Monday, February 18, 2013 — Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), will be hosting three online courses for journalists on feature writing, ethics and news radio production.

The first course, «Feature Writing,» will be offered February 18 — March 17 and taught by Amitabh Sharma.

Sharma is a media professional and consultant of communication. He has over 19 years of experience as an editor, writer, teacher, trainer and consultant in communication.

In this course, participants will learn the skills of writing effective features, how to give features a fresh look, and how to write in-depth and detailed stories that bring out the humane factor in any subject area.

The cost of the course is US$100 or US$70 for members of the ACM.

The second course, «An Introduction to Ethics,» will be offered February 25 — March 17 and taught by Kayode James. The third course, «How To Be a Good Radio Producer,» will be offered April 8 — May 5 and will be taught by Elizabeth Bennett Marsh.

The deadline to apply for the first course is February 7 by 5 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Afghanistan has climbed 22 places in this year’s Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 

However Johann Bihr, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, tells RFE/RL that the country continues to face many challenges.

«The rise of Afghanistan is indeed mostly linked with the fact that no journalists were killed due to their journalistic activities in 2012, and arrests of media workers declined. But by no means does this mean that Afghanistan is now in a perfect situation,»

«The country remains ranked 128th out of 179, and obviously it will face fresh challenges with the withdrawal of foreign troops from the international coalition and the deteriorating situation in neighboring Pakistan.»

Bihr says that in neighboring Pakistan (159th), the high level of violence against journalists and Internet users last year had a significant impact on the country’s poor performance.

The Paris-based press watchdog says Iran (174th) imprisons journalists and Internet users and also harasses their relatives.

Neighboring Iraq placed 150th.

In Southeastern Europe, Serbia (63th) has climbed 17 places. The country is followed by Croatia (64th), Bosnia-Herzegovina (68th), Kosovo (85th), and Montenegro (113rd).

RWB says Macedonia (116th) has fallen 22 places following the «arbitrary withdrawal of media licenses and deterioration in the environment for journalists.»

In the former Soviet Union, Bihr says Russia (148th) has lost six places because of stepped-up repression there.

«It has been a bad year overall for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Overall, the region is really sinking downwards towards the real bottom of the index,» Bihr notes.

«Russia has set a tone of increased repression in the former Soviet Union by cracking down on the opposition protests; by adopting fresh repressive laws impacting freedom of information such as recriminalization of defamation; the creation of a blacklist of filtered websites on the Internet; not to mention the provisions criminalizing the activities of some NGOs.»

Ukraine was placed 126th and Belarus 157th.

In the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia ranked 156th, 100th, and 74th, respectively.

In Kyrgyzstan, the best performer of Central Asia, Bihr says difficulties remain:

«Kyrgyzstan now ranks 106th in the Press Freedom Index, which is by far the best performance of Central Asia, but of course difficulties still remain for independent journalists, especially the independence of media outlets remains under question,» he explains

«The politicization and polarization of the media landscape is high. There are still worrying issues with hate speech, especially directed at ethnic minorities.»

Bihr says Tajikistan (123rd) «still has, to some extent, some degree of pluralism.» But he adds that the country is «struggling to catch up with its neighbors in terms of cybercensorship.»

According to Bihr, Kazakhstan (160th) is the Central Asian country that has been «characterized by the worst trend» last year. He says President Nursultan Nazarbaev appears to be moving «closer and closer to the ultraauthoritarian rule of his Uzbek neighbor.»

In Uzbekistan (164th), Bihr says, the regime of President Islam Karimov has «tightened his grip on the Internet.»

Turkmenistan (177th) remains this year one of the world’s three worst offenders in terms of press freedom.

Bihr says no independent or opposition media is allowed in the country, where «journalists and bloggers continued to be able to report independently only under cover.»

In the last year, CPJ has documented a disturbing trend of attacks against the press in Tajikistan: the frequent blocking orders that the State Communications Agency has issued to local Internet service providers. Delivered in most instances via text message, the orders urge the ISPs to block nationwide access to local and international news websites that criticize President Emomali Rahmon and his authoritarian policies, and publicize issues like widespread government corruption and rising unemployment.

Last year alone, the orders were issued at least three times against several news websites and included sites like Facebook and YouTube. The head of the country’s Internet Service Providers Association said publicly that the agency sent a text message to local ISPs, ordering them to block sites. In most instances, the orders were given by Beg Zuhurov, head of the State Communications Agency, local news reports said.

Most of the time, Tajik authorities deny their involvementand cite technical problems beyond their control. But in a rare November statement and, most recently, on Wednesday, Zuhurov and his colleagues at the agency identified another source of attacks. Facebook, Zuhurov said in November, was a «hotbed of slander» and had been blocked at the request of what he called a group of «concerned citizens.» This was not a slip of the tongue-his deputy, Rafikjon Shokirov, mentioned the same group during his statement to the press on Wednesday.

Shokirov spoke at a press conference about the domestic growth of the Internet, Radio Ozodi reported. He spoke of progress-Internet users in the country had increased to 3.7 million, reports said. But, while speaking about the numbers, the official inadvertently touched upon a dangerous subject.

Why was the agency blocking news websites, who gave the orders, and who was this group of unhappy citizens?, journalists asked him at the press conference.