they'll learn

zogger

Tue May 29 17:57:26 -0700 2007

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[cynic] That isn't how you do high level influence peddling! Take it from the west, cash bribes are so 20th century, you *must* follow the new world order rulez! What you do is wait until your term as head honcho of this or that dotgov division is up, then accept a million buck a year job at Belchfire Industrial as VP in charge of the folding chairs or something.[/cynic]

Head of FDA Sentenced to Death

AB3A

Tue May 29 18:30:58 -0700 2007

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The solution to corruption is not democracy.  It is a free and unfettered media.  Even democratic reforms can be pushed aside as long as the media remains open and free.

The Chinese media is a case in point.  Yes, they have problems with bureaucrats trying to squelch stories they don't like.  However the story still gets out.  It's nowhere near western standards of media freedom, but it is still quite healthy for all that it is. 

On another point, the sentence was harsh.  However, the man was playing with people's health and welfare for his own gain.  He deserved a sentence of decades in prison at the very least.

Head of FDA Sentenced to Death

Bhima

Wed May 30 01:14:24 -0700 2007

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Just to add to that this year China was rated at 181st in Press Freedoms.

Not dead last... but nearly

Head of FDA Sentenced to Death

AB3A

Wed May 30 03:49:37 -0700 2007

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I'm skeptical of ratings such as these.  There are many elements in freedom of the press.  Some of them are social.  Certain stories get squelched because they would offend the readership.  Some of them are in fact legislated.  Publishing the Pentagon papers was OK even if it broke the law because there were mitigating circumstances, but outing a CIA agent just because you feel like it is not.  Some of them are squelched because of criminal threats.  Some are squelched because of the threat of legal action.  Some are squelched because it doesn't fit in to an editor's world view.  It's hard to know exactly why the local papers choose to publish one story and not another. 

So when a group rates press freedoms by applying their own standards to a local media outlet, I have to wonder how they can be fair.  Are China's media freedom up to western standards?  No.  But they're not Western either.  Their society may not be able to deal with a fully western style press.  Conversely, they may be able to publish things which would be absolutely taboo here.

Reducing a complex concept such as freedom to a ranking is pretty lame.  I wouldn't put much stock in such opinions. 

Head of FDA Sentenced to Death

Josh

Wed May 30 06:08:34 -0700 2007

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I agree, moreover, what to do about countries with a free press that simply find it more profitable to *not* exercise this freedom?

Head of FDA Sentenced to Death

Petr Mareš

Wed May 30 07:24:17 -0700 2007

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I second your opinion.

Here in Czech Republic we have our printed press broadly controlled by one German company (POL Print media -- Passau).
Every attempt to establish czech-owned press failed, even if the newspaper was government-established.
There are articles denouncing Czech people in the newspapers nearly everyday -- they call us cowards, helpers of Hitler (we surrended in WWII), they try to suggest the uninformed that we played part in the holocaust atrocities.
They smear all leftist politicians, report consistently untruthfully about the middle east, and they are totally immune to justice in practice...

Even the government is powerless against the media libel.

And look! We have one of the most "free press" according to the survey.

You wouldn't want such a "free press" in your country.

we have that and more

rubycodez

Wed May 30 12:06:45 -0700 2007

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in the U.S.A. there are also plenty of magazines/news "rags" that specialize in slander, libel, scandal, dirt and lies that have large enough readership and income they welcome the many lawsuits as publicity and advertising.