Watching the Shadows

Benghazigate and Internet freedom

The provocateur video that supposedly incited the Benghazi attack is at the center of a persistent news story—but we can't see it, because the Ninth Circuit ordered it suppressed.

East Asia

China detains rights lawyer ahead of 6-4

Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was detained on charges of "causing a disturbance" after attending a meeting to urge an investigation into the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Europe

Cold War time warp in Ukraine coverage

While claiming to withdraw troops from Ukriane's borders, Russia conducted military maneuvers that included nuclear missile tests—as NATO sends a special delegation to Kiev.

Mexico

Mexico: thousands protest ‘Televisa law’

A proposed telecommunications law in Mexico is supposed to undercut monopolies and provide for free expression; opponents say it will do the opposite, and are mobilizaing.

Watching the Shadows

Net neutrality and the extinction of journalism

The end of "net neutrality," now broached by the FCC, portends an "enclosure" of the Internet—and the marginalization of all perspectives not officially approved.

Greater Middle East

Egypt: court upholds sentences of activists

An Egyptian appeals court upheld the jailing of three men who co-founded the "April 6" opposition movement that played a large role in the country's 2011 revolution.

The Caribbean

USAID’s ‘Cuban Twitter’ scheme flops

Under the guise of promoting social media in Cuba, the US government developed a Twitter knockoff to promote "smart mobs" and collect information on Cubans.