All Blog Posts from Public Eye

Thai Game: Yesterday, the Thai government blocked YouTube over a clip mocking King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the reigning monarch. "When they decide to withdraw the clip, we will withdraw the ban," Communications Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told Reuters. You can be jailed for 15 years for criticizing royalty in Thailand, where the king is widely revered. The most offensive part of the clip, Reuters notes, is "the juxtaposition of a pair of woman's feet, the lowest part of the body, above his head, the highest part of the body." Disappointingly, the video has now apparently been removed.

Land Of The Free: A free daily newspaper in Boston is about to begin webcasting its editorial meetings live on the Web, "subjecting their important decisions to the whims of any lunatic with AOL Instant Messenger and the time to tell them their ideas suck," as Paul McMorrow puts it. BostonNOW will also publish bloggers who are "willing and literate enough to work with them." RELATED: Justin Canning is making an environmental argument against free newspapers, the production of which means the destruction of 400 trees per day in London alone. He writes: "Is it possible to carry on letting the newspaper publishers of the world churn out a product that serves no real purpose other than to provide opportunity for advertising? Basic economics is one thing. Stupidity and irresponsibility is quite another."

Eh, Canada: The Toronto Star notes that, with the Washington Post closing its Toronto bureau, American newspapers will no longer have any correspondents in Canada. News from our northern neighbor will now be covered by "wire services, contract writers, freelancers and reporters parachuted in for specific events." The news, which comes amid a number of foreign bureau closings around the world, has observers fretting about a widening of the gulf between the two nations. Says Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute: "Any American editor who finds Canadians boring has his or her head up their ice."

News of a bloodless coup in Thailand interrupted a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, and coverage of the story has been prominent on the front pages of several major newspapers today. It's one of the top stories on CBSNews.com. Wrote the New York Times this morning, “The events on Tuesday returned Thailand to a time that most experts here thought was finally past, raising questions about the future of Thai democracy and the stability of a country that is a prime tourist destination with strong economic links to the West.” On the evening newscasts last night, ABC’s “World News Tonight,” ran a brief segment on the coup – which it teased at the top of the program -- with correspondent Mark Litke in Hong Kong. NBC’s “Nightly News,” featured a segment with correspondent Ian Williams reporting by phone from Bangkok. However, on the CBS “Evening News,” only a brief mention of the coup came within White House correspondent Jim Axelrod’s story about the U.N. meeting. From that piece:

Axelrod: For the last time as UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, welcomed world leaders and then quickly painted a dire picture.

Kofi Annan (United Nations Secretary-General): People in all parts of the world are threatened though some are more aware of it than others by the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Axelrod: And then, as if on cue, reality reminded everyone of the threat of instability. This time in Thailand where the military launched a coup. This is the week where the world's most powerful rivals, enemies and allies, all share the same halls in New York.

You can watch the whole segment . As it seemed that newspapers and the other broadcast networks highlighted the news more prominently, it seemed worth asking why the “Evening News” presented the information as it did.

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