O.P. Jindal Global University
Jindal School of Journalism & Communication Assignment – 1 (External)
Course Name : Radio I: Radio, Voice & Journalism
Course Code : J-CT- 0072
Duration : 7 days (Due: 6 pm on 12th February 2021)
Max. Marks 25
This question paper has SEVEN (7) pages only.
Instructions to students:
· This is a take-home examination.
- Please do NOT write your name, JGU ID or any identification text inside your submission document.
· Please ensure that your submission strictly adheres to JGU plagiarism / Similarity guidelines.
- Ensure the submissions are done in a compatible file format adhering to the guidelines provided in the question paper regarding file format and name of the document.
· Please follow the instructions provided in the question paper regarding name of the document/folder to be submitted. The file should be named as follows:
<JGU ID>_<Name>_<Surname>_Radio-1_Assign-1_JSJC_2020
For Example: 20172291_Ram_Khandelwal_Radio-1 Assign-1_JSJC_2020
- Kindly adhere to the duration/timelines of the examinations. Submission outside the permitted time- window may attract marks-based penalty, grade drop or non-evaluation.
Q.1: In the next few pages, you have been provided a background note on the fictional nation of Zangara, and two fictional case study scenarios involving free speech related issues in this country.
You are required to select and respond to only ONE of the two scenarios.
a. Your response should be in the form of a short essay of a maximum of 500 words.
- The essay presentation must follow the following pattern:
RADIO I / ASSIGNMENT 1: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Situation
(Type in the headline of the situation you have selected)
Response
(Type your answer here in 500 words or less)
- All text must be in 12 point Tahoma or Arial font ONLY, with double line space.
d. Paragraph spacing must be 12 point, after.
- Submissions may be in form of MS-Word documents (.docx) or as PDF documents (.pdf).
Other formats will NOT be accepted. Please do not submit links to online documents. Submit the document itself.
- Marking (out of a maximum of 25) will be based on:
□ Clarity of thought & reasoning
- Language
□ Argument & defense of perspective
- Understanding of basic tenets of FoE
(Proceed to next page for assignment)
The Zangara Times
The National Newspaper of Zangara since 1922
The Democratic Republic of Zangara was founded in 1952. A former British dominion, control passed peacefully into the hands of the native population after an extended freedom struggle that lasted nearly 65 years.
Currently, the population is 22 million people according to the last census conducted in 2010 (or roughly the same as Yemen, Romania or Sri Lanka). The country is about 550,000 square kilometers (bigger than France but smaller than Kenya). To the north-east of Zangara lies the North Sea, and to its west lies the Gulf of Zangara. The capital city of Zangara is Za.
Between the 1850s-1880s, there was a huge influx of immigrants from surrounding countries into Zangara, which sharply increased the populationand also altered the traditional demographic and created a pluralistic society.
These early immigrants had by-and-large assimilated into the local customs and language, including changing their names to local language. At the same time they had maintained their own religion and many of their native cultural traits. Accurate census data are not available for that period of time but roughly half of Zangara’s population arrived during the first wave of immigration. The Zangara demographic remained stable until the late 1980s, when the country started developing at a faster pace than its neighbouring countries. This has attracted a second- wave of immigrants who are in the country seeking better employment. However, these second- wave of immigrants have steadfastly maintained a separate identity and many hope to return to their home countries after a few years.
Currently Zangara can be considered a multilingual and multicultural country with 55 percent of the population speaking the native language, Zangari. The rest speak a mix of different languages. The official religion, Dotari, is practiced by the majority of the country as well as several of the neighbouring countries.
Its economy has traditionally been agricultural but moving towards a mix of industrial-based and technology-based economy, which was further boosted by the discovery of the petroleum reserves in the Gulf of Zangara about 20 years ago. Furthermore, due to the government’s policy of development information and communication technologies (ICTs), Zangara now boasts a vibrant community of tech- savvy young middle class citizenry. This group of youth is well connected with the global issues and is vocal about their opinions on the Internet, through a variety of social networking sites. While the older generation prefers to obtain news from the state broadcaster, TV Zangara, the younger tech-savvy generation is increasingly turning to the Internet and social media for information.
SITUATION 1
The Holy Prophet Illustration incident
Background
In late 2008, a Zangarian writer had trouble finding an illustrator for a children’s book about the life of a Zangarian prophet. Illustrators turned down the job because they feared repercussions from the rising fundamentalists, as depiicting the Zangarian Holy Prophet is considered blasphemy under the primary religion, Dotari.
In other incidents, translators of a book criticizing the Zangarian religion did not want their names to appear on the book cover, and a gallery withdrew an installation by an avantgarde artist inspired by the religion. The editor of the leading Zangarian newspaper, Zangara Times, felt that there were examples of self-censorship and considered them negative development in the freedom of expression.
How it unfolded
The editor of the Zangara Times, in response to what he viewed as a negative development in freedom of expression, wrote to memberrs of the Association of Zangarian Illustrators (AZI)m asking them to draw the Holy Prophet as they envisioned him. Half of the members responded to the invitation. The illustrations were subsequently published in the newspaper on 25 September 2009. These illustrations caricatured the Holy Prophet in various drawing styles but they typically poked fun at the common stereotypes of the religion. One illustration in particular caused a lot of anger among the religious community for a connotation of terrorism.
These illustrations created an unprecedented controversy and uproar that some called the worst crisis in Zangara in recent years. Several weeks after the publication, several neighbouring countries formally complained in writing to the Prime Minister of Zangara, The matter was then brought up again a couple of months later in December of the same year during a meeting at the Group of Nations which has members from 10 countries with similar linguistic and religious
background. Now the issue escalated to an international level. The following is a snapshot of events during that period:
29 Dec 2009: The Foreign Ministers of the Groups of Nations issues a statement criticizing the publications and the inaction by the Zangarian government
26 Jan 2010: The Kingdom of Zusha recalls their ambassador to Zangara and starts to boycott Zangaran goods. An official communiqué from Zanadu, the capital of Zusha, threatens stronger action
29 Jan 2010: The Editor of the Zangara Times appears on TV to explain his position on the matter
31 Jan 2010: The Zangara Times formally apologizes for the conflict and tensions caused by the cartoons, but not for the publication of the cartoons themselves
1 Feb2010: Newspapers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain reprint the illustrations in solidarity with the Zangara Times
5 Feb 2010: Demonstrators set the Zangara embassy on fire in Zanadu
The “Holy Prophet Illustration Incident” has given a lot of food for thought on the debate between freedom of expression and press freedom, and the issue of cultural sensitivity or respect for others’ customs and beliefs. Both sides have valid arguments. On the one hand, some in the religious world were displeased that religious sensitivities were ignored by the so- called “liberal” press who blindly upheld their right to freedom of expression. On the other hand, the Zangara Times and several liberal newspapers argued that the increase in self-censorship due to fear of retaliation by religious extremists is threatening freedom of expression, and by extension the very core of the modern democratic system. Many people were hurt, physically and emotionally by the incident. It was a very precarious and complicated situation indeed!
SITUATION 2
The Govt of Zangara’s ‘Take down’ notices
Background
More and more information is becoming available on the internet now. In order to access information online we are relying more and more on Internet search engines such as Google.com, Bing.com and others. Thesesearch engines find and list the most relevant websites in relation to the keywords you have provided, according to a predetermined algorithm or formula.
As such, Internet search engines have become very important in our lives. Over time, they have also taken on the function of being the gatekeepers of information. A gatekeeper is a metaphor for anybody who has the power to decide what information could be allowed to “flow through” and what is not allowed. In other words, an Internet search engine provides online information for its users but also has the capability of restricting online information.
Many countries demand search engines companies and Internet Service Providers (ISP) censor or block certain websites. An ISP is usually a local company which connects a local user’s computer or network to the global Internet for a fee. A search engine company could be located anywhere in the world. The attempts to block a website could be politically motivated or based on a sociocultural precept. The aim is to control the flow of information in the country and restricting the kind of information the local
users may access.
The OpenNet Initiative (http://opennet.net) based in Canada estimates that more than 40 countries across the globe filter the Internet to varying degrees. Zangara is probably among the most recent to join the club.
How it unfolded
Zangara’s government is much divided regarding what kind of information could be made available to the local users. On the one hand, there are politicians who argue for more control to avoid people using the Internet as a way to incite hatred
and violence. On the other hand, they are those who argue that the Internet should be as free as possible. This policy affects the local ISPs as well as international and local search engines. Search engines that do not filter and exclude certain keywords are not allowed to continue to operate in the country.
Recently a Zangarian court demanded a popular search engine to block certain sites that were deemed too controversial in Zangara’s multiethnic, multireligion and multilingual society. For this purpose, the Zangarian authorities have been issuing ‘take down notices’ to the ISPs and asking for search results to be expunged or blocked by search engines. Non compliance will mean the Zangarian government initiate legal action, including the possible action of banning the ISP from operating, or blocking the search engine completely. In fact, Zangarian authorities also demanded that the search engine turn over personal details of certain users in order to identify the person who uploaded sensitive materials to the Internet.
Zangarian authorities argue that it is only reasonable to ask companies (foreign and domestic) to obey local laws and customs which include not providing links to topics deemed too sensitive on the internet. However, Zangara also represents an extremely lucrative market for Internet companies because it is the fastest growing market in the region.
Thisexample andassignment areadaptedfromanoriginal provided in Freedomof Expression: AToolkit for Students, published by UNESCO (2013), and edited by Ming Kuok Lim
