OT -- One more sign of the demise of a free press...

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Viacom's Redstone: Journalism shouldn't offend foreign governments

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The chairman of Viacom Inc., which is poised to take over CBS, said today that international news organizations should report the truth but avoid being "unnecessarily offensive" to foreign governments.

As they expand their global reach, media companies must be aware "of the politics and attitudes of the governments where we operate," said Sumner M. Redstone.

"Journalistic integrity must prevail in the final analysis. But that doesn't mean that journalistic integrity should be exercised in a way that is unnecessarily offensive to the countries in which you operate," Redstone said at a news conference.

His comments were significant in light of Viacom's impending purchase of CBS and the venue -- a forum of global business leaders in China.

The communist government in Beijing has jailed domestic political critics and journalists, tries to keep tight control on information and has tried to curb access to its media markets by foreign firms, especially those seen as unfriendly.

Viacom has encountered resistance from Chinese regulators. Its MTV music video network has been relegated to secondary cable channels and poor time slots in many Chinese media markets.

The $35 billion takeover of CBS will put Viacom in the news-gathering business.

The news magazine Time -- whose parent company Time Warner Inc. organized the Fortune Global Forum in Shanghai -- has had its latest edition pulled from the international hotels in China where it is normally sold, a senior Time executive said. Although no reason was given, the issue contains articles written by exiled dissidents.

Time Warner chairman Gerald M. Levin, speaking at the conference, said the magazine "raised some concerns" with the government.

"While I don't necessarily agree with that, it's not going to change the conduct of our journalism or the nature of our business in China," said Levin, who appeared with Redstone at the gathering of 300 senior executives from foreign companies.

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), September 28, 1999

Answers

Thanks pshannon,

(((Shakes head)))

Thank goodness... and freedom... for the internet!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 28, 1999.


And people wonder why Matt Drudge is so popular! As self-imposed censorship spreads, alternate news sources will surface...and prosper. Nice business opportunities abound for all you entepreneurs!!

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 28, 1999.

Lets see now Sumner old buddy, the Chinese didn't really attack those citizens with tanks at Tiammonn Square a few years back, they were just investigating like the FBofI did at Waco. It wasn't the gobmints fault that those fools committed suicide right there on the TV. Your people do a good spin job h_ll the gobmint was just ensuring domestic tranquility and protectin the people.

-- Ed (Ed@bb.bbb), September 28, 1999.

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