The International Press Institute (IPI) today released a report on media freedom in Ukraine finding that economic pressure on media and corruption remain pervasive threats. The report – which followed a joint, fact-finding mission to Kiev from 31 May to 3 June, 2011 in conjunction with the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) – […]

Bloggers across Asia face criminal charges and significant prison time for their postings, highlighting the increasingly restrictive levels of online censorship in the region. In Vietnam, Pham Minh Hoang, a university teacher and blogger, was sentenced to three years in prison as well as three years of house arrest on Wednesday on a charge of […]

Chinese authorities have cracked down on social media in Inner Mongolia after days of unrest that forced the government to tighten security in the autonomous region. Information sources such as QQ instant messenger, internet chatting and text messaging have been recognized as playing a major role in organizing large-scale protests in the region and have […]

A disturbing article in the New York Times today chronicles the Syrian government’s crackdown on social media to stifle protest and destabilize the revolutionaries. As the article points out, since journalists are prohibited from entering the country, social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have become essential, not only to spread information outside the country, but […]