Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2013
South Korea: 4500 Catholic Leaders Protest Against the Spy Agency Scandal
Prominent citizen journalist Media Mongu posted a Youtube video of Catholic leaders denouncing the state spy agency's interference in the presidential election. His description read ‘an unprecedented number of 4502...
“Me & My Shadow”: Protecting Data on the Net
The Internet, mobile phones, and other such achievements of progress have become essential aspects of human existence, and have simplified communication between people and integrated them into a new space.
A Historian's Pessimistic Farewell to Macedonia
Historian, analyst and blogger Harald Schenker, who has lived in Macedonia since 1999 and is now moving to Switzerland, created social network buzz with his farewell post, addressed to a...
China's Decision on Cultural Reform
China's current crackdown on online rumors is consistent with the official decision [zh] released after the Sixth Plenum of the 17th Party Congress in October 2011. Oxford scholar Rogier Creemers from China...
China Detains Prominent Online Critic on Prostitution Solicitation Charge
Web users are speculating that the charge against Charles Xue is part of a scheme by authorities to control influential liberals online.
Chelsea Manning Case Surfaces Issues of Transparency, Security, Journalism, and Sexuality
What Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning's case means for whistleblowers, journalism, state secrecy, security, and the transgender community.
PHOTOS: Mapping Urban Art in Buenos Aires and Beyond
A group of Argentines invite you to share and map images of graffiti from your city.
Charges Dropped for South Korean Indicted for Retweeting North Korean Messages
Park Jeong-geun, a photographer/activist who was sentenced to 10 months jail term for satirically re-tweeting messages from a North Korean official account, was found not guilty [ko]. A flurry of tweets congratulating...
Jamaican Media “Won't Call a Spade a Spade”
The questionable newspaper coverage of a fatal accident in Jamaica has one blog challenging the relevance of the country's mainstream media - not an uncommon gripe with regional netizens.
Bradley Manning's Sentence Could Chill Investigate Journalism
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement after Army Private First Class Bradley Manning's sentence was handed down on August 21, saying that the harsh treatment Manning endured...
Kyrgyz Press: Shocking Titles, Latest Tattle
Kyrgyz newspapers are hotbeds of hearsay. Thanks to Gezitter.org, a blog translating their pages into Russian, non-Kyrgyz readers can also enjoy - or endure - the barrage of gossip.
Which Flavor of China's Wildly Popular WeChat Will You Get?
Tencent offers two versions of WeChat, a "sanitized" one for mainland Chinese and an uncensored one for international users, yet some Chinese language accounts registered from overseas also encounter censorship.
Death Threats Follow Cartoonist Latuff's Criticism of Brazil's Military Police
Known for political cartoons drawn with simple strokes and acidic humor, cartoonist Carlos Latuff believes he is in danger due to his recent jabs at the military police.
School Teacher Becomes Target of Political Prosecution in Hong Kong
Pro-Beijing groups and the Hong Kong government are going after a school teacher who swore at police officers as they allowed a group of Falun Gong protesters to be harassed.
30 Years Ago: Remembering The Anti-Tamil Pogrom And Riots In Sri Lanka
To remember Black July, the anti-Tamil pogrom and riots in Sri Lanka during July 1983, citizen journalism website Groundviews launched a special online publication titled “30 Years Ago“. It consists...
Saudi Judge to Jailed Activist: You Need a Lawyer? Aren't You a Man?
Umar Al-Saeed is the youngest ACPRA member to face trial and imprisonment for his opinions and activism. He is in jail because he refused to be interrogated without a lawyer.
Thailand Wants to Monitor Conversations on LINE App
The proposal is intended to monitor online threats to national security. LINE has 15 million subscribers in Thailand.
VIDEO: Father of Jailed Vietnamese Blogger Speaks About his Case
The 88 Project uploads a video interview of the father of Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, the Vietnamese blogger who is facing a 16-year jail term for allegedly spreading anti-government propaganda....
Russian Police: Now Raiding Opposition Activists Without Warrants
Moscow police forced entry into a flat used by pro-Navalny activists, cutting down their reinforced door after they refused to let anyone in without a search warrant.
Journalists Covering Egypt Shot At, Arrested and Threatened
"We just got shot at by birdshot trying to get into the Rabaa sit-in, crouching behind car," tweets Bel Trew, from Cairo, Egypt.
China Gives Internet Celebrities a Guide for Self-Censorship
The guideline set boundaries not to be crossed when it comes to discussion of law, socialism, the state's interests, the rights of the people, and morality.