media: December 2004 Archives

I received an email from my friend Esther about the shutting down of online Hamas sites. Honestly, I have mixed feelings. Freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech. I deplore what they're about ... and ... maybe them doing it "in plain sight" is better than doing it in places harder to see?

Ukraine media rebel against official line

By Steven Lee Myers

KIEV, Ukraine -- The most striking, and potentially significant,
public rebellion against President Leonid D. Kuchma and his chosen
successor in Nov. 21's contested election began silently.

On the morning of Nov. 25, Natalia Dimitruk, an interpreter for the
deaf on Ukraine's official state UT-1 television, disregarded the
anchor's report on Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovych's victory and,
in her small inset on the screen, began to sign something else
altogether.

from Mosnews.com, reported last Friday:

"Natalia Dmitruk, a sign language presenter with the Ukrainian TV channel UT-1 has ignored the text read by the news presenter and instead transmitted the message that the results of the elections were rigged, Russiaís NTV television reports."

She's concerned that the station might drop sign language interpreting altogether, but explained (in Ukrainian Sign Language as part of her protest): " I am very disappointed by the fact that I had to interpret lies." She then joined a strike called by journalists of the TV station.