ESWN translates a Guangzhou Daily report which explains how a reporter blog post about Lifan Landslide incident has managed to turn from a “natural disaster” into a “major incident with accountability”.

As the US Elections loom closer, international attention to US foreign policy and the candidates has increased. Projects like Current TV's Collective Journalism and Global Voices' Voices Without Votes have taken the task to gather this information and bring a global perspective on a local issue.

Current TV's Collective Journalism program has started a series of video reports on how the rest of the world views the US. In The View from Over There, people from many different countries state their views on foreign policy, the war in Iraq, the situation with Iran and mention who they would want as the future president of the USA. The video interviews are sometimes in different languages, but all of it is subtitled in English.

This video also uses footage from other shows on the US Elections 2008, but this time concentrating on the foreign perspective. This is something Global Voices and Reuters have been doing for a while now at Voices Without Votes: gathering opinions from all over the planet on the US elections. If you have any posts you would like to submit to the site, you can do it here.

Current TV's next Collective Journalism assignment will be a worldwide view on the US immigration policies.

Ruan Yifeng notices that back in 2004 an economist has predicted the economic situation in China as various figures showed that China was caught in a condition similar to the U.S in 1929, the eve before the great depression [zh].

Inside-Out China compares the culture of mischievous dubbing in the U.S and China.

Antony Loewenstein, a Sydney-based freelance journalist and blogger, has recently published his new book: The Blogging Revolution. This book talks about the impact of blogging on six countries: Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China and Cuba.

He says:

I chose the six countries in the book because they are routinely referred to in the West as “enemies” or “allies” of Washington and we were rarely gaining true insights into life for average citizens, away from stories about “terrorism”. I wanted to talk to bloggers, writers, dissidents, politicians and citizens and hear their stories, removed from “official” perspectives.

Antony attended the Global Voices Summit 2008 in Budapest as a panelist. You can find several references to Global Voices in his book.

Here, Antony presents his book on You Tube:

I interviewed him about the book:

Q: Before starting your trip to Iran, you wrote that you were skeptical that the internet on its own can bring real revolutionary change to this country. What do you mean by revolutionary change? And what do you think now?

The concept of revolution is a fluid term. I met few people in my travels that wanted great shifts in their country. My book profiles a number of dissidents and bloggers across the globe who are striving for political, social and moral change – including Saudi Arabia’s most famous blogger, Fouad Al-Farhan, recently released from prison for challenging his nation’s nepotistic rule - but they recognize that only a tiny minority of citizens would join them in massive upheavals.

The internet cannot on its own bring large change, but it can facilitate and empower people to find their voice and campaign openly. No technology has existed before the web to do this. I don’t idealise the internet, nor believe Western-style democracy is the goal of people in the countries I visited. Foreign meddling is largely resented, though opening up the lines of communication with Westerners is welcomed.

In Iran, after nearly thirty years of revolution, most young people I met were exhausted; what they don’t want is to be bombed by the US or Israel.

Q: You quoted an Iranian journalist who worked with international news agencies, and said that foreign media in Iran are only interested in nuclear issues and Al–Qaida. Don't you think it is the same in other countries? After all, Iranians are more interested in the US elections than the American health care system. How do you see the role of blogs in covering the less “hot” issues in Iran?

Western media is currently in a massive crisis of confidence. Resources are declining, fewer journalists are being employed and localism is being celebrated. It’s therefore not surprising, though regrettable, that so many stories in our press about a place such as Iran is obsessed with Ahmadinejad, terrorism, Iraq or human rights. These are all vitally important issues, but they don’t define the place.

My book reveals a side of Iran that is rarely seen in our terrorism-obsessed media.

Living in Sydney, Australia, I see daily the obsession with the US election, as if we all have real influence over Barack Obama or John McCain’s campaigns.

Blogs in so-called repressive regimes cover issues that time-constrained and narrow Western journalists usually do not. For this reason alone, they should be discussed and promoted.

Q: Are there any real commonalities between the Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian and Saudi Arabian blogospheres, or any radical differences?

The Iranian and Egyptian blogospheres are large and growing, and influencing the political process. The regimes, recognizing this, are increasingly imprisoning bloggers and activists to try and silence them. International solidarity, from other bloggers and certain governments, is making the job of repressive regimes more difficult. Imprisoned bloggers won’t be forgotten.

I was impressed with the depth and diversity of the voices in both Egypt and Iran, something I feature extensively in the book, from the left to the right, women, activists and Islamists. Frankly, this scene is far more engaged than in many Western nations.

In Saudi Arabia, the blogosphere is less developed though still remains active. Censorship of “pornographic” sites is limited, though the regime is starting to fear the power of activists. Reading female bloggers – as a gender they’re actively marginalized in society – is refreshing if we want to understand this previously “silenced” group.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced writing this book and doing your research?

Gaining full access to some of the countries was challenging. Investigating the role of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other Western multinational firms and their collusion in web censorship in a state such as China. Protecting my sources was equally important. I took precautions before I contacted bloggers in most countries and when I arrived there.

A key aim of the book was to move away from the traditional role of Western journalist as a filter of quality. In every featured country, my perspective is unavoidable, of course, but I was determined to redefine my position in relation to the people I was interviewing. Their voices were far more important than mine.

Q: What do you think about the role of Global Voices in helping people learn about unheard voices? Any ideas for how to make Global Voices more efficient?

The strength of Global Voices is its ability to educate readers across the world about different countries and cultures, often issues and perspectives ignored by the myopic Western media. Language remains a key problem, however. More effort should be placed into finding connections between the West and the rest because the internet is currently a space where these two worlds rarely interact.

Like the rest of the world, the China milk scandal has alarmed Southeast Asian countries. China is the major trading partner of Southeast Asian nations. Chinese goods are popular and accessible in the region. It is not surprising to learn that Chinese milk products which are contaminated by melamine have already been sold in local markets.

How did governments react to the issue? Chinese milk products were scrutinized, strictly regulated and banned. Even the popular white rabbit candy was listed as a dangerous food item. Health agencies have published a list of safe products from China.

Because of the milk scare, consumers are changing their diet, while others refrain from drinking milk. As expected, milk companies are assuring customers that their products are safe. A consumer from Brunei wants the government to review its list of contaminated milk products. Now a Mummy is worried since she bought a biscuit from a company based in China.

What is the reaction of bloggers? A Singaporean describes the issue as “Weapons of Mass Consumption-Tainted Milk Saga.”

Bangkok Pundit advises the government not to overreact:

“The government needs to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of its citizens, but it likewise shouldn't overreact and create a panic - if the government overreacts, China could retaliate and this affects Thai exporters.”

A reader is shocked to see Chinese milk products still being sold in Thailand supermarkets:

“I think the Thai government's stance is totally unacceptable, it's not just a question of PR. How come you can still see the products on the shelves in supermarkets? The government should take a strong stance for the public safety and inform us clearly what products are contaminated and remove them.”

Alexisthetiny from Bangkok will now buy more local and unprocessed food products:

“Melamine is supposed to be toxic, right? How in the heck, then can we have ‘acceptable levels’ of that stuff in our food? I’d imagine that for something this disgustingly bad for our health, ‘acceptable levels’ would be nil. Jesus. How on earth have we gotten to a point where we would allow stuff like that to be added to our food? Actually, how on earth have we gotten to this point where we allow corporations to tell us what is ok in food even if it goes against our instincts? One thing for sure, this is going to change my food shopping habits. From now on, its as local and unprocessed as it can get.”

My Food for Thots from Malaysia writes about the difficulty of banning trade with China:

“But heck, what's not made in China? Even Nike shoes are made in China! Does this mean it's only safe buying stuff not made in China? Which only mean the expensive, branded stuff? Which leads to bigger inflation? Which means our salaries will not suffice? Sigh….”

Tumbleweed in Space from East Timor writes about what the milk scandal revealed on modern living:

“The recent milk scandal in China once again reminds us of how much contaminants there are in almost every aspect of our life. This time it's melamine, but recently studies have also shown that polycarbonate, a plastic commonly used for milk bottles, contains the hormone-disrupting Biphesonol-A.”

What is the possible impact of the scandal on Myanmar? Fear from Freedom explains:

“Chinese milk powder is used widely in Myanmar. Coffee and tea mixed packets are used widely as well. Since these packets contained milk powder the authorities should check the source of the milk. Singapore found tainted milk powder in tea packets and our imports are from Singapore. It is important to tell the people so they can avoid milk powder from China in any form until things are checked.”

House on a Hill from the Philippines reminds the government not to impose trade policies that hurt the poor:

“Instead of taking pains to determine whether Sanlu milk could have indeed been smuggled into the country and sold to the public, we have government officials overreacting by freezing imports and pulling off the supermarket shelves just about any milk and milk-based product from China. What kind of solution is that? That’s a double whammy. That’s discriminating against legitimate Chinese producers and exporters of milk and milk-based products. Worse, that is hurting poor Filipinos who can not afford the que horror prices of milk and milk products sold locally by multinational companies.”

Then she identifies alternative sources of calcium:

“So we have a government who has continually failed to educate the people of the dangers of buying unlabeled food products. That same government is cutting off the supply of cheap milk because it cannot curb smuggling. Where does that leave the consumers, especially the poor ones? For those with children below two years old, breastfeed them. For the rest, understand that while milk is a good source of calcium, it is not the only source of calcium. Sardines, okra, tofu and beans are all rich in calcium.”

The Curious Life of a Quirky Chef from the Philippines asks “Is China trying to kill the world one kid at a time?” The blogger adds:

“First, there was the global controversy about children's toys that were tainted with lead. Then, the issue about candies and biscuits from China that allegedly contain formaldehyde. Today, health officials all over the world, plus the millions of dairy consumers are panicking because of the Chinese milk products that are contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.”

Rebecca Mackinnon from Rconversation blogs about the recent security trap problem of the Chinese Skype, or Tom-Skype. Imagethief suggests foreign Internet firms to operate their own business rather than surrender their brands to local partners.

The Hong Kong government has issued a consultation paper on the “Review of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance” last Friday (Oct 3). The first round of consultation will be lasted until end of January.

A most controversial issue is the suggestion on introduction of an internet filtering system in Hong Kong. In part 4 of the consultation paper, it states that the main issue at stake is:

Given the emergence of new forms of media, particularly the growing popularity of the Internet, members of the public consider it important that measures are taken to protect youngsters from the dissemination of obscene and indecent materials on such new media systems.

The government layouts a number of options:

Option one: co-regulation approach that demands Internet Service Providers to:

1. tighten up their service contracts with subscribers by incorporating specific clauses which prohibit subscribers from publishing obscene or indecent articles;

2. formulate measures against repeated offenders, which may involve limiting the bandwidth made available to such offenders or imposing temporary suspension or termination of service in case of contravention of contractual terms;

3. implement a voluntary labelling system and encourage webmasters to label their websites to indicate whether they are suitable for children and youngsters;

4. provide filtering services to subscribers for the purpose of filtering out web content which is not suitable for children and youngsters.

Option two is mandatory approach via legislation:

to make it mandatory for ISPs to provide filtering service to their subscribers so that
children and youngsters will be protected from web content not suitable to them. This would enable filtering of content from both local and overseas websites.

Option three is statutory approach, which targets at content providers:

1. websites are required to provide warnings if they display indecent materials;

2. an access control system is to be established to authenticate the age of the web users. For example, web users are required to input their credit card data before getting access to webpage containing indecent materials to ensure that they have attained the age of 18;

3. empower enforcement agencies, upon receipt of a judicial warrant, to issue a “take-down notice” to the indecent websites or the ISPs concerned; and

4. prosecute content providers who fail to comply with the statutory requirements.

Martinoei criticizes that all the suggestions imply an introduction of Great Fire Wall in Hong Kong:

蘇錦樑呢條X建聯黨員，話咁快就要在香港引進防火長城，淫審處本來己經被指權力過大，依家權力仲要大到搞過濾名單，係咪想搞香港版防火長城。照香港有大衛像都係淫褻嘅硬膠前科，隨時成個高登都會列入過濾名單，咁樣仲成世界？仲惡過廿三條。

Although the government stresses that it doesn't have any fixed position, erynnyes from Those were the days is still angry at the government's suggestions:

當然，政府把一切說成諮詢，政府沒有立場，甚至在文件中提出反對者聲音，以顯示中立，可是在童工角度，有些立場、建議，根本提出也是罪，因為這是削弱香港互聯網自由，完全毋須討論，皆因沒有任何妥協之餘地！那份諮詢文件，就像互聯網的23 條，只想打造一個超越中國的打壓互聯自由的香港金盾！

Hystericireul posts a large picture of David Statue in his blog to protest against the Indecent censorship policy. He also makes a dozen points on the consultation:

10. 淫唔淫，根本就係同洩唔洩一樣，各施各法各隨心。除左少部分好明顯變態嘔心核突既物品之外，根本好多物品就無一個清晰定義去界定點為之「淫」，尤其是當你成班仆街連大衛像都可以覺得係「淫褻」既話，仲有乜野係唔淫？vv物語講西，淫唔淫？西廂記夢中交合，淫唔淫？莫非我地以後創作時就唔可以打破古人既曖昧，照樣講到扑野就「呵呵，哈哈，嗯嗯」算數？

11. 根本個問題係，健立一個健康健全既人格，咁佢睇乜都唔會變壞。而家係你班撚樣搞柒左個社會，成班小朋友未升中先西窿，3456789p玩齊，呢個係佢地腦荀未生埋既問題，我地要做既係好好教導佢地，而唔係一味禁絕囉。

There are also some discussions from Internet forums, such as from pumb.org:

User169167 criticizes the government's official ability in governing Hong Kong:

雞有病 = 唔俾賣活雞唔使煩
樹有病 = 斬晒佢唔使煩
色情網頁教壞細佬 = block晒佢唔使煩

政府班高薪厚職既天材知唔知咩叫教育？

說穿了其實就係借管制色情網頁為開端，繼而達至更容易收緊其它題材網頁(例如政治、社論)，壓抑社會另類渠道反對聲音。

User george2be said that the government power should stay out of the filtering mechanism:

家長同學校想filter, 應該自己裝軟件做. 政府可以提供資源同條件令呢d軟件更易買到 (如跟機可以加). 根本無需要立法賦予政府設立過濾機制既權力.

正如莫乃光講, 現在最大問題係淫審處裁決標準不一, 缺乏公信力. 連定標準既機構都亂七八糟, 在未解決呢個問題前, 點可能立法比佢權力去過濾更多既言論同資訊.

倒行逆施莫過於此.

User P-U-M-B pointed out that the internet would eventually become intranet under such policy direction:

咁搞法 !! internet 變左intranet

Kay sets up a facebook group on defending internet freedom to follow through the consultation.