Tag Archives: Freedom of Speech

Egyptians Create Their Own Paths to Freedom of Speech

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What do you do when officials in your country are limiting freedom of speech, but you have a message to distribute to the world?  That’s a question some Egyptians have been dealing with as they demonstrate in the streets and call for economic and political reforms.  The answer for many has been to create new paths of communication using old technologies. 

And Egyptians’ communication workarounds seem to be working. When the Egyptian government hit the “Internet kill switch,” effectively shutting down access to the web in Egypt, citizens turned to DSL dialup services, modem-sharing, and have even created what has been called an independent “mesh” of connections that allow them to circumvent official Egyptian networks.   Fax machines have also proven useful tools for distributing information within the country as well as sending messages out to the international press.  Once Egyptian officials reestablished mobile phone service, Egyptian citizens started using Google’s new speak-to-tweet service, calling a designated number to leave a voicemail message that would then be turned into a tweet and broadcast via Twitter. 

Many consider such technologies – fax machines, dial-up, and voicemail – out-dated, but they have proven invaluable to activists and regular citizens who have been cut off from more modern communication tools.  By turning to these technologies, and with help from companies, organizations, and regular men and women outside of Egypt who are sympathetic to the Egyptian cause, Egypt’s citizens are creating their own paths to Freedom of Speech. 

Learn more:

President Obama’s statement on the events in Egypt

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Celebrating 60 Years of Radio Free Europe

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Radio Free Europe sent its first broadcast across the airwaves on July 4, 1950. That initial effort gave citizens living in Communist Czechoslovakia an opportunity to receive news and information free from the censorship that plagued media outlets in their own country. Sixty years later, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is still going strong, reaching 20 million people in 28 languages and 21 countries around the world where freedom of the press is threatened or nonexistent. Last night, RFE/RL celebrated their anniversary and their accomplishments at the Newseum in Washington, DC. I attended the event to learn more about RFE/RL and hear what the future holds for the 60-year-old news organization.

RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin opened the celebration by saying RFE/RL remains “a lifeline for people living in war zones and under authoritarian rule who seek accurate and reliable news.”

Walter Isaacson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees RFE/RL, announced future plans for the organization, including more efforts to use new technology and social media tools to achieve the organization’s goals of providing free, accurate, and credible information.

Isaacson said, “By creating peer-to-peer global communities, we help guarantee the universal human right of access to the free flow of information.”

Walter Isaacson

One of RFE/RL’s most recent projects is the distribution of 20,000 solar-powered, hand-cranked radios to people in Afghanistan who don’t already have access to this information tool. RFE’s Radio Azadi, which broadcasts in Afghanistan, is that country’s most popular media outlet. Examples of the compact radios were on display at last night’s celebration, and I saw a number of attendees exploring their many practical features, which include a built-in flash light.

Does Radio Free Europe broadcast in your area? What do you think of its mission to provide uncensored news and information in countries where a free press is banned or not fully established?

When a Joke Isn’t Just a Joke

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Saturday Night Live, the weekly live comedy sketch show, has been on the air for decades. But many fans will tell you the show had a tough few years as viewers tuned out.

Then came the 2008 presidential election, and ratings soared. The actors’ impersonations of Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton – and especially Sarah Palin – became a hit. Suddenly everyone was talking about Saturday Night Live again.

[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/133183/week_3/08192010_AP081004028601-500.jpg" caption="Actress Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin"]

Politicians have long provided a gold mine of jokes for comedians. Growing up, I saw my parents watch the local news every night at 11 p.m. Me, I watch the Daily Show.

The Daily Show — a hugely popular fake news show, is how many young people keep up with what’s happening in the world. Between host Jon Stewart’s jokes, we actually learn a bit about politics.

But for comedians in Brazil, there will be no ratings boost ahead of their presidential elections because political jokes there have been banned. The Associated Press reports that Brazilian law prohibits television or radio broadcasters from poking fun at any presidential candidate in the three months leading up to Election Day.

Proponents of the law say it’s the best way to ensure a fair race. Those opposed say it goes against freedom of speech. What do you think?

Photo Friday

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[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/133183/week_4/073010_vcmonument_500.jpg" caption="The Victims of Communism Memorial is located at the intersection of New Jersey Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, and G Street in northwest Washington. The inscriptions on the pedestal read 'To the more than one hundred million victims of communism and to those who love liberty,' and 'To the freedom and independence of all captive nations and peoples.' (State Dept./Jane K. Chun)" align="center"]

More information about the memorial is available at the Global Museum on Communism website, administered by the Victims of Communism Foundation.

Photo Friday

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[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/3234/Week_2/071510-breakdancer-500.jpg" caption="A competitor shows off a move in a break dance tournament at the 9th Annual DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival. Dance, as much as writing or photography, is a means of self-expression. (State Dept./Jane K. Chun)" align="center"]

Remembering Stalin – An Affront to His Victims?

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A bust of Stalin at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia

A bust of Stalin at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia

The recent addition of a bust of Joseph Stalin in the National D-Day Memorial located in Bedford, Virginia, has created a firestorm of controversy.

Many people question whether the less-than-amicable “Uncle Joe” should be a legitimate part of a display of World War II leaders that includes U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman, British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek and French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle.

Stalin led the former Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. In 1939, he entered a pact with Adolph Hitler to divide Eastern Europe, but when Hitler later initiated an invasion of Soviet-held territories, Stalin joined the Allied forces to crush the Nazis.

The Memorial Foundation’s board members are reported as saying that Stalin — whether loved or hated — was an integral player in the Second World War.

But Lee Edwards, the chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, condemned the addition of the bust of Stalin, telling the Wall Street Journal: “Since the fall of the Soviet Union, statues of Joseph Stalin have been torn down all over Europe. The world is closer than ever before to a consensus on the evils of communism and Stalin’s primary role in the worst crimes of the last century.”

Even the artist commissioned to sculpt the Stalin bust had mixed feelings about his subject. “He was just a terrible person,” artist and professor Richard Pumphrey is reported as saying.

Stalin’s policies resulted in the deaths of an estimated 20 million people, and some commentators maintain he should in no way be memorialized. To do so is an affront to the survivors of his victims, they say.

Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But the question is: How should we remember the past and people like Stalin? And, in what context?

Photo Friday

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[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/3234/Week_2/beeler_500.jpg" caption="Editorial cartoons are a powerful way of making political and social commentary. Nate Beeler, editorial cartoonist for the Washington Examiner, works on a drawing about the media attention surrounding Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. (State Dept./Jane K. Chun)" align="center"]

(You can see the final version of the cartoon at the Washington Examiner website.)

"Los Suns" Use Free Speech to Mix Sports and Politics

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Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire in a

The Arizona Suns basketball team got a lot of publicity last week on many nightly news programs across the United States.  But it was their wardrobe rather than their performance that was the focus of attention. Specifically:  Their decision to wear jerseys with the Spanish version of the team’s name — “Los Suns” – during a game they played on the May 5 Mexican holiday known as “Cinco de Mayo.”

The motive for wearing these jerseys, according to team owner Robert Sarver, was “to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation.”  Sarver didn’t force his team members – only Robin Lopez appears to be Hispanic – to wear the jerseys, but they all did with reported enthusiasm.  The team’s “Los Suns” jerseys got approval as well from the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the NBA Players Association. 

But Sarver acknowledged that the move was also a protest over the U.S. Federal Government’s failure to deal with illegal immigration and the State of Arizona’s recently-passed and extremely controversial law that makes it a crime for immigrants to be in the state without proper documentation.  Hispanics in Arizona comprise about 30 percent of the State’s population, and many fear the new law will result in racial profiling and harassment from law enforcement.

The reaction from sports fans has been mixed.  KPHO, a television station in Arizona, reported that some basketball fans felt the team should stick to sports.  The NBA reported that fans embraced the jerseys and themselves wore similar tee-shirts.

The issue of immigration – specifically illegal immigration – is a very hot topic in the United States, as it is in many parts of the world.  Free speech is a human right to be protected, and dissent is an essential element of democracy.  But tell me, do you enjoy your sports mixed with politics?