• Burma abolishes media censorship
    15 replies, posted
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19315806[/url] [quote=BBC News][B]Burma has abolished pre-publication censorship of the country's media, the information ministry has announced.[/B] The Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD) said that as of Monday, reporters would no longer have to submit their work to state censors before publication. However, strict laws remain in place which could see journalists punished for what they have written. Burma has kept tight control over all aspects of its media for some 50 years. But the civilian government has been gradually easing restrictions since taking office last year. "Censorship began on 6 August 1964 and ended 48 years and two weeks later," Tint Swe, head of the PSRD, told AFP news agency on Monday. "Any publication inside the country will not have to get prior permission from us before they are published. "From now on, our department will just carry out registering publications for keeping them at the national archives and issuing a license to printers and publishers," he said. Tint Swe said the likelihood of permission being granted for private newspapers to be set up was "closer than before" and could happen after a new media law is enacted. A ministry official told AFP films would still be subject to censorship. [B]Internet rules relaxed[/B] The head of the BBC's Burmese Service, Tin Htar Shwe, says journalists in Burma are cautiously optimistic about the reforms, but that the end of the law does not necessarily mean the end of the censorship altogether. Many laws still exist under which journalists can be punished for writing material which angers or offends the government, she says. Wai Phyo, editor of the Weekly Eleven journal, told Reuters the move was "a big improvement on the past", but that editors would now be under increasing pressure to ensure their publications remained legal. In the past, entire newspapers have been shut because of their reports and many reporters have been jailed. But in recent months, journalists had been given guidelines allowing them to write about controversial topics, something that would have been unthinkable under the previous military rule. Some 300 newspapers and magazines covering less sensitive issues had already been given permission to print without prior censorship and restrictions were lifted on 30,000 internet sites, allowing users unrestricted access to political content for the first time. In October last year, Mr Swe said censorship should be abolished as it was incompatible with democratic practices, while warning that all publications should accept the responsibilities that go with press freedom.[/quote]
Small steps in the right direction. I hope this lasts.
[I]"The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish."[/I]
[QUOTE=NoDachi;37325976][I]"The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish."[/I][/QUOTE] Charlie Chaplin right? Took me a while to place it, it sounds like the sort of thing one of the Founding Fathers would write.
Now it's just hoping someone doesn't abuse this freedom, no matter how small it may be.
C'mon, China
You mean Myanmar. As in, what they call themselves, and what the rest of the world[I] doesn't[/I] call them to piss them off.
[QUOTE=NoDachi;37325976][I]"The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish."[/I][/QUOTE] If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;37326367]You mean Myanmar. As in, what they call themselves, and what the rest of the world[I] doesn't[/I] call them to piss them off.[/QUOTE] I prefer GNU/Burma
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;37326367]You mean Myanmar. As in, what they call themselves, and what the rest of the world[I] doesn't[/I] call them to piss them off.[/QUOTE] Aung San Suu Kyi calls it Burma. The military re-dubbed it Myanmar. I like Aung better. Burma it is.
When did the civilian government take over? I thought it was still military rule. [QUOTE=Sobotnik;37326387]If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.[/QUOTE] I don't care how more realistic Brave New World is - 1984 was the far more entertaining book.
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;37326489]I don't care how more realistic Brave New World is - 1984 was the far more entertaining book.[/QUOTE] Please, don't start this conversation.
Personally I thought 1984 and Brave New World were both fucking brilliant, but hey!
Twilight is better
hunger games 4 lyf
To be honest Harry Potter is more my thing
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.