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BP hasnt finished watching the ThaiPBS series on the monarchy so havent got around to blogging about it yet, but see that tonight at the FCCT there is an event on this subject. Below is the blurb:

Media Censorship and Self Censorship: What Is the Role of Thailands Public Broadcasters? A panel discussion

8pm, Thursday March 28, 2013

(Please see pricing and reservation procedure below)

First it was a soap opera Nua Mek 2 on Thailands channel 3 that was yanked off the air after its 9th episode (there were 12 in all), as was quoted in the press the content of the show had violated the Broadcast and Telecommunications Operations Act. In particular it was Section 37 which bars broadcast content that seeks to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, threatens national security or morality, constitutes profanity or harms peoples mental or physical health. Social media buzzed with speculation to political interference while audiences were left with a real life cliff hanger.

Just a few months, later the popular Thai talk show Tob Jote Prathet Thai or roughly translated to Answering Thailands Issues on Thai PBS held a 5 episode week long discussion about the role of the constitutional monarchy in Thailand. Featuring several well known figures, it was heralded as a breakthrough for open discussion about a topic that is seen as the most sensitive issue in the Kingdom. When Thai PBS pulled the 5th installment of the program, which it later aired, more drama ensued with the police now combing the series for any lese majeste content. Small protests took place outside of Thai PBS and underscore just what a flashpoint continues to be.

Join us for a panel who will discuss the role of Thai pubic broadcasters and whether their mission is to serve the public by providing factual information and room for debate, upholding the prevailing ideology of the country and its laws, or a combination of the two.

On the panel are:

Supinya Klangnarong, a Thai media rights advocate who is also on Thailands National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The Commission oversees all public and private media outlets.

Vornai Vanijaka, a print and TV social and political commentator

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FCCT Event tonight : Media Censorship and Self Censorship : What Is the Role of Thailand’s Public Broadcasters?

Washington Post fights censorship accusations

By: RTAmerica

Excerpt from:
Washington Post fights censorship accusations - Video

Washington Post fights censorship accusations (RTAmerica)
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By: Junnosuke Kawagoe

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Washington Post fights censorship accusations (RTAmerica) - Video

Index on Censorship opposes recommendations for the statutory underpinning of press regulation

Index urges that there is a serious, considered debate about Lord Justice Levesons recommendations. The free speech organisation opposes the statutory underpinning of press regulation proposed by Lord Justice Leveson.

Kirsty Hughes, Chief Executive of Index on Censorship said:

We consider that the statutory-voluntary approach to independent press regulation would undermine press freedom in the UK. However, we support the proposal for cheap, effective arbitration, which would help victims get swift redress to their complaints.

Index welcomed the response of the Prime Minister to the Inquirys findings. In a statement to parliament, David Cameron said that he had serious concerns about passing legislation in relation to the press, which he rightly said would be an enormous step.

Kirsty Hughes said: We share David Camerons concerns that statutory underpinning would undermine free speech, and could be the start of a slippery slope of government interference in the media.

Indexs response to Lord Justice Levesons main recommendations are:

Statutory underpinning of an independent regulatory body: Statutory underpinning of an independent and voluntary regulator is a contradiction in terms. Any law which sets out the criteria that the press must meet, by definition introduces some government or political control of the media. Politicians of all hues have an interest in getting the most positive media coverage they can. Keeping print media independent of government so journalists can report on political debate and decision-making, robustly and without fear, is fundamental. Even light statutory regulation could easily be revisited, toughened and potentially abused once the principle of no government control of the press is breached.

Arbitration service: Index welcomes Lord Justice Levesons proposal for cheap, effective arbitration.

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Index on Censorship ’s response to the Leveson report

Censorship Art law News Switzerland Zurich court bans book after church members file legal complaint

By Gareth Harris and Christine Coste. Web only Published online: 27 March 2013

A row over photography censorship has broken out in Switzerland which could, says the director of a major Swiss museum, lead to institutions backing down from mounting shows that focus on real-life situations. Sam Stourdz, the director of the Muse de lElyse, has spoken out in defence of the photographer Christian Lutz whose book, In Jesus Name, has been withdrawn from sale in Switzerland.

The volume includes images of a Swiss religious group called the International Christian Fellowship (ICF). Twenty-one of the churchs members who feature in the book, which depicts baptisms and other church celebrations, subsequently filed a complaint. They consented to being photographed but not to a publication, says their Zurich-based lawyer Marc Weber.

In January, the Zurich District Court banned the sale and distribution of the book. The 21 plaintiffs are due to file another lawsuit with the same court by the end of March in order to uphold the ban; the case could eventually end up in the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The final decision will certainly have an impact on the photography profession in Switzerland, says Weber, who describes the 21 plaintiffs as visitors on events and trips organised by the ICF.

Stourdz told our sister paper Le Journal des Arts that there is a risk that self-censorship could now creep into this type of reportage, and that institutions become more wary of showing such works. In Jesus Name forms part of a trilogy focusing on the issue of power, which was due to go on show at the Muse de lElyse this summer. The museum says that the exhibition of Lutzs work will go ahead as planned, although the content has yet to be decided.

Lutz allegedly failed to ask the sitters permission to publish the photographs, Weber says. The court said that a consent for being photographed does not lead automatically to a implicit consent to a commercial use of the photographs and a publication respectively. Further, since the book predominantly contains personal and intimate pictures, the plaintiffs could have expected in good faith that the photographer would inform them in advance regarding his choice of the pictures, and ask them for an explicit approval, he adds.

Lutz, however, told The Art Newspaper: I am surprised as they [the ICF] know the project in depth. I showed [the ICF] my previous works and explained my approach. They gave me their permission verbally and allowed me to follow its members. No image was taken without their knowledge. The book subsequently does not contain any damaging images.

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Censorship row breaks out in Switzerland over photobook