Bibit Internet

Finally called Amex to confirm that the monthly charge to Bibit Netherlands is actually my Safari subscription. Whew! (Remember Mom's graduation year and the revolution for that darned password.) Not that Amex could tell me anything. But the Safari Help staff actually phoned me back within 24 hours (!) and confirmed that Bibit is their payment service. Now if only they said so on the Safari Web site ...

Writing Every Day

The blog has suffered because I am up against the deadline for my book, Flash Journalism. The 10 Lesson chapters are due June 7. I will make it, but only by working constantly, every day. The lesson about sound was a real bear, but finally I am happy with it and ready to move on. Two left.

Went and did case studies at CBC Radio 3, MSNBC.com and the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. All went well. People are very nice, helpful. They love to talk.

Monday 24 May: Went to the public health department and listened to two hours of advice about traveling and living abroad. Got first two shots, one for tetanus and one for hepatitis A-B. More to come. Must contact Canada about MMR record.

Also e-mailing with the MACEE office in Malaysia and UiTM, trying to settle on when I will go.

Malaysiakini Comments on Press Freedom

There have been two recent articles:

‘Loyal’ Malaysian media toes the line with self-censorship: RSF: Discusses the 2004 Reporters Without Borders report.

No signs of greater press freedom under Pak Lah: CPJ: Discusses a recent Committee to Protect Journalists report.

Press Freedom

The 2004 report on Malaysia from Reporters Without Borders says:

"The government sent some 30 Malaysian journalists to Iraq in April 2003 at its own expense to counter the 'western propaganda.'

"Malaysiakini.com editor Steven Gan said at a UN forum on press freedom in Kuala Lumpur in March: 'We must obtain the repeal of 20 laws that tend to control the media and replace them by a single freedom of information law.' But officials present said this would 'light an uncontrollable fire.' Press freedom activists at the forum criticised the spread of self-censorship on such subjects as government crackdowns and intercommunal tension. The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) failed a month later in its bid to have the 1960 Internal Security Act amended to protect political dissidents from being detained on a mere administrative decision."

The report goes on to describe various anti-free-press actions taken in the past year.

Rebecca Blood on Blogs

The author of The Weblog Handbook (Perseus, 2002) recently wrote about Weblogs and journalism. Interesting ideas. I find it is often helpful to hear what non-journalists think about journalism.