Blogging gaining support........

Constable of St Helier Simon Crowcroft, one of the more enlightened of our twelve Constables is a Blogger!

Here in this brief interview he supports Citizens Media and we hope he does so when PPC bring their propositions to the States on Media access. As part of the ongoing debate into Blogging, Citezens Media and the "accredited" Press - Channel Television will be broadcasting a feature on these issues this Thursday.

We (The Voice) will be posting an "in-depth" interview with Constable Crowcroft regarding the regeneration of the "St Helier Ghetto" on voiceforprotest in the next day or so.

"Journalism" the JEP way.

The JEP once more has "come up trumps." Those of you who have read the previous postings on here regarding how the Scrutiny Chairmens Panel have come up with a new "rule" in order to hinder members of the public and Bloggers videoing Scrutiny hearings will be aware this is almost certainly a dicrimatory "rule" and was put in place purely to "inhibit" Bloggers and not accommodate them.

One could be forgiven after reading this in the JEP that we have an open Goverment trying to be transparent. When nothing could be further from the truth.

It is a shamful piece of "Jounalism" where the "Journalist" has taken a soundbite from Ben Shenton and published it with doing little or no research at all!

I have e-mailed the JEP and offered them the "facts" as their story is a very poor reflection of them (the facts.) I even phoned them to offer the facts and talked with Andy Sibcy, who told me Rob Shipley or Chris Bright wouldn't want to talk with me. The "facts" are members of the public were allowed to video Scrutiny hearings up until, I believe, the 18th of February this year. After a complaint was made about VFC our esteemed leaders must have thought "how do we shut the Bloggers up"? and came up with this ridiculous new "rule" It wasn't as the JEP published. "Senator Shenton said that the whole matter of filming Scrutiny hearings came to light when a member of the public wrote on his blog that he wanted to video one".

The JEP are now in possession of the facts but as Andy Sibcy informed me they will not be publishing them unless they run with the story at a later date, never let the facts get in the way of a good story eh? I wouldn't mind but it's not even "a good story" it is a "sounbite" which is inaccurate and in my opinion misleading.

What future can the JEP believe it's got when it peddles out this kind of tripe? If you haven't watched the video's and extensive reporting on this subject please scroll down on the main page and watch them, it has been covered in depth and paints a very different picture to that of the JEP.



Here is a copy of the content, in the unanswered, e-mail I sent to their online editor.

For reasons only known to yourself you have once more "censored" fair comment made by me on the Scrutiny videoing article submitted by Dolores Cowburn here http://www.thisisjersey.com/2009/03/26/scrutiny-may-open-up-to-video-cameras/ It is a missleading article and not factual. I believe your paper should issue an apology to it's reader for misleading him/her. For the "real story" please look here http://voiceforjersey.blogspot.com/. If there is no apology given I shall make a complaint to the relative authority. For the benefit of the people BCc'd in to this e-mail here is my "fair comment" that was not published.

"Either Ben Shenton has told you a complete pack of lies or this is yet another piece of ill researched shoddy "journalism" one has come to expect from your paper.Start reporting the "facts" and give your readers the "truth" of how members of the public have been filming Scrutiny Panel hearings for quite some time. And how the Oligarchy and it's media are trying to squash the public and it's opinion in a discriminatory manner.You people at the JEP are so, so, sad. Somebody tell Shipley and Bright about the internet will you"? VFC.

Blogging Censorship continues

Deputy Bob Hill who is a supporter of citizens media tabled a question, to the States today and this is how it read.

“Will the President advise whether the Chairmen’s Committee has decided to prevent members of the public from filming at scrutiny hearings, and if so, will the Chairman explain why the decision was made, what consultation, if any, took place and does the Chairman consider his Committee’s decision conducive to the principles of openness and accountability?”

We (The Voice) will publish the chairman Ben Shenton’s answer in full when it is released on Hansard. In the meantime, the decision to discriminate between Citizens Media and our ever so dutiful “accredited” Media stands. Several members of the States spoke on the subject and sounded sympathetic towards the freedom of Citizens Media. But let’s not kid ourselves here, the censorship “foot stampers” are still the majority.

Fellow Blogger Senator Stuart Syvret gives us his views (see video). I did ask some “anti’s” for their view including Senator Sarah Ferguson, who sits on the panel that dreamed up this discriminatory nonsense but needless to say she declined………….

P.S. Sorry about the audio quality (the noise of the wind) but I am still paying for the camera and can’t afford a decent mic yet, perhaps Scrutiny might sponsor us?????

Scrutiny V Blogging rights continued........

Although Senator Shenton is chairman of the Scrutiny Panel Committee that has effectively censored video Bloggers he is uncertain - as this latest interview confirms - whether his Committee has such powers or the means to apply them!!

Alas, it is yet another example of our so called "elected representitves" leaping in to legislate, with dubious authority and without evidence of justification.

These rules were specifically aimed at "The Voice" but we weren't even consulted and we still don't know what is planned next. The matter has been referred to PPC and more legislation is threatened which will affect all media and all our rights of "free expression"

Scrutiny V Free speech.The battle for Bloggers begins!

Srutiny Panels were supposedly created in order to make Jersey Government more accountable and transparent.

Until the 18th of Feb 2009 anybody could make video recordings of Scrutiny Panel meetings. But then, the Scrutiny Chairman's Committee decided that "Bloggers" like us and the general public must not video without prior permission. A Chaiman's "veto" was thus effectively created - but it does not apply to Channel TV, Channel Online, BBC or any others of the "accreditted Press".

We were not invited to comment. There was no published agenda. The committee meeting was not open to the public. We have spoken with 5 of the 6 committee members - 4 "can't remember" if there was a vote the other says "there was no vote". Minutes of the meeting won't be available for another month................

CITIZENS MEDIA is under attack.

Senator Jimmy Perchard's outburst is not an isolated voice from the establishment. Be in no doubt - this Government wants to silence Bloggers like us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ironically on the 2nd of March 2009 10;12;00GMT Anonymous filed some very interesting comments about these matters here http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.com/2009/02/most-entertaining-diversion.html

For information on Human Rights and Freedom of Expression look at Article 19's site here http://www.article19.org/