13 comments

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  jez

  10 months ago

  that's not brian conley, this is:
  
  http://www.reedmidem.com/v3/photozone/highres/B...
  
  next time, can china lock up the right one?
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  k

  10 months ago

  I hope he makes it home safe. On the other hand, if you go to other countries, air their dirty laundry, you have to expect some resistance. You end up being some foreigner causing trouble. Some countries can detain anyone for any reason and not have to report it to anyone. That is the risk when you leave the US.
  
  I have lived 5 years of my life in foreign countries and seen friends and acquaintances get in trouble with the local law. The local law almost always wins. If you are lucky, you just pay a fine.
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  Cameron Laird

  10 months ago

  I was with you up to, "They may have the protection of the American government ..."
  
  I'll be explicit: the protection of The American Government seems like a VERY mixed blessing.
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  Greg Hollingsworth

  10 months ago

  I would generally agree with that, but it's better than being out there with no protection at all.
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  Hernando

  10 months ago

  Journalism-It has the capability to bring out changes in the society.It is really a hard time to survive as a true journalist in this corrupted world.
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  Porch Lifts

  10 months ago

  I can't remember if it was on NPR or if it was on a website, but recently a reporter went to China to test the new protest laws, which were set up for the Olympics to give the appearance of a more open government.
  
  Basically the law requires anyone who wanted to protest to come to the police station and fill out some paperwork.
  
  Most who go were arrested, but this reporter, because he was a foreign journalist, was not arrested, but informed that anyone who went to the protest that was a Chinese citizen had to come to the police station most likely to be arrested.
  
  This seems marginally better than the way they traditionally deal with protesters, but China still has a very long way to go.
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  MaggyYoung

  10 months ago

  To Porch Lifts, it isn't just China either. The post highlights the potential difficulties of citizen journalists in foreign countries, but it implies that this is only a concern in more troubled countries. Dunno about that . I was reminded of an occasion when I was on vacation in France & I was only 13 & I tried to take a harmless touristy snap of a seaside road & 2 gendarmes strode up shouting in French & slammed my camera down Maybe they thought I was filming them, dunno. But if you don't know the country, customs & language it's a problem.
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  Greg Hollingsworth

  10 months ago

  This post was intended to highlight the issues in China specifically, although those issues are certianly not limited to China. Citizen journalism always has the potential to be dangerous, especially overseas.
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  Flavia

  10 months ago

  Working in t he media really gives you the chance of changing the world.It`s great that there are journalists that would risk their lives only for the purpose of making visible all the anomalies that exist in this world. This devotion is what all media workers should have to make this a better place ,not spying celebs. I guess this is a shame that those kind of paparazzi have more credit than people that are trying to make a difference but I am sure that one day things will change ,and that day is coming soon.
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  MonetaryScientist

  6 months ago

  Yes, journalism is an extremely important profession that can change the world. As von Mises said, 'Ideas can only be overcome by other ideas.' and 'Money and force are impotent against the power of ideas.' However, many are individuals are silenced in an attempt to stop their bulletproof ideas. But it is ideas that move the world. Just think of the student standing in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square.
  
  Unfortunately, being a journalist in the US or UK can, if you attempt to speak on certain topics, just as dangerous as being a journalist in China or North Korea. Ultimately, nothing can stop and idea whose time has come.
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  Citizen J

  9 months ago

  In response to the upsurge, some insurance companies in China now list journalism as the third most dangerous career in the country, after police work and coal mining.
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  Citizen J

  9 months ago

  In response to the upsurge, some insurance companies in China now list journalism as the third most dangerous career in the country, after police work and coal mining.
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  Fashion Shop

  6 months ago

  The internet world may be open, but there are still certain limits as to what can be shared across the net. Remember every IP add or hostname can be geo traced to the LAT LONG of the place.
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