NAIROBI: A Reuters cameraman, Kumerra Gemechu, was arrested in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday and will be kept in custody for at least two weeks, his family said. He has not been charged.
No reason was provided to the family for Thursday’s arrest, and police did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Kumerra, 38, has worked for Reuters as a freelance cameraman for a decade.
At a brief court hearing on Friday, where no lawyer was present, a judge ordered Kumerra’s detention for a further 14 days to give police time to investigate, the family said.
In a statement on Monday, Reuters news agency strongly condemned Kumerra’s detention. The arrest followed the beating of a Reuters photographer, Tiksa Negeri, by two Ethiopian federal police officers on Dec. 16.
“Kumerra is part of a Reuters team that reports from Ethiopia in a fair, independent and unbiased way. Kumerra’s work demonstrates his professionalism and impartiality, and we are aware of no basis for his detention,” Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in the statement.
“Journalists must be allowed to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are. We will not rest until Kumerra is freed,” Adler said.
Around 10 armed federal police officers arrived at Kumerra’s home in Addis Ababa on Thursday evening and took him away in handcuffs in front of his wife and three children, his wife Hawi Desalegn said. She added that his eldest daughter, who is 10, clung to him screaming as he was led away.
Police also confiscated Kumerra’s phone, a computer, flash drives and papers, according to the family.
Kumerra’s arrest follows government pressure on journalists for some international news outlets which have been covering the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, where government forces have been battling the former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Kumerra covered the Tigray conflict, but Reuters was unable to determine whether his arrest was connected to his work. Government officials did not respond to questions from Reuters about whether his coverage was at issue.
Ethiopia’s media authority, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, accused Reuters and other international media outlets in a Nov. 23 statement on its Facebook page of “false” and “unbalanced” coverage of the fighting in Tigray.
“We stand by our reporting on the conflict in the Tigray region and will continue to report on Ethiopia with integrity, independence, and freedom from bias, as we do all around the world,” Reuters said in a separate statement.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Kumerra’s detention was “the latest example of how press freedom is fast eroding under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after a short-lived hope of reform.”
When CPJ carried out its annual census of jailed journalists on Dec. 1, there were at least seven journalists in custody in Ethiopia for their work, CPJ said in a statement on Monday.
Five of those arrests took place after the Tigray fighting broke out on Nov. 4, according to CPJ.
In a tweet linked to the Reuters report on Kumerra’s arrest, Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa, said he was “extremely concerned by continuing reports of intimidation of journalists in Ethiopia.”
“Freedom of the press is fundamental to any democratic society,” said Nagy, the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. “US resolve to see media freedom respected remains unshaken.”
Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and around 950,000 displaced in the month-long conflict. The government says it is now in control of the restive region, but it tightly controls access, and some areas still do not have cell phone coverage.
Ethiopia’s government, which the TPLF dominated for nearly three decades, frequently jailed critics, including politicians and journalists.
When Abiy came to power in 2018 after protests against the government, he speeded up democratic reforms and oversaw the release of tens of thousands of political prisoners.
However, local and international rights groups have expressed concern about the arrests of thousands of other people following outbreaks of deadly violence around the country.
The government has said those arrested were suspected of fomenting the bloodshed.
“One of the government’s primary roles and responsibilities is ensuring security and stability and that the rule of law prevails,” Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for the prime minister, told Reuters in August after more than 9,000 people were arrested following deadly clashes in the capital and surrounding Oromiya region.
Ethiopian police arrest Reuters cameraman
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Ethiopian police arrest Reuters cameraman
Fake US election-related accounts proliferating on X, study says
- Cyabra’s analysts found that 15 percent of X accounts praising former President Donald Trump and criticizing President Joe Biden are fake
- Despite X pledge to ‘purge bots and trolls,’ fake accounts on the platform are on the rise
NEW YORK: Fake accounts posting about the US presidential election are proliferating on the social media platform X, according to a social media analysis company’s report shared with Reuters exclusively ahead of its release on Friday.
Analysts from Israeli tech company Cyabra, which uses a subset of artificial intelligence called machine learning to identify fake accounts, found that 15 percent of X accounts praising former President Donald Trump and criticizing President Joe Biden are fake. The report also found that 7 percent of accounts praising Biden, a Democrat, and criticizing Trump, a Republican, are fake.
Cyabra’s study is based on a review of posts on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, over two months beginning March 1. The review included analyzing popular hashtags and determining sentiment in terms of whether posts are positive, negative or neutral.
The analysis shows that newly detected fake accounts had increased up to tenfold during March and April.
The report cites 12,391 inauthentic pro-Trump profiles out of 94,363 total and 803 inauthentic pro-Biden profiles out of 10,065 total.
A spokesperson for X did not respond to a request for comment about the fake accounts, nor did representatives from the White House and Trump campaign.
X and other social media platforms have been under greater scrutiny since 2016, when Russia interfered in the US presidential election in an attempt to boost Trump’s candidacy and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Election officials and online misinformation experts are again watching for misleading narratives ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
The fake accounts praising Trump this cycle are part of a coordinated campaign to sway public opinion and influence online discussions, Cyabra said. The report did not identify the individuals or groups behind the campaign.
Cyabra said it made that determination based on evidence including the use of identical hashtags and the fact that fake accounts published posts and comments at the same time. The report found that the fake pro-Trump accounts pushed two main messages: “Vote for Trump” and “Biden is the worst president the US has ever had.”
“The level of coordination suggests that there is a nefarious objective and that there is a whole operation in order to change people’s opinion,” said Cyabra’s vice president, Rafi Mendelsohn.
The fake accounts backing Biden are not part of a coordinated campaign, the report said, as the hallmarks of a coordinated campaign — such as fake accounts posting at the same time — were not identified.
X, which was publicly held until its 2022 takeover by billionaire Elon Musk, has long downplayed the use of fake accounts on its platform. Twitter said in May 2022 that fewer than 5 percent of its daily active users were “false or spam” based on an internal review of accounts. At the time, Cyabra had estimated that 13.7 percent of Twitter profiles were inauthentic.
In an X post on April 4, Musk wrote that a “system purge of bots and trolls” was under way and that the company “will be tracing the people responsible and bringing the full force of the law to bear upon them.” In October the company tested its “Not a Bot” program in New Zealand and the Philippines to combat bots and spammers.
Saudi content creator is among 50 chosen for new TikTok Change Makers program
- 4 creators from region chosen for 6-month initiative spotlighting users who use TikTok to ‘create meaningful change in their communities’
DUBAI: A content creator in Saudi Arabia is one of 50 from around the world chosen by TikTok to take part in its new Change Makers program, which the company said will spotlight creators and non-profit organizations “who create meaningful change in their communities” through their use of the short-form video platform.
During the six-month initiative, TikTok will support selected creators by helping them reach wider audiences and build greater engagement on the platform. It will also offer them assistance with real-world opportunities in the form of dedicated tools and by providing resources and donations.
The platform has chosen 50 creators from around the world, including four from the Middle East and North Africa region, to participate in the new program. Abdullah Al-Alawi, a dentist in Saudi Arabia who uses TikTok to share health-related information in a fun and lighthearted manner, is one of them.
“I’m passionate about spreading content about health, giving back to the community and the environment,” he told Arab News.
Social media “has broken down old barriers, making it easier to reach more people, quickly” and “become a bigger part of our lives,” he added.
Al-Alawi said his main purpose when creating content is “delivering an impactful and positive message that can be beneficial to the community.”
Ensuring such helpful information gets noticed among the mass of content on social media is a challenge, he added, but creators nevertheless have a “big role and responsibility” to provide it and try to make sure it reaches as wide an audience as possible.
“The way people learn has changed and they rely a lot more on social media for updates and getting answers,” Al-Alawi said.
“It’s part of my responsibility, as a content creator, to share my experiences and provide reliable information.”
The other creators in the region chosen for Change Makers are: UAE-based Dr. Jana Bou Reslan, a university lecturer who teaches educational psychology; Abdullah Annan from Egypt, known as “The Arab Science Guy” on TikTok, who makes videos that explain scientific concepts in simple terms; and Mai Gamal, also from Egypt, who is a certified nutritionist and health coach.
As part of the program, TikTok has launched the Change Makers Grant, through which it will donate over $1 million to more than 30 global and local non-profit organizations. The company will also make a $25,000 direct donation on behalf of each of its chosen Change Makers to a non-profit of their choice.
“We’re proud to launch the TikTok Change Makers program to help social-impact creators and non-profit organizations reach more communities, unlock real-world opportunities, and bring about lasting, meaningful change,” said Kim Farrell, the platform’s head of creators.
Riyadh Season’s ad campaign wins Sports Emmy award
- “Battle of the Baddest: Rumble” has been recognized in the Outstanding Promotional Announcement category
LONDON: The Riyadh Season “Battle of the Baddest: Rumble” advertising campaign has scooped a Sports Emmy in the Outstanding Promotional Announcement category.
The 45th awards took place on Tuesday at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York City, US.
The promotional campaign, crafted by creative agencies Droga5 and Accenture Song, was created for last year’s boxing match between former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The event, which took place in October, was one of the highlights of Riyadh Season and garnered 12 awards from 32 nominations at international creative festivals.
The campaign was developed in collaboration with the General Entertainment Authority, Saudi Media Group, American sports channels ESPN and ESPN+, and production company Park Pictures.
Scott Bell, chief creative officer at Droga5 NY, described the project as “a labor of love.”
“It’s deeply gratifying to see it resonate so profoundly,” he said during the ceremony. “Our team at Droga5 and Accenture Song, along with our amazing partners, poured their hearts into creating something truly special.
“This win is a testament to the power of creative collaboration and the enduring appeal of storytelling in sports.”
He also thanked the team at Riyadh Season, SMG, and Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the GEA, for their support.
Alalshikh’s Instagram account shared a link to the advert on YouTube and described the Sports Emmy achievement as “exceptional.”
The 90-second film is inspired by an old boxing saying, “Living rent-free in your opponent’s head,” which depicts the intense psychological and physical preparations by contenders before a fight.
The campaign’s creators and the GEA have won several other accolades, including from The One Show, the ADC Awards, The Clios, The Andys, the Shots Awards, and at Dubai Lynx, where they won three Grand Prix, two golds, five silvers and three bronzes.
Telly Awards names Asharq Network the ‘Telly Company of the Year!’ for 2024
- Asharq Network wins over 100 awards across gold, silver, and bronze categories
RIYADH/DUBAI: Asharq Network, the leading multi-platform Arabic news provider, has once again been recognized for its commitment to excellence, winning 117 awards, including 12 gold, 49 silver, and 56 bronze, at the prestigious ‘Telly Awards’. Notably, the network was named “Telly Company of the Year”.
Established in 1979 in the United States, the ‘Telly Awards’ celebrate excellence across a wide range of categories, from traditional cable television commercials to cutting-edge digital content. Major international brands and companies such as CNN, Fox News, HBO, and Time Warner, also actively participate in these prestigious awards.
The prominent awards recognize Asharq Network’s ingenuity in covering the biggest stories that go ‘Beyond the Frame’.
Since its launch in 2020, Asharq Network has established itself as a leading Arabic multi-platform, earning over 150 global and regional awards for its high-quality programming and content.
In 2023, Asharq Network significantly expanded and diversified its portfolio by adding new audio and video platforms to meet the evolving demands of Arabic-speaking audiences. This included the launch of Asharq QuickTake, Asharq Podcasts, Asharq Documentary, Radio Asharq with Bloomberg, and Asharq Discovery in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. This expansion has further solidified the network's position as the fastest-growing news platform on social media.
Asharq Network competed against a record-breaking 13,000 entries from 5 continents.
In addition to being named the “Telly Company of the Year”, the network’s brands won several other prominent awards. Asharq Business with Bloomberg received a Gold, a Silver and three Bronze Awards in the Video Journalism category for the “Asharq Business with Bloomberg Tech+” show. The “Asharq News Conflict in Darfur Story” won three Silver Awards in the Explainers category, and its coverage of ‘COP 28’ earned two Silver Awards in the Show Opening Segment category.
Asharq Documentary, Asharq Discovery and Asharq Podcasts also won prestigious ‘Telly Awards’. Moataz Aziaza’s documentary promo on Asharq Documentary and the idents on Asharq Discovery were both recognized for their excellence. Additionally, ‘Asharq Podcasts Launch Promo’ won multiple awards in the Promotional Video Editing category.
Nabeel Alkhatib, General Manager of Asharq News, commented: “Being named the ‘Telly Company of the Year’ is a testament to the dedication and creativity of the entire Asharq Network team. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to delivering in-depth analysis and insightful perspectives on the stories, people and events shaping the world today. Our mission is to set a new industry standard by providing content that truly resonates with our diverse audience.”
Steven Cheak, Director of Creative & Branding Services at Asharq News, said: “Being recognized by the prestigious Telly Awards is a great honor for our team. And to be able to compete against such a distinguished lineup of network brands, advertising agencies, and production companies only serves to motivate us to go even further.”
Cheak added: “This honor reflects our tireless efforts to push the boundaries, and ultimately create content that captivates, informs, and inspires audiences worldwide. I would like to congratulate the creative team, who works every day to enrich the way we provide content across all our platforms.”
Arab News takes home 18 Society for News Design awards
- Honors continue newspaper’s winning streak
LONDON: Arab News secured 18 awards at the prestigious 45th edition of the Society for News Design’s competition, continuing its streak of recent accolades.
Saudi Arabia’s first English-language daily won awards of excellence in several categories, including page design for “Spotlight regional year-end collection” and “Events that shook the Arab world.”
The newspaper also received awards for infographics such as “The Kingdom vs. landmines” and the business year-in-review page design for “Beating the global financial turbulence.”
Other awards were received for: “Diriyah E-Prix: New teams, new brand” page design; “New era of Saudi football kicks off” page design; “Hajj 2023: The fast track to Makkah” page design; “Hajj 2023: The step-by-step guide to Hajj” infographics; “A defense industry trailblazer” Spotlight page design; “Egypt feels shark attack’s bite” Spotlight page design; “The ice menace” Spotlight page design; “Opinion Year-End Collection” Opinion page design; “Onions’ tears and inflation fears” Spotlight page design; “Douglas Okasaki” portfolio award; “Saudi Arabia Founding Day 2023” front page design; “King Charles III coronation” front page; “Accession to the British throne” page design; and “Saudi National Day: Why Riyadh?” cover wrap design.
The last two also received Awards of Excellence at the sixth Newspaper Design competition earlier this month.
Omar Nashashibi, head of design at Arab News, said: “Having had the privilege of serving as a judge at SND’s 44th Annual Creative Competition, I’ve seen the exceptional quality of entries firsthand.
“Winning 18 awards, doubling our tally from last year’s competition, is a remarkable achievement for Arab News and our design team, who should be very proud. These awards wouldn’t be possible without their talent and dedication, the world-class illustrators we collaborated with for our Opinion Year-End Collection, and Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abbas’ support and unwavering commitment to excellence in all aspects of our coverage.”
Founded in the US in 1979, SND annually recognizes the best examples of visual journalism worldwide across graphic design, illustration, web design, and infographics.
This year’s competition included entries from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, South China Morning Post, and Bloomberg.
The total number of accolades now won by Arab News has reached 143 under the leadership of Abbas.
Past recognition encompasses a range of special projects, including multiple international awards for “Saudi’s animal kingdom,” “The Kingdom vs. Captagon” deep dive, and the “FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022” special edition.
For more information about Arab News and its award-winning projects, visit https://www.arabnews.com/greatesthits.
