Censored director’s warning for Britain

Film director Oliver Stone has warned that the independence of British news media would be destroyed if US conglomerates were allowed to buy into them. The maker of such films as Platoon and JFK, whose documentary on Fidel Castro, Commandanté, was pulled “indefinitely” from cable station HBO as America went to war with Iraq, said British politicians were naively courting disaster by supporting a new communications bill that enables foreign companies to buy British television channels for the first time.

Stone said he feared the change would undermine news standards. “In America the media is amazingly conformist,” he said. “In Britain, you have a wider view, and people are more independent.” (The Guardian)

Colombia: press certificates declared unconstitutional

Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled that parliament must modify a bill it passed on the exercise of journalism, in a ruling that revived the controversy over a profession in which censorship, intimidation, and even death threats have become routine. The Court ruled it is unconstitutional to require reporters to obtain a certificate declaring them fit to exercise their profession.

Although Congress approved the bill in December, Pres. Alvaro Uribe decided not to sign it because he believed it unconstitutional. Instead, Uribe submitted it to a review by the Court. The Court did not reject the entire bill, but decided to send it back to Congress to be modified.

Journalism associations say the bill restricts freedom of the press. Some critics complain the certification violates the principle of free competition in the market. Others say what Colombia needs, instead of a law regulating the journalistic profession, is to tackle the problems that undermine freedom of information. (IPS)

US taps media chief for Iraq

US authorities have appointed a media commissioner to govern broadcasters and the press, establish training programs for journalists, and plan for the establishment of a state-run radio and television network — all part of an effort to regulate Iraq’s burgeoning news media while dodging allegations of heavy-handed control.

In June, L. Paul Bremer, the civil administrator in Iraq, issued guidelines for all media outlets in Iraq that forbids them from inciting violence, promoting “ethnic and religious hatred,” or circulating false information “calculated to promote opposition” to the occupation authority.

The new media commissioner will be Simon Haselock, a spokesperson and media supervisor for UN authorities overseeing Kosovo. In June, he drafted a proposal to regulate journalists’ activities in Iraq through a panel that officials there have dubbed a “complaints commission.” The commission, which would include journalists, would levy fines. Alleged transgressors could appeal. The system is similar to one functioning in Kosovo. (Washington Post)