WASHINGTON: The United States issued a new rule on Friday tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists, saying it was in response to the treatment of US journalists in China, a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.
The United States and China have been engaged in a series of retaliatory actions involving journalists in recent months.
In March, China expelled American journalists from three US newspapers, a month after the United States said it would begin to treat five Chinese state-run media entities with US operations the same as foreign embassies. One day after the US verdict on the state-run entities, Beijing expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents, two Americans and an Australian, following the publication of an opinion column that China denounced as racist.
In issuing the new regulation on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security cited what it called China’s “suppression of independent journalism.”
The regulation, which will take effect on Monday, will limit visas for Chinese reporters to a 90-day period, with the option for extension. Such visas are typically open-ended and do not need to be extended unless the employee moves to a different company or medium.
A senior DHS official, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said the new rules would allow the department to review Chinese journalist visa applications more frequently and would likely reduce the overall number of Chinese journalists in the United States.
“It’s going to create greater national security protections,” the official said.
The new rules will not apply to journalists with passports from Hong Kong or Macau, China’s two semi-autonomous territories, according to DHS.
Tensions between the United States and China have increased in recent months as the novel coronavirus has swept across the globe, killing more than 269,000 people worldwide to date, according to a Reuters tally.
President Donald Trump said in late April that he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab, but declined to describe the evidence, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing over the origins of the deadly outbreak. The Chinese state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology has dismissed the allegations. Most experts believe the virus originated in a market selling wildlife in Wuhan.
US tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions
https://arab.news/ndzeu
US tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions
- The new rules will not apply to journalists with passports from Hong Kong or Macau, China’s two semi-autonomous territories, according to DHS
Wall Street Journal faces scrutiny over unconfirmed UNRWA-Hamas allegations: Semafor
- Report by Semafor found that WSJ’s news chief admitted in an email that story lacked solid evidence, but reporting was neither inaccurate nor misleading
- WSJ said UNRWA’s staff participated in Oct. 7 attack, a claim largely debunked by international organizations
LONDON: The Wall Street Journal remains unable to verify claims from a January report suggesting connections between staff from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and Hamas militants.
According to American news website Semafor, the WSJ’s top editor overseeing standards has admitted privately that the allegations, based on Israeli intelligence reports, might not be substantiated.
Elena Cherney, the chief news editor, acknowledged in an email seen by Semafor that the Israeli claims lacked solid evidence but maintained that the initial reporting was neither inaccurate nor misleading.
“The fact that the Israeli claims haven’t been backed up by solid evidence doesn’t mean our reporting was inaccurate or misleading, that we have walked it back, or that there is a correctable error here,” Cherney wrote in an email.
The January report, described as one of the “biggest and most impactful stories about the war,” claimed that 12 UNRWA staff members participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with 10 percent of the agency’s 12,000 workers in Gaza allegedly having ties to Hamas.
This story, based on Israeli intelligence, was later challenged by several international organizations and the UN itself following an independent investigation.
The story had significant repercussions, including a heavy psychological toll on UNRWA workers and a freeze of $450 million in aid by various countries at a critical moment for Gaza, which is facing the threat of famine.
Semafor reported that WSJ reporters had tried and failed to corroborate the 10 percent claim central to the story, raising concerns about the story’s Israeli-leaning nature.
“Our coverage of UNRWA is part of a long reporting effort on the war in Gaza that involves staffers across the newsroom,” a WSJ spokesperson said, affirming that the paper stands by the January story and subsequent reporting.
The incident has highlighted internal friction within the WSJ newsroom since the conflict began, including concerns about Deputy Middle East Bureau Chief Shayndi Raice’s leadership and the controversial social media activity of Carrie Keller-Lynn, the author of the story.
The WSJ has also faced scrutiny for its unbalanced reporting of Gaza events, with Richard Boudreaux, former standards editor, acknowledging the paper “leaned too heavily on Israeli voices and did not include enough Arab perspectives or expert sources.”
TikTok, bowing to EU, withdraws ‘addictive’ Lite rewards program
- Lite rewards users with vouchers and gift cards for watching and liking videos
- TikTok is also under investigation for its efforts to address the app's negative impact on young people
BRUSSELS: TikTok will permanently remove a feature in a spinoff app in France and Spain that rewards users for watching and liking videos, bowing to pressure from European regulators, the EU and the Chinese-owned company said Monday.
TikTok Lite arrived in France and Spain — the only EU countries where it is available — in April this year. Users aged 18 and over can earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards through the app’s rewards program.
“We have obtained the permanent withdrawal of TikTok Lite Rewards program, which could have had very addictive consequences,” the EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said.
TikTok Lite is a smaller version of the popular TikTok app, taking up less memory in a smartphone and made to perform over slower Internet connections.
TikTok made commitments to remove the program from the 27-country bloc and not to launch “any other program which would circumvent the withdrawal,” the European Commission said in a statement.
It is the first major victory for the European Union’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping new law that requires digital firms operating in the bloc to effectively police online content to protect users from harm.
The commission kickstarted an investigation into the Lite app in April amid concerns over “addictive” effects, which forced TikTok to temporarily suspend the program.
The case is now closed after TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, made the binding commitments.
Any breach of the promises could lead to heavy fines under the DSA.
“We will carefully monitor TikTok’s compliance. Today’s decision also sends a clear message to the entire social media industry,” said commission executive vice president, Margrethe Vestager.
TikTok confirmed it had “now withdrawn” the rewards program.
“We always seek to engage constructively with the European Commission and other regulators. TikTok is pleased to have reached an amicable resolution,” a company spokesperson said.
TikTok is still under investigation after a separate probe launched in February amid concerns TikTok may not be doing enough to address negative impacts on young people.
TikTok is among 25 “very large” online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, that must comply with the DSA’s stricter rules since August 2023.
The rules also expect digital retailers to act effectively to protect shoppers online.
The DSA gives the EU the power to hit companies with fines as high as six percent of their global annual revenues.
Repeat offenders can see their platforms blocked in the EU.
There are also ongoing investigations into X, formerly Twitter; Chinese online retailer AliExpress; and Meta over its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
TikTok also faces a litany of problems across the Atlantic.
It has filed a lawsuit to stop a US law that forces the app to be sold next year or face a US ban, claiming it violates First Amendment rights of free speech.
The United States upped the pressure on TikTok with a lawsuit last week, accusing the app of violating children’s privacy by collecting data about them without their parents’ permission when they use the platform.
TikTok said it disagreed with the allegations and that the company had safeguards to ensure age-appropriate experiences.
Turkiye summons Instagram officials over platform freeze
- This is not the first time that Turkish authorities have temporarily blocked access to social media sites, including Facebook, X and Wikipedia
ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s government on Monday called officials from Instagram to a meeting, four days after blocking the social media platform for unspecified reasons.
Instagram, which has been suspended in Turkiye since Friday, has been accused by the authorities both of censorship and of failing to remove posts the authorities deemed offensive.
The freeze has harmed business for telecoms operators and vendors who sell goods via the platform.
Private television channel NTV said representatives in Turkiye of the platform, which is owned by Facebook parent Meta, would meet Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu at 1:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).
“We will meet them this afternoon. We hope they will do what’s necessary to respond to our demands. We’re hoping for positive developments,” Uraloglu said on X.
The minister said he had blocked access to Instagram because of “content-related offenses,” without giving details.
“Last week there was a meeting with representatives of the platform, in which we set out our views on respect for Turkish laws,” he continued.
For many Turkish businesses, Monday’s meeting cannot come soon enough.
An estimated 50-60 million of Turkiye’s 85 million inhabitants subscribe to Instagram, which serves as a platform for a wide range of commercial activities.
This is not the first time that Turkish authorities have temporarily blocked access to social media sites, including Facebook, X and Wikipedia.
Erdogan’s government is regularly accused of muzzling freedom of expression.
Saudi Media Forum partners up with International Broadcasting Convention
- Agreement includes allocation of dedicated pavilion for Saudi Broadcasting Authority at the annual exhibition
RIYADH: The Saudi Media Forum has officially become the primary media partner of the International Broadcasting Convention — supported by the European Broadcasting Union — ahead of Riyadh’s Future of Media Exhibition, or FOMEX, in 2025.
The agreement includes the allocation of a dedicated pavilion for the Saudi Broadcasting Authority at the annual IBC Exhibition in Amsterdam. Moreover, IBC will actively promote the forum and its accompanying exhibition through its extensive European media network.
This collaboration aims to elevate awareness and engagement with these events across Europe, ensuring widespread visibility and maximizing global audience reach.
CEO of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority and President of the Saudi Media Forum Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Harthi stated that this collaboration represents a significant milestone in fostering cultural and knowledge exchange between the authority and leading global media platforms.
Al-Harthi also emphasized the forum’s role as a vibrant media hub for exchanging expertise, forming impactful partnerships, and attracting thousands of media professionals and enthusiasts annually.
Al-Harthi added: “Our responsibility continues to grow, driving us to intensify our efforts and deliver superior initiatives through our strategic partnerships with leading international exhibitions and markets. This collaboration builds on our past achievements, such as hosting the MIPCOM Market, marking its first participation outside France. Today, we proudly include IBC among our esteemed partners.”
Mike Crimp, CEO of IBC, said: “IBC has always championed industry innovation worldwide, and our media partnership with FOMEX aligns with our shared goals of advancing transformative technologies in every region and sector of media and entertainment. As the (media and entertainment) industry continues to evolve on a global scale, we are proud to partner with FOMEX, a media gathering that nurtures this growth and encourages creativity and cooperation.”
The IBC stands as one of the foremost global events dedicated to broadcasting, media, and technology.
The Saudi Broadcasting Authority is set to organize the Saudi Media Forum and FOMEX in 2025.
The previous edition of the forum successfully drew over 30,000 visitors, while FOMEX attracted nearly 300 exhibitors.
Instagram blocked in Turkiye for third day
ANKARA: Instagram users in Turkiye woke up Sunday to find the social media network blocked for the third consecutive day, following censorship accusations against the US company from a high-ranking Turkish official.
The BTK communications authority announced on its website on Friday that the Meta-owned platform had been frozen, without giving any reason.
An official then referred to a regulation that allows “criminal content” to be blocked.
“Our country has values and sensitivities. Despite our warnings, they did not take care of criminal content,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Friday.
“We blocked access. When they abide by our laws, we’ll lift the ban.”
The president’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, accused Instagram on Wednesday of “preventing people from publishing messages of condolence for the martyr (Hamas leader Ismail) Haniyeh.”
“This is a very clear and obvious attempt at censure,” Altun said on social media platform X.
The social-democrat and nationalist opposition parties and the Ankara legal profession petitioned the courts on Friday evening for the freeze to be lifted.
According to Turkish media, 50 million of the country’s 85 million people have an Instagram account.
