AltM-Sept

A potentially ground-breaking case over cyber-attacks against alternative online media has been launched in the Philippines.

Janess Ann J. Ellao in Manilla reports that the case is over one of the largest denial of service attacks seen in any country. 

Four alternative media sites, Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly, Kodao Productions, and Altermidya – People’s Alternative Media Network have filed a civil claim for damages against two IT companies, IP Converge and the Suniway group of companies Inc. They are being assisted by human rights lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL).

 

20 media outlets were the subject of an intense series of what NUPL called well funded and orchestreated cyber-attacks, known as distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) between December 2018 and March this year. 

 

The common thread between the online media outlets was that they had all reported stories critical of the government of Rodrigo Duterte immediately before their sites were repeatedly made unavailable. DDoS attacks flood websites with an unusual volume of traffic, overwhelming capacity until websites can no longer be accessed. For a detailed explanation see Electronic Frontier Foundation.

However, a government spokesman denied involvement.

“I’m telling you as a matter of fact, we are not in the business of doing cyberattacks.” Presidential Task Force on Media Security Executive Director and Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco said in a phone message to Business World.

 

However, President Rodrigo Duterte himself and his administration have a history of attacking the Philippines media, particulalry reporters or outlets which  have been critical of the government.

A Significant Case

by Dr Fiona Martin, Sydney, Australia 

The political use of DDoS attacks has increased since 2010, when Harvard researchers reported their widespread use in attempts to silence independent media worldwide   

The 2017 Freedom House internet report says the low cost of cyberattack tools and weakly regulated markets have “enabled not only central governments, but also local government officials and law enforcement agencies to obtain and employ them against their perceived foes, including those who expose corruption and abuse”.  During 2017 cyberattacks took media websites offline in 18 countries.

Last year, the annual Freedom on the Net report  noted Philippines media outlet the Vera Files was hit by a DDoS attack after it published a story about President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Davao city mayor Sarah Duterte, failing to properly disclose significant joint assets at the Bank of Philippine Islands.

Vera Files was one of the 20 sites subjected to the DDos attacks.

However, this latest legal action against  IP Converge and the Suniway group appears to be the first time internationally that independent media outlets have taken IT firms to court for their part in enabling DDoS events.

 

 

Social media has become weaponized under the current administration – so-called “patriotic trolling” has become the norm in the Philippine social media landscape. In a Bloomberg Businessweek report, What happens when the government uses Facebook as a weapon? such trolling is described as “use of targeted harassments and propaganda meant to go viral and to give the impression that there is a groundswell of organic support for the government.”

 

A forensic report by the Sweden-based NGO, Qurium Media Foundation found Suniway’s infrastructure (it leased IP addresses from IP Converge) was a one of the largest DDoS attacks it had ever seen (Qurium, which hosted many of the target sites, was also attacked).

 “Qurium has assisted independent media against DDoS attacks for the past decade, and they have never seen such magnitude and scale of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks launched in one single country.”

Quezon City Trial Court Branch 220 under Judge Jose Paneda has now received at least 3,500 pages of printed web logs with signature attacks. The court has also received monitoring reports of the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, forensic reports, and abuse reports submitted by CIVICERT, an international computer emergency response team for civil society groups.

 

In its reply to the filed complaint, IP Converge admitted leasing 64 IP addresses to Suniway. It has made cross-claims against Suniway, saying that the latter should “alone bear the consequences” as it has complete control over the leased IP addresses.“Suniway should be held liable for all the damages and expenses caused to IP Converge as a result of this case, and for whatever amount may be adjudged against IP Converge by virtue of the complaint” IP Converge further stated.

 

In a press statement, Rhea Padilla of Altermidya said the two IT companies denied having direct knowledge over the cyber-attacks despite the magnitude and intensity of the attacks. She said that both companies cannot simply feign ignorance over the cyber-attacks.

 

“IP Converge did not reply to any of the emails about the DDoS attacks emanating from its infrastructure. IP Converge said the recipients may have missed the emails because they receive hundreds of emails in any given day.”

 

At this stage Suniway, has not squarely answered the primary claim that the IP addresses were traced to their infrastructure.

 

Both companies, meanwhile, have filed counter-claims for “besmirching their reputation

IP Converge demanded on its reply P1 million from each plaintiff for moral damages, P1 million each for exemplary damages and P1.5 million for attorney’s fees and cost of litigation. Suniway is claiming P2 million for moral damages, P500,000 for exemplary damages and P500,000 for attorney’s fees at cost of litigation. In sum, both companies are claiming a total of P12.5 million.

 

“We view this as a form of intimidation given that all the plaintiffs are non-profit media outfits,” Padilla said.

“We firmly believe that legitimately exercising a right and seeking appropriate redress at the proper forum when that right is violated can never be penalized or begrudged.”

 

Jola Mamangun, from Kodao productrions who is also the President of IAWRT Philippines, said this counter move is part of the continuing attacks on press freedom in the country.

 

The cyber-attacks against the four alternative news sites stopped rather abruptly, following the filing of the civil complaints before the Philippine court on March 29, the anniversary of the first internet connection in the Philippines.

 

Janess writes for Bulatlat and is a member of IAWRT-Philippines https://www.bulatlat.com

Further Sources

Yet Another Year of Living Dangerously

Editorial: Resist cyber-impunity

Qurium Disclosing Company that Facilitated Cyber-attacks

Philippines Digital Reality Bites – Alternative Media in the Crosshairs

Birgitte

Birgitte Jallov, is the new President of Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE).

It represents the ‘Third Media Sector’ – non profit-making media serving a local community.

IAWRT President Violet Gonda, has congratulated Birgitte, who is a community media practitioner, analyst, advocate and a co-founder of Denmark’s first women’s radio in the 1980’s.

Birgitte managed the IAWRT pilot project in Kenya on Rural Women and Media, and was co-opted to the IAWRT board in early 2019 to replace a member who was unable to continue in the voluntary position.

Birgitte’s community media book: “EMPOWERMENT RADIO – Voices building a community” has received acclaim as a powerful tool for community radio sustainability from academics, media people and community radio advocates alike, and is now available as a free e-reader.

In a statement for CMFE Birgitte said “I hope for CMFE to continue to strengthen the space for and understanding of the importance of community media – in all their forms and shapes – which is what CMFE is all about.”

Birgitte is the second IAWRT board member who has a strong focus on community radio for giving voice to, and empowering communities. Archana Kapoor from India established Radio Mewat and has also recently published on the value of community radio for education, in the Indian Journal of Educational Technology.   

A 6-Month intensive nationwide media campaign has been launched in Cameroon.

The #1Woman1vote campaign by Cameroon media women seeks to highlight the work of current female politicians and to facilitate media coverage for women running in next year’s local and legislative elections

From Patience Wirngo & Becky Bissong

The campaign seeks to fight voter apathy amongst women and ensure that all female candidates use various media platforms to present their development projects. It involves women working for public and private media organisations, be they online, print, radio or television, whether reporting in English, French or local languages.

“The campaign seeks to give voices to women” says Becky Bissong, National Coordinator of the Cameroon Association of Women in Media (AFMEC) and head of the IAWRT Cameroon Chapter.

We are trying to offer female candidates different media platforms for the 2020 elections. We will give them free space to profile them and invite then to radio or make videos to showcase current politicians to let those women tell their stories.

“If capable and potential women who are interested in politics are sensitized, encouraged and given visibility on different media, these women can effectively ascend to political leadership in local governance”.

At the end of the exercise it is expected that men would also be encouraged to vote for female candidates, thus increasing the number of female mayors and parliamentarians in the country.

Cameroon has not had council and Legislative elections since 2013. The term of office of councillors and MPs was extended by the long-serving President, President Paul Biya, due to the socio-political upheavals in the predominantly English-speaking North West and South West regions and Boko Haram attacks in the far north, which had a flow-on effect in the rest of the country.

However, during this time female mayors who died were replaced by male mayors after an internal election among the councils, “This is because the majority councillors are men, Bissong says.

“Local government deals with sanitation and health and we need to integrate women or the gender component into all of this.”

“Women need to be mayors, not deputies, to make project decisions such as creating nurseries or kindergartens around markets” This allows market women to earn their living while their children have education and care. 

“There are many other similar infrastructure needs which are often not given priority such as maternal and reproductive health, and gender friendly and separate toilets for girls and women in schools and at workplaces.”

Cameroon has gender friendly laws, but the media women noticed in the last election that while political parties were encouraged to have women candidates, most of the parties tended to feature women as window-dressing, “they will not put their competent women at the top of the list, they will put them at the tail or put them in a list just endorsed for the election” Bissong says.

#1Woman1Vote is the major outcome of a 3-day symposium in August 2019 organised by AFMEC with the financial support of the U.S Embassy in Cameroon. (AFMEC was formed after a 2018 US State Department sponsored trip for Cameroon female journalists to meet up with professional US media women and their organisations).  AFMEC’s first forum was in Cameroon in the lead-up to the national elections in 2017 and was based around the IAWRT safety handbook and advice for media women reporting in conflict zones, such as those in Cameroon.

At the 2019 forum, there were about 78 women, mostly gender advocates who run programs to raise awareness of the rights and safety of women and girls. They were from different arms of the media – online newspapers, television, blogs, and drawn from the 10 Regions of Cameroon.

They upgraded their skills regarding ensuring balanced coverage of the February 2020 council and legislative elections in Cameroon. They heard about the electoral legal framework from Patience Fule-Buang Elango of the national election authority (ELECAM) and Henriette Onguene from the National Communication Council (the regulator and controller of Cameroon media).

Topics covered included: gaps in the media coverage of electoral processes, such as women’s involvement and female candidates; gender based violence as a hindrance to women’s participation; producing gender sensitive content in election reports, and professional ethics.

Presenters included veteran female Journalists, Dora Shey, Chetah Bile, Mrs. Tche Irene Morikang, and an internet expert, Dorotheé Danedjo.

The focus on women in politics came from Yvonne Muma of the N.G.O, More Women in Politics, an expert from the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Mrs  Kendeme, and the Mayor of Akom 2, in the south region, Elise Mballa Meka.

Her path to becoming mayor has not been easy, especially when she says she refuses to participate in corrupt methods of gaining and maintaining political office. Elise Mballa Meka challenged those at the forum to stop restricting themselves to being intermediaries, to dare to be candidates for council and Legislative elections and to work to get these positions in political leadership. 

Bekky Bissong says the media women want to focus on getting other women into decision making positions and to have good gender legislation enforced, some might consider politics upon retirement she says.

“Our main focus is to increase the number of women in political leadership in local government, council and government ultimately 50-50 by 2030.”

Adapted from an article by Patience Wirngo, IAWRT Cameroon Secretary, and an online interview with IAWRT Cameroon head, Becky Bissong, by web journalist, Nonee Walsh

Follow on Twitter

 

#pressforprogress 
#1Woman1Vote 
#MediaWomen4Women 
#UsEmbassy 
#MoreWomenInPolitics 
#AFMECAM
#UNWOMEN 
#ONUFEMMES

 

 

 

0919 rsf press freedom awards

IAWRT congratulates the 2019 recipients of the Reporters San Frontières Press Freedom Awards.

For the first time, three women journalists have been commended for their brave efforts to maintan media freedom.

Eman al Nafjan of Saudi Arabia received The Prize for Courage, given to journalists, media or NGOs who demonstrate courage in the practice, defence or promotion of journalism.

Pham Doan Trang of Vietnam received the Prize for Impact, given to journalists whose work has led to concrete improvements in journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism, or to an increase in awareness of these issues.

Caroline Muscat of Malta received the Prize for Independence, awarded to journalists for resisting financial, political, economic or religious pressure.

Despite oppressive regimes and threats to their own safety, the three women persevered in their work to promote and protect human rights, safeguard freedom of expression, end impunity for crimes against journalists and support gender equality—similar to IAWRT’s values and principles.

IAWRT lauds and supports RSF’s continuing efforts on following up on the situation of journalists in general and of women journalists in particular. We call on the government of the three awardees to protect journalists.

Through excellence and commitment in their journalism work, Eman al Nafjan, Pham Doan Trang and Caroline Muscat serve as champions for women’s rights, gender equality and women empowerment in the profession and in the world.

Through their work and so many other women journalists, we continue to build a world where women everywhere are free to take full and equal part in leadership anywhere, free from suppression and all forms of harassment.

 

Three women journalists are the 2019 recipients of the Reporters San Frontières Press Freedom Awards (RSF – Reporters without Borders).

Saudi journalist Eman al Nafjan, Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang and Maltese journalist Caroline Muscat, were awarded the prizes at a ceremony in Berlin, Germany. From Aber Saady and RSF.

The Prize for Courage, given to journalists, media or NGOs who demonstrate courage in the practice, defence or promotion of journalism, was awarded to Saudi journalist. Eman al Nafjan. The founder of the SaudiWoman.me website and author of many articles in the international media including the Guardian and New York Times.

Eman al Nafjan spearheaded the Saudi women’s campaign for the right to drive cars and against Saudi Arabia’s oppressive male guardianship system. She is credited for being a key influence on the reforms which were enacted.

However, she was arrested, along with other women’s rights activists, in May 2018 and freed conditionally in March 2019. According to the Saudi media, she is accused of endangering “national security,” maintaining “suspicious contacts with foreign entities” and of being a “traitor,” for which she could be jailed for up to 20 years.

Nafjan, and the Vietnamese recipient of the Prize for Impact, Pham Doan Trang, were unable to travel to accept their awards.

“These journalists, who should be honoured in their countries, are denied the freedom to travel and often their freedom, period. But their commitment transcends borders without the dictators being able to do anything to prevent it.”  RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire   

 

Vietnamese journalist and blogger, Pham Doan Trang received the Prize for Impact which is given to journalists whose work has led to concrete improvements in journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism, or to an increase in awareness of these issues.

Vietnamese people can still access these sites, according to the presenter of the valedictory, German foreigh correspondent and journalist, Katja Gloger.

“The regime has yet to build a great firewall after the Chinese model, but Vietnam is one of the biggest suppressors of critical voices, trailing only China.”  

Vietnam did not hesitate to abduct its citizens she said, both inside and outside the country, but it remained a strategic partner to democracies such as Germany.

Pham Doan Trang has authored many books, including one defending the rights of Vietnam’s LGBT communities, Gloger describes them as “hand-books for freedom”. She says Trang has been beaten by the police and was detained arbitrarily, twice, for several days in 2018 and currently has no registration papers and is living in hiding.

Pham Doan Trang spoke by video to the Berlin ceremony, concluding by reminding journalists in many other countries, where free media is under attack, that “journalism is not a crime”   

“We have a passion for truth. We have a commitment to changes and we have hope, yes we have hope, the hope that that Vietnam changes and will soon turn to a democracy, turn to a free and democratic country where journalists like me like us can travel everywhere, not to hide from the Police but to listen to unheard voices and tell untold stories”.

A video which was live recorded is available on the IAWRT Facebook group.

 

The Prize for Independence, awarded to journalists for resisting financial, political, economic or religious pressure, went to Malta’s Caroline Muscat.

After fellow Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in October 2017, she helped to create The Shift News, an independent investigative news website committed to combating corruption and defending press freedom in Malta.

RSF says that in the island nation where most media outlets are subservient to the government, she has exposed many cases of corruption implicating local politicians. Although the repeated target of gag suits, The Shift News has refused to comply with content take-down demands from Henley & Partners, a British firm that advises governments on residence and citizenship-by-investment policy. She received an award from the European Commission in 2015 for her journalism,

Caroline Muscat told the Berlin gathering that she would not have been there if wasn’t for Daphne’s assassination. ”She was a journalist who shone light on corruption in the country, she did that with professionalism and integrity, and for that she paid the highest price that you could ever pay.”

“It is our responsibility to stand up when the profession is being attacked.”

A live video is available on the IAWRT Facebook group.

Journalists and media outlets from 12 countries were shortlisted for the three awards which come with 2,500 Euros in prize money.

Among them are a Russian investigative journalist Igor Rudnikov – the founder of the newspaper Novye Kolesa,  who has been attacked several times; Lola Aronovich from Brazil – a blogger who fights against online violence, who has received hundreds of online death threats; and Pakistan’s oldest daily newspaper, Dawn, which continues to resist military rule and is repeatedly harassed by officials. Shortlist for the 2019 international awards.

Edited from RSF and awards night material supplied by Abeer Saady. Sketches RSF/ Luisa Pohlmann

MonicaJumaKenya2

Nairobi, Kenya 

Broadcast journalism, scheduling and acquisition 

What type of projects do you do?

I am a television programmer and handle scheduling and acquisition in Kenya’s public broadcaster, KBC. That means sourcing the right programme and further knowing what will be transmitted and what time it will be aired. As a trained TV producer, once in a while I do features in productions that highlight and bring to the fore matters affecting and impacting the livelihood of Kenyans in a positive and impactful manner.

Why did this sort of work interest you, and how did you get started?

Oooh, straight from high school I joined college and was trained in administration management and went to work in a tour and travels company after graduation.

My friends had always told me I have a beautiful voice and face for TV, If they believed in me that much there must have been  a reason, so I took it seriously and started doing more readings and appealed for alerts on openings if they should come across some.  I had a close relative who worked in the industry and I was called up for an audition when one was available.  I showed up and we were 300+ candidates, but they needed only 3 people.

To cut a long story short, I got it, a TV announcer and the station voice over person for promos and commercials and was 1st on the list. I then invested in myself and took myself to school to study mass communications.

I was then introduced to programming and learnt how to interact with our viewers and was soon scheduling. Two years of training made me learn more on editorial standards and the importance of data and research in order to reach a decision. Then I was introduced to acquisition, as the two are interconnected. Sourcing for programmes locally and internationally was a totally new ball game – talking to distributors, being introduced to new genres and matters such as prices.

The journey has been really exciting, and each day is new; and introducing new programmes in the schedule with the support of management has seen our screen be lit up – the reactions from viewers has been amazing.

I have been at KBC since, growing, learning and building a career I am loving.

What part of this job do you like and find most satisfying?

Whaoo: Just watching a child watching television and enjoying the show; learning how to count using a preschooler; or a lady stopping you on the way to let you know how a particular documentary aired on your channel impacted lives positively and made them start up a business; reading feedback from the viewer requesting a repeat of a programme that inspired them.

Positive reactions make me feel inspired to do more, making me work harder get out of my comfort zone and get better.

What do you not like or find most challenging about working in this industry?

Working in a public broadcaster the public has zero chills for programming they do not like. What would easily pass on commercial channels will be critiqued without a care.

Broadcasting can be so much fun, it can also see you get real personal, working in a public operation means a large budget is not at your disposal and hence there are times you will watch a distributor walk away with a production that you know is good, it is just that you are not able to afford it, that can dishearten me.

My strongest assets/skills, areas of knowledge, personality traits and values are….

I love doing this job, introducing new programmes and introducing film makers to the viewers, I am committed to seeing quality programmes aired, televise new ideas that will impact lives and inspire viewers to change their lives for good.

Has IAWRT’s network of media women around the world helped or inspired you?

IAWRT has been immensely helpful, for me personally. Meeting and knowing ladies whose credentials are impeccable, who sit with me on the same table, allowing me to tag along during their projects and share their knowledge graciously.

I have gone for training sessions sponsored by IAWRT which have been useful.   

What are your long-term goals?

To continue in the industry and be a champion of great programming highlighting issues to do with women and their stories which are different from one region to another. To mentor women colleagues in the industry – as I have been already.

What special advice do you have for other women seeking this type of work?

Equip yourself with the right knowledge and skills – this industry is diverse and keeps changing with new technologies and innovations coming up.

Find mentorship and get in touch with the right people to help you in the industry, it is very important.  There is an African proverb:

’Walk alone and you will go far, walk with other and you will go further and last longer’- in short, find the right teams and walk and work together for greater success.

Be a team player -considering one does not work alone- be ready listen to others opinion, advice and suggestions. Be prepared to receive immediate feedback, wether positive or negative.

Have perseverance- keep to the story, follow it to the very end.

Do you have any special words of warning, or encouragement, based on your experience?

Have listening skills, you are telling someone else’s story, so tell it well.

Machines and technology are changing and taking shape with each dawn, embrace it, have a spirit of learning new techniques.

Keep on keeping on, one day at a time. Always enjoy the gig.