The Daily Summit - November 09, 2003 - November 15, 2003 Archives

[NEWS AND VIEWS]

November 15, 2003

Murdoch flexes his muscles. Rupert Murdoch came back to town - London town that is. The media magnate whose empire embraces the US, the UK and his native Australia arrived for the coronation of son James as CEO of satellite broadcaster BSkyB - one of two big beasts (along with the BBC, of course) on the British media landscape. A rumoured shareholder rebellion against the Rupert-James combination failed to materialize.

In separate interviews Rupert told BBC Economics Editor Jeff Randall (November 14) that, if James didn't measure up he would "of course" have to go. And James told Money Telegraph's Robert Peston in "Facing Down Dad" that he worked for the Board and not his father.

Now the pair (and the BSky Board) can contemplate a possible takeover of Channel 5 following the UK's recent relaxation of cross-media ownership rules: The bigger prize of the now combined (Carlton-Granada) ITV Plc, open to operators not already active in UK broadcasting, is still denied him.

In the Randall interview Mr Murdoch also flexed his newspaper proprietor's political muscles. Welcoming new Tory leader Michael Howard in term's of the offical Opposition party's credibility, Murdoch hinted that his best-selling Sun daily tabloid- a key element in the PR strategy associated with Tony Blair's 1997 and 2001 New Labour election landslides - could not be counted on for support next time. Murdoch also owns the Times and Sunday Times, two of the most influential broadsheets.

Whilst acknowledging the British PM's "courage in the international sphere"(a reference to the Bush-Blair alliance over Iraq), he implied that the Tories might have more attractive policies to resist intrusion on British sovereignty by the new EU constitution.

Teasingly he said he had good relations with both Tony Blair and Michael Howard, adding "the jury is out".

Andrew Taussig | 11:38 PM

Getting Started - It seems that WSIS is about to get started with a handful of surprises. Daily Summit hears that there is a lot of talk about changing the venue of the second phase of the summit and holding it in Cape Town instead of Tunisia. It might be for political reasons but the second surprise is that ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is considering withdrawal from the second phase as well. Reasons given range from lack of resources and lay-offs to inability to coup with intense and broad political negotiations.

Meanwhile, civil society organizations are up against holding the second phase of WSIS in Tunisia and are lobbying for a change of venue or a change in the attitude of the Tunisian government concerning human rights.

Ahmed Reda | 10:14 PM

Media Moguls and Putin Power. At WSIS, a key media issue will be how commercial motivation and state power impact on press freedom.

Russia is a prime case study. Less than a decade ago,in the Yeltsin era, journalists complained about media tycoons being protected by government. Now, under Putin, as the state is accused of veering towards Soviet-style interventions, it's a different story. Journalists and commercial media bosses fighting on the same side.

But it's not a satisfactory situation, says Andrei Vasilyev, Editor of Commerziant one of three dailies owned by tycoon-in-exile, London-based Boris Berezovsky. "A newspaper with claims to objectivity and independence cannot allow its editorial policy to be affected by its owner's relations with the Kremlin".

Putin, though, can point to research showing that 55% of Russians favour the State President strengthening his control over the media. 15 all.

Andrew Taussig | 12:58 PM

In the news, ABC reports that control of the internet was the key obstacle blocking progress at this week's prepcom, quoting Pierre Gagne, head of the summit secretariat, as saying that ""Unless there is a miracle, no draft declaration will be adopted" during the preparatory talks this week."

Gustavo Capdevila, meanwhile, provides a more detailed run down of the state-of-play, reporting that high level officials will meet in special session on Dec 7-8 to try and resolve the issues. Finally, IranMania brings news of Iran's participation in the summit.

David Steven | 12:52 PM

Protests in Geneva At the Metallos Media Lab in Paris last night, actvists were discussing in more detail the protest actions that would be taking place in Geneva, as part of the continuing European Social Forum.

Unlike Thursday's meeting in Bobigny, which focused on the issues which would be discussed in the official summit and the parallel events, this meeting concerned itself with counter-actions.

These events will be happening in the centre of Geneva itself, far away from the Palexpo where WSIS is being held. However the organisers hope to attract NGOs and civil society organisations who are disillusioned with the official WSIS proceedings.

The organisers are angry that the summit does not have any real binding legislative power - they believe that the corporate sector does not care about the summit, and that NGOs have only been given a token presence to give the proceedings some air of legitimacy.

There are three main initiatives taking place during the week:

High Noon is a three day streaming video project, using new open source video compression software. The organisers are asking for activists worldwide to upload their videos and images, which will be projected around Geneva.
Polymedia Lab is an open digital production space for activists to use, with workshops to learn new technologies.
There will also be a 2 day counter summit on the 8th and 9th (Monday and Tuesday)

Dan Walters | 11:17 AM

November 14, 2003

Painful Prepcom Governments appear still to be arguing with each other and with various civil society groups. Media professionals will be watching hopefully - and sceptically - to see if Day 5 of PREPCOM 3a produces any real progress.

Andrew Taussig | 11:23 AM

In the news, Steven Lang reports that arguments over the role of the media are stopping consensus being reached on a draft declaration to be considered by heads of government in Geneva.

"China argues that since the WSIS meeting is about the Information Society, it is purely a technical meeting," he wrotes, "and as such, the media certainly has no special role to play."

Chinese delegates are blocking proceedings every time press freedom is raising, supported by Venezuela, Mexico and Egypt. They are "effectively wearing down other delegates who believe that media has a key responsibility in the Information Society. An observer at the proceedings noted that even the United States, one of the more vocal supporters of press freedom, appears to have lost its passion for including media as a stakeholder."

David Steven | 08:46 AM

November 13, 2003

Debates on WSIS at the European Social Forum Activists at the European Social Forum in Paris have just been debating WSIS, the issues involved and their planned response.

Several issues were raised as matters of concern, including:

worries whether the ITU was the right body to be co-ordinating the event - some speakers considered that UNESCO was more appropriate. One speaker suggested that when the ITU agreed to taking it on, the event was envisioned as a much more technology based affair, rather than the society-focused project it has become.

whether private businesses, the UN organisations and western governments had too much weight in the build-up to the event, at the expense of civil society and poorer countries. One enraged speaker from the panel fumed at how (he claimed) NGOs were allowed to turn up for preparatory meetings, make their five minute presentation and were told to run along while the real preparation got underway.

whether zealous advocates of using new technologies to solve problems in developing countries (primarily large businesses, it was claimed) really had the interests of the people at heart, or whether such societies might be better to focus on basic telephone and radio networks

alternatively, whether rural areas, where it was not profitable to increase productivity, would ever get connected if responsibility was left to the private sector.

Tomorrow night sees a big planning meeting for the 'WSIS - We Seize!' counter summit in Genva, running alongside the official summit.

Dan Walters | 05:08 PM

November 12, 2003

American Approach - The United States commented on WSIS Draft Declaration and Action Plan saying "Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a critical role in sustainable economic and social development. Access to information requires an environment that promotes the creation of knowledge and ideas. The realization of the digital opportunities afforded by the information society can contribute to a better life for all citizens through the promotion of democracy, transparency, accountability and good governance. The United States urges participants to use this unique opportunity to reaffirm and implement Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that recognizes the right of each individual to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."... but Reporters Without Borders, among other organisations, offers an interesting view of the American media after the terrorist attacks.

Ahmed Reda | 10:49 PM

In the news, the International Federation of Journalists is furious that freelance journalists will only get press accreditation if they have a confirmed assignment from a media outlet.

"This process is another form of censorship," according to their General Secretary. "Freelancers who show a regular press card should undeniably be allowed in the Summit discussions. Public information and adequate coverage of the Summit are essential, particularly at a time where summit negotiations have been suffering from a lack of transparency".

David Steven | 03:34 PM

Raising awareness. Daily Summit isn't even a week old, and already we're getting people talking about WSIS. A letter in the Guardian, responding to an earlier article about us, talks about what we can do to prevent the end result of the summit being "reduced freedoms and a further widening of the "digital divide".

Aaron Scullion | 11:07 AM

November 11, 2003

Exclusion - "Human Rights in China (HRIC), the only organization devoted exclusively to human rights issues in China, has been denied accreditation to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) scheduled for Geneva in December."... Is there any reason for this?!

Ahmed Reda | 04:43 PM

More technology=better education, writes Tony Roberts, head of NGO Computer Aid International in the FT today.

99 percent of children in developing countries "leave school without having seen or touched a computer," he claims. But Computer Aid International has the answer...

"There are a number of steps companies could take to help bridge this digital divide, for example professionally refurbishing Pentium personal computers for re-use through organisations such as Computer Aid International. Instead, nearly 2m PCs are dumped in landfill sites every year, and with them the opportunity to promote education in developing countries is buried."

David Steven | 01:05 PM

In the news, Associated Press reports that the French Prime Minister and German Chancellor are among 56 world leaders committed to attending the summit, while the World Bank is resisting plans proposed by Senegal for a special fund to address the digital divide.

According to a Bank spokesman: "It's a very powerful concept, [but] generally people are not excited by the idea of creating a special fund that entails massive arrangements. The bank would not support something that would generate a few million dollars for African countries and cost the same amount in managing."

David Steven | 09:09 AM

Women and WSIS- "Isis International Manila is organising the Panel Presentation "Globalised Media and ICT Systems and its Intersection with Globalisation, Fundamentalism and Militarism" as part of its active engagement in the WSIS process. The Panel Presentation will be conducted within the parallel WSIS space booked by the NGO Gender Strategies Working Group (NGO GSWG) on 10 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland."

Ahmed Reda | 12:31 AM

November 10, 2003

Free software for schools? "Students should learn ways of life that will benefit society as a whole, and so, they should promote the use of free software". An opinion piece on Newsforge provokes a mixed response from readers. It's a tough call for educators - how are they supposed to prepare children for the real world without lining the pockets of the IT industry unneccessarily?

Aaron Scullion | 05:26 PM

The Sri Lanka government has started an ambitious e-Sri Lanka programme to highlight the issues to be raised at the World Summit on Information Technology. The five year pilot scheme is the island's first attempt to bring together all government institutions through networking and once fully implemented it is the man on the street who will benefit. The project will even allow fishermen to get weather forecasts!

Cara Swift | 01:40 PM

India's government is under pressure to bridge the digital divide in the country. Despite increasing investments in IT infrastructure the gap is still widening, according to a group of NGOs. The government is sending a sizeable delegation to WSIS in Geneva, but the director of OneWorld South Asia says there has been no dialogue between the government and people's organisations on ICT strategies and policies.

Cara Swift | 01:39 PM

Conflict Women. The internet is being used as a tool to help track the impact of armed conflict on women, and women's roles in peace-building. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has launched a web portal with information on women in conflict zones. Three years since a UN Security Council resolution called for prosecution of crimes against women and increased protection of women and children during war, UNIFEM says information is still scarce and scattered.

Cara Swift | 01:37 PM | TrackBack

In the news, the FT reports that "an attempt by developing countries to put management of the internet under United Nations auspices is likely to be shelved" - at least for now.

Developing countries are unhappy with the way internet registrar, Icann, operates, but the US and EU are defending what they believe is a successful model "based on minimal regulation and commercial principles."

UN officials believe this issue will not be solved until WSIS part 2 - in Tunis in 2005.

Update: More on Icann at Icann Focus.

David Steven | 09:35 AM | TrackBack

November 09, 2003

Is your computer terminally bad for you? Apparently coping with the daily flood of e-mails that arrive on all our computers is stressing out the normally laid-back Aussies.

Although designed to speed communication and, presumably, simplify business, 69 per cent of people find having to deal with a daily avalanche of email is mildly or moderately stressful, a study found.

But your work computer isn't all bad news as playing Minesweeper can actually make you work better.
Try telling that to your boss...

Erin Dean | 09:53 PM | TrackBack

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