Mediaboss Marketing

The current governments approach looks eerily familiar.

By Joshua Kurlantzick for The Diplomat

July 11, 2017

The National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government in Myanmar has now been in office for more than a year, with Aung San Suu Kyi as de facto head of government. Suu Kyi certainly wields sizable influence. In fact, Suu Kyi has often been criticized, by commentators and members of her own party, for keeping too tight-fisted control of actions by the government, so much so that NLD members of parliament seemingly have little to do.

To be sure, on some policy areas, Suu Kyi does not have the level of control that leaders of other, more established democracies enjoy. The military remains an extraordinarily powerful actor in Myanmar, and one apparently capable of operating, in outlying areas at least, without even clearing policy through the Cabinet. The military retains its percentage of seats in parliament, essential control over its budget, and its strong resistance to any constitutional change. Proponents of constitutional change that might reduce the formal powers of the armed forces, like former NLD lawyer U Ko Ni, have been murdered.

Nonetheless, there are areas of policy over which Suu Kyi should enjoy significant influence, and freedom of the press is one of them. Suu Kyi was a longtime opposition leader, at a time (mostly) when Myanmars media was tightly controlled, the security forces regularly detained reporters, and state media outlets used their pages to mock and condemn her. She could use her bully pulpit to promote independent media, greater freedoms for journalists working throughout Myanmar, and an end to media monopolies. She could step in strongly if journalists were detained, and call for greater transparency in government transparency that might actually work in her favor, since a more vibrant Myanmar press could well expose abuses by the armed forces and, indirectly, apply pressure for constitutional change.

But Suu Kyi has not taken this approach. Instead, over the past year, press freedom in Myanmar seems to have regressed. In some respects, press freedom in Myanmar now seems more restrictive than it was in the final years of the former Thein Sein government. The Suu Kyi government has not tried to change existing laws that are major barriers to a free press. The Committee to Protect JournalistsShawn Crispin notes:

Chief among those laws is section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, a broad provision that carries potential three-year prison terms for cases of defamation over communications networks. While the law was used only occasionally against journalists under military rule, politicians, military officials, and even Buddhist monks are increasingly using it now to stifle online and social media criticism.

The Myanmar chapter of the PEN press freedom group has estimated that over 55 cases have been filed, under this law, just in the year since Suu Kyis government came into office. Meanwhile, late last month three journalists were arrested in Shan State, under a different Unlawful Association law. These reporters included one fromThe Irrawaddy; they had been covering one of the countrys ethnic insurgencies as well as allegations of abuses by the state security forces. The return of a climate of fear is very disturbing,wroteThe Irrawaddys editor-in-chief, Aung Zaw, after the publications reporter was arrested.

As with the rising toll of defamation cases, Suu Kyi has said nothing about the arrests in Shan State. A spokesperson for her partytold the New York Times, For media personnel, press freedom is a key need For us, peace, national development and economic development are the priority, and then democracy and human rights, including press freedom.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyis government has enacted other restrictions on press access. It has made it nearly impossible for journalists to cover parts of Rakhine State in the west. The Suu Kyi government also recentlyrefused to provide visasto UN investigators tasked with analyzing the situation in Rakhine State and allegations of abuse by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State. In some ways, the Suu Kyi government is looking more and more like its predecessors.

Joshua Kurlantzick is senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). This originally appeared over at CFRs Asia Unbound here and is republished here with kind permission.

See original here:
Why Myanmar's Suu Kyi Has Failed on Media Freedom - The Diplomat

U.S. Central Command said that while there are still areas of the Old City of Mosul that must be back-cleared of explosive devices and possible ISIS fighters in hiding, Iraqi forces have Mosul now firmly under their control.

The Latest on the fighting in Iraqs Mosul (all times local to Baghdad):

8:30 p.m.

The U.S.-led coalition has congratulated Iraqi forces on retaking Mosul from the Islamic State group after Iraqs prime minister declared victory in the northern city.

U.S. Central Command said that while there are still areas of the Old City of Mosul that must be back-cleared of explosive devices and possible ISIS fighters in hiding, Iraqi forces have Mosul now firmly under their control.

The coalition has provided crucial air support to Iraqi forces since they launched the Mosul offensive in October.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said make no mistake; this victory alone does not eliminate ISIS and there is still a tough fight ahead, using another acronym for IS. But he said the loss of the city is a decisive blow.

___

8:15 p.m.

Iraqs prime minister has returned to Mosul and declared victory against the Islamic State group in the northern city following nine months of grueling urban combat.

Speaking Monday from a small base on the edge of Mosuls Old City, where heavy clashes have been underway for days, Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi forces had achieved victory by the blood of our martyrs.

He has made similar announcements in recent days despite ongoing clashes, and visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate Iraqi troops.

Heavy fighting was still underway just a few hours before he spoke Monday, and it was unclear whether the last militants had been defeated.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul in October, and in recent days they had confined the remaining militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometer (less than a mile).

The battle for Mosul killed thousands and displaced more than 897,000 people.

___

7:30 p.m.

Iraqs prime minister has returned to Mosul and declared total victory in the fight against the Islamic State group there, though some fighting is expected to continue.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has congratulated Iraqi troops on their victory on previous occasions despite ongoing clashes. The latest announcement came in a statement posted on Twitter.

Hours earlier, Associated Press reporters had seen heavy fighting still underway. It was not immediately clear if the clashes had ended.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul in October, and in recent days they had confined the remaining few hundred militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometer (less than a mile).

Al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate the troops, even as fighting still raged nearby.

___

4 p.m.

The United Nations says there is no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq despite recent progress in driving the Islamic State group from Mosul.

A statement released Monday says thousands of Mosul residents will likely remain displaced from the city after the fight is concluded because of extensive damage caused during the conflict.

Airstrikes, artillery and militant bombings have destroyed thousands of buildings as well as key infrastructure in Mosul. Iraqs Interior Ministry says more than half of all buildings in western Mosul, where the fighting was heaviest, were damaged or destroyed.

More than 800,000 people have been forced from their homes since the operation began in October.

Iraqi forces are still battling the extremists in a small area along the west bank of the Tigris River, where Iraqi commanders say hundreds of fighters are using their own families as human shields.

___

1:55 p.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he welcomes news that the fight against the Islamic State group in Mosul is nearing its ends but says the once oil-rich city has been left in ruins.

Erdogan spoke to a World Petroleum Congress meeting in Istanbul on Monday. He also questioned who would pay for the reconstruction of the region.

Erdogan says Turkey is very happy about the news that a conclusion (in the battle for) Mosul is being reached but cautioned that the point which Mosul has reached is very important.

He says: We have been left with a Mosul in ruins.

Erdogan adds: Who will meet the cost of rebuilding Mosul for the people of Mosul?

The Turkish leader reiterated the importance of maintaining Iraqs territorial integrity and said a planned independence referendum by Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region would harm Iraqs future.

___

8:50 a.m.

Iraqi forces are pushing to retake the last patch of ground in Mosul where Islamic State militants are holding on to a tiny sliver of the Old City, west of the Tigris River, a day after the prime minister visited soldiers to congratulate his troops on the hard-fought battle.

Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the Iraqi special forces says his men, closely backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, are continuing to advance and clear territory in the Old City on Monday.

Iraqi commanders say they believe hundreds of IS fighters remain inside the neighborhood and are using their families including women and children as human shields.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul last October and began the weeks-long push through the Old City district in June.

Read more:
US-Led Coalition Says Iraqis Have Retaken Mosul - Houston Public Media

In one of my favorite Westerns, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,Jimmy Stewart reveals to a reporter that he was not the man who killed villain Liberty Valance a legend that transformed him from a perceived coward to an inspiration hero and resulted in his being elected U.S. senator and ambassador to Great Britain. The seasoned reporter listens to the whole story, but in the end says that he will not print it.

He states the rule simply as [w]hen the legend becomes factprint the legend. In many ways, James Comey is the Jimmy Stewart of the media production of The Man Who Shot Lying Trump. From the outset, reporters and Democrats (who had been calling for Comeys firing or questioning his judgment) declared him to be the man who fearlessly stood up to a president demanding loyalty pledges and discarding legal and ethical standards.

Yes, the memos were leaked.

As I previously wrote, various legal experts went on the air on CNN and other cable news programs to dismiss the allegation (that a few of us printed) that Comey leaked his now famous memos detailing meetings with the president. Experts declared that leaks by definition only involve classified information a facially ridiculous position that was widely stated with complete authority. Whether someone is prosecuted for a leak is a different question but a leak is the release of nonpublic information, not just classified information. University ofPennsylvania Law Professor Claire Finkelstein, CNN Legal Analyst Michael Zeldin, Fordham Law Professor Jed Shugerman, and others dismissed the notion that such memos could be deemed leaks.

Comey was a leaker, and he leaked for the oldest of motivations in Washington: to protect himself and hurt his opponents. Comey knew he would be called before the Congress and that these memos would be demanded by both his own former investigators as well as congressional investigators. That could have happened in a matter of days but Comey decided to use a friend to leak the content of the memos to the media (after giving the memos to his friend). In doing so, Comey took control of the media narrative and was lionized by the media.

Recently, the Senate Homeland Security Committee released a majority report that correctly referenced the Comey leaks. The report detailed a massive increase in leaks against the Trump administration but highlighted the leak by Comey. What makes that reference most troubling is that Comey was the person with the responsibility to find the leakers in the Trump administration. Yet, after the president expressly asked him to find leakers, Comey became a leaker himself. Moreover, as FBI director, Comey showed no particular sympathy to leakers and his department advanced the most extreme definitions of what constituted FBI information.

Yes, the memos were government property.

When some of us noted that these memos clearly fell within the definition of FBI information and thus they were ostensibly government (not private) property, there was again a chorus of experts dismissing such allegations against Comey. Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent assured CNN that these constitute merely personal recollections and would not fall into the definition of government material. Others joined in on the theme that these were like a personal diary and thus entirely his private property. Obviously, removing FBI material would not be a reaffirming moment for the Beltways lone, lanky hero. But that is what he did.

All FBI agents sign a statement affirming that all information acquired by me in connection with my official duties with the FBI and all official material to which I have accessremain the property of the United States of America and that an agent will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI.

These were memos prepared on an FBI computer about a meeting on an FBI investigation with the president of the United States in the Oval Office and other locations. The contents were important enough that Comey immediately shared them with his highest management team and consulted on how to deal with the information.

The FBI has now reportedly confirmed that the memos were indeed government property. The Hill, quoting officials familiar with the documents, has reported that the FBI has told the Congress that these memos are indeed government documents.

Yes, the memos were classified.

If Comey did leak government property, a third issue was whether the information was considered classified. Once again, the classified status does not determine if this was a leak (it was) or if it was government information (it was). However, many experts insisted that the material was clearly unclassified.

Comeys representation of the unclassified status struck me as highly questionable at the time. I noted that the information would have likely been classified on some level, including confidential under governing standards. Moreover, FBI employees are not given free license (or sole authority) to write things in an unclassified fashion. That is why there are classification reviews. Information coming out of meetings with the president are routinely classified, let alone information deemed material to pending investigations.

As I noted earlier, the standards that Comey enforced as director belied his own account. The FBI restricts material generated in relation to investigations as FBI information. FBI rules cover any documents reflecting advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated. Under the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI routinely claims this type of information as either classified or privileged or both.

Comey however repeatedly assured the Senate that there was nothing classified or privileged in the memos. In an exchange with Sen. Mark WarnerMark WarnerDem fumes over Team Trump's 'pattern of convenient forgetfulness' OPINION: Why does the media still portray James Comey as a hero? Schumer rips Tillerson remarks as 'disgraceful' MORE (D-Va.), Comey said, Well, I remember thinking, this is a very disturbing development, really important to our work. I need to document it and preserve it in a way and and this committee gets this, but sometimes when things are classified, it tangles them up. Its hard Then Warner interrupted to say, Amen.

However, the issue was not the writing of the memos but their removal from the FBI and their leaking to the media. There is a reason why sometimes when things are classified, it tangles them up. It is called classification review. That does not give you license to transfer the information into a separate document and declare it a Dear Diary entry. That is a loose interpretation that Comey as FBI director never afforded to his subordinates and it would effectively gut the rules governing privileged and classified information.

Not surprisingly, The Hill reported that indeed the memos have been declared classified by the FBI. The newspaper maintains that four of the memos had markings indicating they contained classified material at the secret or confidential level.

None of this takes away from the seriousness of Comeys allegation or the need to investigate possible obstruction of justice. However, it does raise serious questions about own Comeys judgment and the legality of his actions. Yet, the coverage on these findings has largely been crickets.

It is much like that final scene in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? After Jimmy Stewart unburdened himself that he was a fraudulent hero, he boarded the train back to Washington and thanked the conductor for his kindness. The conductor simply responded, Nothings too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance!

It seems that in both Westerns and politics, you print the legend.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He was cited in the Senate Homeland Security Committee report on medialeaks during the Trumpadministration.

The views expressed by contributors are their own ad are not the views of The Hill.

Excerpt from:
OPINION: Why does the media still portray James Comey as a hero? - The Hill (blog)

Its media day at the All-Star Game, where every player is available for about a half-hour to answer questions from a variety of reporters.

Last years media day in San Diego featured seven Cubs, all of whom were repeatedly asked about the teams slump heading into the All-Star break.

This year Joe Maddon is the only one back from the 2016 champs, and newcomer Wade Davis is the only Cubs' rep.

"That was an awkward moment (Sunday)," Maddon said, "To be presented a jersey on our field in front of all of our fans and have none of our players out there. It was different. It was difficult. Actually I talked to (Ben Zobrist) about it... just to let him know how much I respect and appreciate how much they've done for us, and how awkward it was for me personally to accept this jersey while they're all sitting in the dugout.

"It's a little bit different. I guess it's really never happened before. I'm really looking forward to our second half. I have a strong belief system in our guys, and I'm not just saying that. It's not just lip service. It was kind of different and uncomfortable because of that.

"We (managers) get to represent here because of the efforts of our players, and what they did last year."

Maddon didn't have to answer any questions about the Cubs, as the players did last year.

Anthony Rizzo was so annoyed at the non-stop questions about the Cubs downfall and its snake-bit and demoralized fans he finally blurted out: I cant control if Erics sitting on his couch and doesnt play baseball and is mad at our team. I just cant control that.

Rizzo came home to Wrigley and said the only ones panicking were the media, referring to narrative from the All-Star Game week. The Cubs answered with a dominant second half and overcame deficits in the NLCS and World Series to finally bring home a title.

Its dj vu all over again in Miami, with the Cubs heading into the break on a sour note after Sundays 14-3 loss left them two games under .500 and 5 1/2 back of the Brewers.

But only Davis had to answer all the questions regarding their struggles and the demoralized, albeit no longer snake-bit fans. Someone asked if it felt strange to be the only rep for the world champs, even though he wasn't on the team.

"You're like the sixth person that's asked that," Davis said, grinning. "I can only speak for myself. I think there's a lot of talent on the team and they're be fine, we'll be good when we get into the second half of the season. I guarantee it. I'm just fortunate to be on that team."

Maddon announced his starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, who will face the American League's Chris Sale.

Read the original:
Joe Maddon sets his NL lineup for tomorrow's All-Star Game - Chicago Tribune

The Briton survived a day in hell in Sunday's ninth stage as big rival and long-time friend Richie Porte crashed out, but he lost his lieutenant Geraint Thomas, who also exited the race after a fall.

Froome is now without his key support, he could not drop his main rivals in the last climb to the Mont du Chat, and was also distanced by last year's runner-up Romain Bardet in the treacherous final descent.

In addition, Froome had to deal with controversy. Fabio Aru attacked him just as he was requesting assistance because of a mechanical problem on the Mont du Chat.

Later Froome appeared to lean onto the Italian, who then almost crashed into the spectators lined up along the route.

"I lost my balance a little bit and swerved to the right. Aru happened to be on my right and he had to swerve as well. Any suggestion that it was on purpose is just crazy," said Froome.

Both Froome and Aru played down the incidents the attack and the alleged retribution.

To add to the off-bike worries, Sky found itself in the center of a row over their time-trial skin suits at the Grand Depart in Germany, while team principal Dave Brailsford has been snubbing the media since his opening news conference, though Froome and his teammates have been cooperative.

The Welshman, who was more than willing to discuss team tactics and all things cycling when Sky arrived in the peloton, now declines to chat with reporters most of the time.

For the first time in years, the yellow jersey will not be holding his traditional rest-day news conference.

Though Froome picked up a four-second time bonus by finishing third on Sunday, he has not yet hammered the opposition.

He leads Aru by 18 seconds and Bardet by 51 going into the second week with the GC battle set to resume in the Pyrenees and the Frenchman, a runner-up last year, promising "more battles will be fought."

But Froome has so far fought off his rivals.

"You need somebody on par with him and I don't know if that's the case. It's a race that could be Chris Froome's race," three-time champion Greg LeMond told Reuters.

Aru beat Froome in the first summit finish last Wednesday but was at some point dropped in the ascent to the Mont du Chat.

Bardet was eventually reined in during the run-in to Chambery after dropping the main overall contenders in the descent

One of Froome's main challengers, Colombian Nairo Quintana, is now 2:13 off the pace after failing to sustain the pace in the climb up the Mont du Chat.

Even a podium finish, let alone overall victory, seems unlikely for the Movistar rider.

With a 22-km time trial favoring the Briton on the penultimate day, the race is still Froome's to lose.

See more here:
Cracks appear in Sky's armor but Froome still in control of Tour de France - Duluth News Tribune