Originally posted by WajomaI like freedom of press. But, it is not important for many people on the street. I.e. heaps of people, journalists and media complain about lack of free press in Russia.Well ... no Kidding. But, IN Russia,,where I lived for 7 years..Most people dont give a damn about Free press. It is a luxury when your economy is in the toilet. Much easier to say from the outside.....
Freedom of expression is a 'right', just because many of the very organisations that should be protecting that 'right' actively violate it, does not make it any less of a 'right'.
from my memories of being in the USA around hurricane Katrina the mainstream press over there isn't half as free as the people seem to believe. It appears to be at least heavily influence, if not controlled outright by what the government wants its people to see and hear.
Also the patriot act is something of an infringement on civil rights also. But I don't hear people complaining about bushes abuses of power and calling him a right wing dictator that often.
Elected politicians abuse power all over the world, they're all snakes. Some are just better at it than others.
To say "the Latin American Robert Mugabe" is ridiculous, so he's an elected socialist who abuses his power a little and restricts the media. Right wing governments all over do very similar things to the media, they just use money as the tool rather than force.
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterWhen I look at the fool that got elected presidebt here in the US perhaps Hugo is a nice guy. After all, he has been providing heating oil at a discount to many financially strapped residents of the northeast US.
Dictator Hugo Chavez has been accused of stealing hundreds of tons of food from a private company. Just another day in the life of a man running his once-prosperous country into the ground.
The director of Alimentos Polar, the nation's biggest food distributor and one of the largest private employers in Venezuela, has told reporters that troop ...[text shortened]... ore than 500 tons of food:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=286070344119701
While Bush diverts 16 billion dollars a month to fund his war in Iraq.
Originally posted by mochironTying in with Zimbabwe -- the independent media there struggled bravely to print their stories and went through hell -- offices bombed, journalists abused; the stories got out, but to absolutely no effect, it seems.
I like freedom of press. But, it is not important for many people on the street. I.e. heaps of people, journalists and media complain about lack of free press in Russia.Well ... no Kidding. But, IN Russia,,where I lived for 7 years..Most people dont give a damn about Free press. It is a luxury when your economy is in the toilet. Much easier to say from the outside.....
Perhaps press freedom is something of a sacred cow; government can abuse its authority every day but as long as you can open your mouth and make whatever noises you want, you'll think you're in a free country (just don't burn a flag).
Press freedom is also worthless without freedom of access to information.