#reuters ethics and standards editor

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Reuters’ Ethics and Standards editor told HonestReporting on Tuesday that the wire service “disputes” our “claim” that its journalists had “decorate[d] their office with terror symbols.”

This despite photo evidence we exposed last week showing scarves with terror groups insignias decorating what used to be Reuters office in Gaza in 2013:

The man in the photo is Reuters current Head of Visuals for Gaza, Suhaib Jadallah Salem. The photo still appears on his Facebook page.

Like the Nazi Swastika, the emblems on the scarves are of genocidal groups — Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades — that call for the killing of Jews/Israelis (like some of Suhaib’s colleagues in Reuters).

There are only two bad explanations to Reuters’ disturbing response: ” Either it doesn’t view these proscribed terror groups as such, or it is denying indisputable evidence.

The rest of Reuters Ethics and Standards editor Brian Moss’s official response did not address our exposure of its journalists in Gaza receiving awards from senior Hamas officials.

Instead, it said: “On the basis of a close review by the Reuters Ethics and Standards department, we dispute the distorted evidence and insinuations of bias in the HonestReporting September 5th article. We stand by our coverage of Gaza and our team, who operate within the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles…Further, we dispute any claim that our journalists received ‘de-facto bribes from terrorists.'”

But here are the facts, which HonestReporting stands behind:

Our review of Palestinian media revealed that since 2015, the proscribed terror group has hosted annual ceremonies to honor Gazan journalists who had won prestigious international awards, including photographers from Reuters.

This cozy relationship between Gaza’s terror groups and the journalists tasked with covering them objectively is ethically flawed. It exposes the disturbing entanglement between terrorists and the media, shaping a distorted global narrative about Gaza.

Honored by Terrorists

In 2017, Hamas held a commendation event for international award-winning journalists in Gaza, where it honored Reuters photographer Suhaib Jadallah Salem — the agency’s current head of visuals for Gaza (who was photographed in Reuters office in front of the terror groups’ scarves.)

One of the photos from the event shows Suhaib’s brother Mohammed Jadallah Salem, a Reuters photographer who recently won the Pulitzer prize and the World Press Photo award, receiving Suhaib’s commendation plaque on his behalf. Two senior Hamas officials are granting the plaque: Khalil al-Hayya and Mushir al-Masri:

Al-Hayya has publicly called for a fight against Israel as “the head of the serpent,” and al-Masri has vowed to “uproot The Zionists With Our Axes, Knives, Guns.”

Receiving commendation from such terrorists is a mark of Cain. It should get any journalist disciplined by any respectable media outlet.

Yet Reuters journalists — knowing perhaps that their bosses won’t find out or even care — had no qualms getting into bed with Hamas. Another photo from the event shows other Reuters journalists around a table not too far from al-Hayya: Reuters Senior Gaza correspondent Nidal al-Mughrabi is sitting near Suhaib’s brother Mohammed and photographer Ashraf Amra (who was also honored at the event and exposed by HonestReporting for endorsing infiltration into Israel on October 7). Beside them is Belal Jadallah, who headed the allegedly “independent” Gaza Press House:

Suhaib himself attended a separate Hamas commendation event for journalists later in 2017. This time, he was honored for performing the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca:

Suhaib received the commendation from al-Masri and Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum (who have often been interviewed by Reuters), along with the movement’s media officials.

It’s worth noting that four of the Jadallah brothers work for Reuters, in Gaza and Dubai. And the links of the Jadallah family to Hamas go back years. One of the brothers of Suhaib and Mohammed, Sallah, was among the terrorists who kidnapped and killed Israeli soldier Nahshon Waxman in 1994.

The mastermind behind that operation was Moahmmed Deif, who was recently eliminated by Israel. As Hamas’ military chief, Deif was also one of the masterminds behind the October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

If Suhaib and Mohammed were professional journalists, such background wouldn’t necessarily matter. But if they have been hosted and honored by Hamas, it’s alarming.

Unethical Nexus

Top news editors probably know it’s impossible to be a journalist in Gaza without links to Hamas, which controls the information flow. In other words, professional journalism in Gaza is impossible, and news outlets should admit it to their audience.

But being hosted by Hamas, receiving its commendations, and displaying terror groups’ insignias isn’t a case of journalists even trying to be professional. This is an agenda-driven, cooperative, symbiotic, reciprocal, and personal nexus that benefits each side.

A Hamas statement from one of the commendation events said it best:

The media office of Hamas organizes this annual event to honor creative journalists for the fourth year in a row, in appreciation of their efforts in serving the Palestinian cause.

Journalists who violate the agency’s code of ethics by receiving de-facto bribes (or at least benefits) from terrorists to “serve the Palestinian cause,” and decorate their office with terror symbols, are not deserving of international praise or the defense of the Reuters Ethics and Standards department.

[eretzyisrael]

Background

Six media outlets still employ 20 biased journalists who were exposed by HonestReporting this year. Reuters, AP, AFP, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CBS News, continue letting these journalists report on Israel, even though their faults have been revealed:

They either illegally infiltrated into Israel during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, captured atrocities, shared terrorist propaganda, expressed anti-Israeli views, were honored by Hamas, or had unethical ties with proscribed terror groups.

These journalists dangerously mix journalism with activism. How can these outlets believe they can report on Israel objectively, without letting their views contaminate their coverage? Demand accountability from Reuters, AP, AFP, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CBS News: These journalists must no longer be allowed to report on Israel for any respectable publication.

How You Can Help

Sign our Petition

Amplify your voice, demand accountability, combat anti-Israel bias, and ensure ethical journalism through impactful collective action.

Write to Editors

Support HonestReporting's fight for accountability by sending an email directly to those responsible for standards at their media outlets.

Post to social Media

Share this call to action far and wide. After you take action, ask everyone you know to share this page.

[warninggraphiccontent]

24 July 2020

Missing numbers

Investment in preventive services, like children's centres and youth services, could make a real difference to children's lives - but the lack of consistently good-quality data makes it difficult frontline staff, local authorities and central government to understand what works.

That's one of the conclusions of a new report I've published with my colleague Colm and the excellent team at Nesta. We hope that as well as being useful to those in the children and young people's sector, the findings - and the recommendations - will be useful more widely to people working with and thinking about data. There's a graphic for thinking about data in different ways, and everything.

In brief:

On the subject of Missing Numbers... you may remember the project launched last year by Anna Powell-Smith (Data Bites presentation here). This week, she's launched the Centre for Public Data which will look at improving data provisions in new legislation. It's a great idea. More details here.

Data has gone missing from DCMS (well, bits of policy, including 'government use of data' and open government), as responsibility has been transferred back to the Cabinet Office. My lukewarm take here.

We're missing Data Bites this August to give me/everyone a summer break. Back in early September. Watch back the archive here.

Flourish joined the ranks of those subject to missing attribution this week. They also join a very select group that includes Neil Kinnock.

In case you missed it, yesterday marked a year since Boris Johnson became Conservative leader, and today marks a year since he became PM. It's been another quiet year in British politics, etc.

Finally, Warning: Graphic Content will be missing from your inboxes over the next few weeks as I take whatever passes for a holiday in these strange times. There definitely won't be a newsletter next week, and it will be intermittent through August. Have a lovely summer (or whatever passes for that in the UK or wherever you are), and see you again soon!

Very best

Gavin

Today's links:

Tips, tech, etc

End of the office: the quiet, grinding loneliness of working from home (The Guardian)

Digital remote working - research findings (Essex County Council)

The home-working revolution: new normal, old divides?* (New Statesman)

How well does working in open work when working from home? (Nick Halliday and others)

Putting feeling into policy making (CSaP)

Make a mask (Reuters)

Graphic content

Viral content: coronavirus

Our history is a battle against the microbes: we lost terribly before we developed vaccines to protect ourselves (Our World in Data)

Where the Virus Is Sending People to Hospitals* (New York Times)

After the Recent Surge in Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Are Now Rising Too* (New York Times)

A Detailed Map of Who Is Wearing Masks in the U.S.* (The Upshot)

The World Is Masking Up, Some Are Opting Out* (Bloomberg)

The UK And US Were Ranked Top For Pandemic Preparedness. What Went Wrong? (Huffington Post)

How to Understand COVID-19 Numbers (ProPublica)

T-cells: the missing link in coronavirus immunity? (FT)

When a simple gif is possibly the only way to show something: news desk wanted a size comparison of antibody, virus and T cell (FT via Ian Bott)

Viral content: consequences

The psychological toll of coronavirus in Britain – a visual guide (The Guardian)

Which jobs can be done from home? (ONS)

Amid a Deadly Virus and Crippled Economy, One Form of Aid Has Proved Reliable: Food Stamps* (New York Times)

US airlines fly in different directions in middle-seat debate* (FT)

How Remote Work Divides America (Reuters)

The costs of coronavirus: Just how big is £190 billion? (House of Commons Library)

US politics

Race and America: why data matters* (FT Data)

What Coronavirus Job Losses Reveal About Racism in America (ProPublica)

Republicans And Democrats See COVID-19 Very Differently. Is That Making People Sick? (FiveThirtyEight)

New polling makes clear what Trump refuses to see: His pandemic response has been a political disaster* (Washington Post)

At least 76% of American voters can cast ballots by mail in the fall* (Washington Post)

Everything else

The Living Standards Audit 2020 (Resolution Foundation)

Ministerial directions (Oliver for IfG)

Civil service pay (IfG)

Location of the civil service (IfG)

How much warmer is your city? Behind the scenes of our climate change interactive (BBC Visual and Data Journalism)

Where does the British public stand on transgender rights? (YouGov)

Meta data

MOG OMG

Machinery of government change: government use of data (and commentary from me)

DCMS loses government data policy to the Cabinet Office (Computer Weekly)

Cabinet Office takes charge of government use of data again (Civil Service World)

Viral content: testing times

Coronavirus: England's test and trace programme 'breaks GDPR data law' (BBC News)

Coronavirus: Government admits its Test and Trace programme is unlawful (Sky News)

Government admits that NHS Test and Trace programme is unlawful* (Wired)

Viral content: the only way is app

Coronavirus: The inside story of how government failed to develop a contact-tracing app (Sky News)

Cheap, popular and it works: Ireland's contact-tracing app success (The Guardian - 'works'?)

Data collection in new Covid-19 app ‘troubling’ (Belfast Telegraph)

Coronavirus: New NHS England contact-tracing app may bring 'personal benefits' (Sky News)

Coronavirus: The great contact-tracing apps mystery (BBC News)

Isle of Wight infection rates dropped after launch of contact tracing app (The Guardian)

Government

A No10 data science unit could create more problems than it solves (Lewis for IfG)

DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION: Data to support policymaking (ODI)

Scotland’s Census to be moved to March 2022 (National Records of Scotland)

A few final reflections as Chief Statistician (Welsh Government Data and Digital blog)

Addressing trust in public sector data use (CDEI)

Driving forward trustworthy data sharing (CDEI)

The continuing excellent performance of the ONS in this pandemic... (Tom Forth)

ICO hails transformative year as average fine trebles (Computer Weekly)

Resources and tools (GOV.UK Design System)

Government sets out draft agenda for a 21st century tax system (HMRC, via Gemma)

Data ethics and AI guidance landscape (DCMS)

Creating great online services: how we test services in our research lab (Inside DVLA, via Oliver)

The digital government atlas 2.0: the world's best tools and resources* (Apolitical)

ICO launches self-assessment Freedom of Information toolkit (ICO)

Public services

Missing Numbers in Children’s Services: How better data could improve outcomes for children and young people (IfG/Nesta)

Health data chief says UK’s data deficit in social care during COVID-19 a “catastrophe” (diginomica)

Six months of binnovation in Leeds (ODI Leeds)

Big tech

The inside story of Babylon Health* (Prospect)

Should you delete TikTok from your phone? (The Guardian)

Uber drivers to launch legal bid to uncover app's algorithm (The Guardian)

Europe must not rush Google-Fitbit deal (Politico)

Recovery from Covid-19 will be threatened if we don't learn to control big tech (The Observer)

Vestager has tasted defeat, but she should not stop chasing Big Tech (The Observer)

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is working to launch a university that would rival Stanford and MIT and funnel tech workers into government work (Business Insider)

From Russia with ****

We need a single agency to be responsible for UK elections (Democracy Club)

The Russia report has shown our election laws are dangerously out of date (The Independent)

Sharing is caring

How Schrems II will impact data sharing between the UK and the US (Computer Weekly)

Further (unhappy) thoughts on Schrems II (Panopticon)

Applying new models of data stewardship to health and care data (ODI/The Health Foundation)

Frameworks, principles and accreditation in modern data management (Felix Ritchie and Elizabeth Green, UWE Bristol)

How Wikidata might help the Smithsonian with its mission to diffuse knowledge (Wiki Education)

Everything else

Professional standards to be set for data science (Royal Statistical Society)

Understanding Machine-Readability in Modern Data Policy (Data Foundation)

Data and the Future of Work (Common Wealth)

Talking about data (Citizens Advice)

We are facing a global crisis of widespread unverified information (DCMS Select Committee)

White Paper on Artificial Intelligence - a European Approach: contributions to the consultation (European Commission)

The UK address mess: a way forward? (Peter Wells)

Public attitudes to science 2019 (BEIS)

Opportunities

JOB: Head of Data Infrastructure (ESRC, via Catherine)

JOBS (HDR UK)

JOBS: Technology opportunities (ICO)

EVENT: Exploring data institutions: trustworthy, sustainable access to data (ODI)

And finally...

Sport and entertainment

Defining the ’90s Music Canon (The Pudding)

Empty stadiums have shrunk football teams’ home advantage* (The Economist)

Does home advantage exist without football’s partisan fans?* (FT)

Sneak preview: The Seinfeld Chronicles (Andy Kirk)

Politics

As it's #WorldEmojiDay, can you guess the Conservative MPs? (Conservatives, via Pritesh)

congrats to Newspoll, who, according to the Courier Mail's Sunday editorial, surveyed a whopping 124% of Queenslanders to find just 59% were satisfied with the Premier (Sinéad Canning, via Sarah)

Breaking: there is one new case of a disgraced politician in New Zealand (The Spinoff)

Everything else

Stop resisting it, editors - the vast majority of people say "data" should be treated as singular, not plural (YouGov)

We should start a competition (Maarten van Smeden, via Nick)

Food hazards from around the world data competition (University of Bristol, via a quantum of sollazzo)

Penguins (Allison Horst/Oli Hawkins)

Alright, let’s go back to hating pie charts. (Randy Olson, via Nick)

[freelanews-blog]

Nigerian military targeted journalists’ phones, computers with “forensic search” for sources

By Jonathan Rozen/CPJ Senior Africa Researcher Hamza Idris, an editor with the Nigerian Daily Trust, was at the newspaper’s central office on January 6 when the military arrived looking for him. Soldiers with AK47s walked between the newsroom desks repeating his name, he told CPJ. It was the second raid on the paper that day; the first hit the bureau based in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where Idris had worked for years. The soldiers did not know what Idris looked like and his colleagues did not point him out, he said. Unable to find their target, they ordered everyone to evacuate and seized 24 of the paper’s computers. Idris simply filed out with everyone else. In Maiduguri, however, the military arrested Uthman Abubakar, the Daily Trust northeastern regional editor, with his two phones and computer, CPJ reported at the time. He was held for two days, interrogated about his sources for a report written with Idris about a military operation in the region, and then released without charge. “They took the devices to their computer forensics room,” Abubakar told CPJ. “They conducted some forensic search.” The Daily Trust raids are emblematic of a global trend of law enforcement seizing journalists’ mobile phones and computers—some of their most important tools. CPJ has documented device seizures around the world, from the United States to Slovakia to Iraq. In Benin, police copied data from the seized computer of Casimir Kpedjo, the editor of Nouvelle Economie newspaper, CPJ reported in April. And in Tanzania, during the detention of two CPJ staff in November 2018, intelligence officers took their devices and boasted about Israeli technology that could extract their information. Forensics technology designed to extract information from phones and computers is marketed and sold to law enforcement agencies around the world. CPJ has found at least two companies that produce digital forensics tools—Israel-based Cellebrite and U.S.-based AccessData—operating in Nigeria, where CPJ research shows that security forces regularly arrest and interrogate journalists. Recent Nigerian national budgets feature significant financial allocations to bolster surveillance and digital forensics capacities. From 2014 to 2017, the Nigerian government spent at least 127 billion naira (over US$350 million) on “surveillance/security equipment,” according to a 2018 calculation reported by Paradigm Initiative, a Nigeria-based digital rights group. “Evidence showed that these purchases were made for political reasons, especially by the then authorities in power to monitor their adversaries and political opponents,” that report said. One of Nigeria’s major security concerns is the years-long conflict in the northeast against Boko Haram and splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). Hours before the raids on Daily Trust’s offices, the paper had published a report about a Nigerian military effort to retake six towns from Boko Haram. In a statement published on Facebook the next day, a Nigerian army spokesperson said the report had divulged classified information, “undermining national security” and contravening Nigeria’s Official Secrets Act. Privacy is enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, and law enforcement agents must obtain a judicial warrant to search computer systems under Nigeria’s 2015 cybercrime law. However, the 1962 Official Secrets Act gives sweeping powers for security forces to grant themselves warrants to search and seize all materials considered evidence, as well as arrest those suspected of committing offenses under the act. On January 10, four days after the raids, Nigerian military investigators summoned Idris and Nurudeen Abdallah, the Daily Trust investigations editor, to question them about their sources for the report, which they refused to reveal, they told CPJ. Then the officers demanded their phones. “They said they want to scan it,” Idris told CPJ. “They said just want to see the contents and then maybe the numbers of the people I talk to—I said no.” The officers told them a server for scanning technology was housed at the Office of the National Security Adviser, the president’s top security aide, Abdallah told CPJ. The journalists said they had not brought their phones, and refused several follow-up requests to return with them. CPJ reached Sagir Musa, a Nigerian military spokesperson, by phone on October 9 and asked about the Daily Trust raids. Musa said he could not hear and asked to be sent a message before the line went silent; subsequent calls and messages went unanswered. Calls to Onyema Nwachukwu, director of defense information for the Nigerian military, also went unanswered. An individual within Nigerian law enforcement told CPJ that security forces use Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) and Forensic Toolkit (FTK) to retrieve information from devices. UFED is sold by the Israel-based company Cellebrite, which is owned by the Japan-based SUNCORPORATION, while FTK is sold by the U.S.-based AccessData Group. The individual agreed to speak to CPJ due to concerns about the technology’s possible misuse, but asked that their name be withheld for fear of reprisal. Cellebrite’s website says their UFED product can “xtract and decode every ounce of data within digital devices” and that their equipment is deployed “in 150 countries.” Company records stolen by hackers and reported by VICE News in 2017 suggest client relationships with Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. federal law enforcement has also invested in the Cellebrite technology, according to government procurement information listed online and media reports. In Nigeria, “authorities seized Samsung phone” during his arrest “and extracted and analyzed data from it using UFED,” according to a case study publicized on Cellebrite’s website. Separately, Cellebrite’s UFED was used in Myanmar to “pull documents” from the phones of then jailed Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, The Washington Post reported in May 2019. Cellebrite said it required clients to “uphold the standards of international human rights law” or it may terminate their agreements, according to the Post’s report. Cellebrite’s terms and conditions state that products, software, and services are to be used “in a manner that does not violate the rights of any third party.” CPJ reached Christopher Bacey, Cellebrite’s director of public relations, by telephone in mid-September to request clarification about the company’s sales in Nigeria, and if the company reviews countries’ human rights records or considers the rights of journalists to protect their sources. At his request, CPJ sent questions by email, but received no response before publication. Msao Koda, who works in Cellebrite sales for SUNCORPORATION, similarly requested questions by email in September and did not respond before publication. Like Cellebrite, AccessData advertises FTK as a tool to identify information on “any digital device or system producing, transmitting or storing data,” including from web history, emails, instant messages, and social media. It also boasts capacity to “ecrypt files, crack passwords, and build a report all with a single solution.” In 2011, System Trust, a Nigeria-based digital security company, established a sales partnership through DRS, a South Africa-based cybersecurity company, to distribute AccessData technology, the Nigerian Vanguard newspaper reported at the time. System Trust CEO Philip Nwachukwu told CPJ by phone that the Nigerian security forces were not among his clients for their technology, but that he was not sure if AccessData had other business relationships in the country. He also emphasized that digital forensics equipment should be deployed ethically. “I can’t be a state actor and feel like I have the power, then go and invade the privacy of an individual,” he said. Several CPJ calls to AccessData’s corporate headquarters in the U.S. were forwarded by an operator, then rang unanswered. Interview requests sent to two email addresses provided over the phone by people at their London and Frankfurt offices also went unanswered. CPJ’s repeated calls to DRS in early October were forwarded to cybersecurity specialist Zach Venter. On one occasion, Venter asked that CPJ call back after 30 minutes. Subsequent attempts to reach him via phone and messages were unsuccessful. Uthman Abubakar’s devices were returned shortly after his release from detention in Maiduguri, but it was nearly seven weeks before the 24 computers confiscated during the second raid were returned, Mannir Dan-Ali, Daily Trust’s editor-in-chief told CPJ. The paper would not be using them again, he said. For information on digital safety, consult CPJ’s Digital Safety Kit. Read the full article

[savetopnow]

2018-04-04 06 NEWS now

NEWS

Associated Press

Midlife 'wealth shock' may lead to death, study suggests

First person sentenced in Russia probe draws 30 days, fine

Trump wants military to secure border with Mexico

APNewsBreak: US suspects cellphone spying devices in DC

Police respond to reports of shooting at California YouTube

BBC News

Tearful reunion with missing daughter

Two trains hit trucks on crossings in Georgia, US

Meet the Ethiopian man who walks on his hands

Superintendent: Why teachers carry guns in Fayetteville

Slow death of the 'Amazon of its age'

Chicago Tribune

Man pleads guilty to sex trafficking for recruiting a teenage girl who was slain weeks later

Sleeping girl shot while mom handles gun at party in Lansing, police say

O'Hare's on-time performance improves, moves from bottom of the pile to middle: FAA

Deerfield bans assault weapons and high-capacity magazines

3 young men grabbed girl off street in Sauk Village, sexually assaulting her in vacant home, police say

LA Times

Active shooter at YouTube's California headquarters prompts big police response

Active shooting at YouTube headquarters brings huge police response

Scene of terror, blood, fear at YouTube headquarters amid active shooting

CBS makes low-ball bid for Viacom and stipulates that Moonves must be in charge

If two eyes are good, four were even better for this lizard species

NPR News

Lithuania Foreign Minister Weighs In On Security Of Baltic States

President Trump Considering Sending Troops To U.S.-Mexico Border

Conspiracy Theories About MLK's Death Continue, But Investigators Say Case Is Closed

California Attorney General Says State Will Fight To Keep National Emissions Standard

A Look At The Ethical Questions EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Is Facing

New York Times

Asia and Australia Edition: China, Spotify, Fake News: Your Wednesday Briefing

The Triumphs and Trials of Memphis

Dr. King Said Segregation Harms Us All. Environmental Research Shows He Was Right.

Shooting Reported at YouTube Headquarters in California

The Best TV Shows and Movies New to Netflix, Amazon and More in April

ProPublica

Addiction Drug’s Side Effect: More Overdoses?

ProPublica and NPR Win Investigative Reporters and Editors Award

A Betrayal

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan Builds Power From the Ground Up — And Sometimes From the Basement

How Overbuilt Levees Along the Upper Mississippi River Push Floods Onto Others

Reddit News

States, cities sue U.S. to block 2020 census citizenship question

Johan van Hulst, Who Helped Save 600 Children From the Nazis, Dies at 107

Man shot in head on Facebook Live by woman playing with loaded gun

Oklahoma teachers strike for 2nd day, canceling class for 230,000 kids

New Jersey cops search a man's anus and genitals for weed during traffic stop

Reuters

Spotify makes record-setting direct listing; shares jump, then slide

Police in California respond to 'active shooter' at YouTube offices

Exclusive: CEO Zuckerberg says Facebook not planning to extend European privacy law globally

Oklahoma teachers take demands to state capitol in second day of walkout

Trump seeks Syria pullout as advisers warn on Islamic State

Reveal News

Nation’s largest janitorial company faces new allegations of rape

A group of janitors started a movement to stop sexual abuse

The Hate Report: How white supremacists recruit online

New documents about Jehovah’s Witnesses’ sex abuse begin to leak out

California is preparing to defend its waters from Trump order

The Altantic

West Virginia's Teachers Are Not Satisfied

This Average Joe Is the Most Quoted Man in News

The Unsinkable Benjamin Netanyahu?

Eric Garcetti Isn't Expecting Much From Washington

The Particular Horror of Church Shootings

The Guardian

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning overhead kick helps Real Madrid floor Juventus

West End theatres cancel shows after gas leak in central London

Sevilla 1-2 Bayern Munich: Champions League quarter-final first leg – as it happened

YouTube incident: police respond to reports of shooting at headquarters

Canelo Álvarez pulls out of Gennady Golovkin fight over doping ban threat

The Independent

London shootings: Teenage boy dies in hospital day after gun attack in Walthamstow

YouTube HQ: Police confirm there's an active shooter at company campus

Wives of twin brothers give birth on the same day

Monsoons in Bangladesh could bring 'enormous deaths' to Rohingya refugee camps

Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning bicycle kick goal helps Real Madrid walk over Juventus

The Intercept

Donald Trump’s New Policies Could Make It Harder for Torture Survivors to Get Asylum

How John Bolton Wants to Destroy the Constitution to Attack North Korea

A New Study Shows How American Polarization Is Driven by a Team Sport Mentality, Not by Disagreement on Issues

Israel Kills Palestinians and Western Liberals Shrug. Their Humanitarianism Is a Sham.

Donald Trump and the GOP Are Expanding a Controversial Obama-Era Public Housing Program

The Quartz

Who really killed Martin Luther King Jr.? His family says the wrong man went to prison

Donald Trump’s last trick to cut spending in the bill he already signed

Spotify’s IPO confirms it’s worth more than Hewlett-Packard and General Mills

A cooking show controversy over crispy chicken reveals the lack of culinary diversity on TV

Silicon Valley, intent on disrupting food, is now taking aim at hangovers

Wall Street Journal

Trump Calls for Military to Guard Southern Border

Trump Vows Quick Exit From Syria

Italy Seeks New Government Across Deepening North-South Divide

Vatican Deal Would Keep China in Charge of Church, Beijing Says

Israeli Leader Cancels Agreement to Resettle African Migrants

[chiefchaosstudentblr-blog]

buy research paper online social movements Emerald Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change

Follow us on Twitter: @EmeraldSoc. Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change. Editor: Dr Patrick G. Coy Subject: Sociology and Public Policy (view other series in this subject area) Volumes from this series are included in the Thomson Reuters Book Citation Index Information: Author guidelines | Publication ethics Other: Recommend this book series Also available in our: Emerald Social Sciences eBook Series Collection Online access: Online table of contents | Latest Volume RSS. Information Page. Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change publishes top-level peer-reviewed research that has helped define and advance scholarship in social movements, conflict resolution, and social and political change for more than 40 years. The series was established in 1977 by editor, Louis Kriesberg, the Maxwell Professor of Social Conflict Studies at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Today the RSMCC series continues its leading role as an important outlet for quantitative and qualitative data-driven research. Many leading scholars have published their work in Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, including Elise Boulding, John Burton, Amitai Etzioni, Myra Marx Ferree, John Foran, Johan Galtung, William Gamson, Andre Gunder Frank, Craig Jenkins, Lester Kurtz, Jane Mansbridge, Doug McAdam, John D. McCarthy, Alberto Melucci, David Meyer, Christopher Mitchell, Sharon Erickson Nepstad, Pamela Oliver, Karl Dieter Opp, Sarah Soule, Suzanne Staggenborg, Jackie Smith, David Snow, Verta Taylor, Charles Tilly, and Mayer Zald. Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change creates new knowledge about central aspects of human life: why and how we organize into movements for political and social change, and why and how we engage social conflicts. Social movement scholars have used the RSMCC series to tackle cutting edge problems in advancing social movement theory while other scholars have used the series to explore new frontiers in conflict resolution or nonviolent studies. For the latest news, publication alerts and debates. Publication ethics. This publication adopts the Emerald Publication Ethics guidelines which fully support the development of, and practical application of consistent ethical standards throughout the scholarly publishing community. If undertaken successfully, we can then increase our Return On Investment (ROI). Be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of your organization. It should distinguish between where your organization is today, and where it could be in the future.... View more ...

[todaynewsstories]

Researchers consider ethics of addressing race in biomedical studies

(Reuters Health) – Three opinion essays in a major medical journal address the ethics of addressing race in biomedical studies.

Race and medical research have a long history together, much of it lamentable, and new genetic discoveries raise new questions about the role race should play in the future, the essays in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate.

In one essay, Keith Wailoo from Princeton University in New Jersey looks at historical aspects of race and medicine. Focusing on medical discoveries tainted by racism, he reviews the career and aftermath of Dr. J. Marion Sims, once praised as a “father of modern gynecology” for his pathbreaking surgical treatment of vaginal fistulas in women. Dr. Sims developed experimented on black slave women who underwent up to 30 operations over four years without anesthesia. (The anesthetic properties of ether had been discovered but the gas was not widely available).

The attitude at the time was that black bodies were more tolerant of pain and hard labor, and experts of the time invoked or invented biological explanations to explain disease disparities.

These beliefs persisted well into the 1960s as defenders of segregation continued to assert fundamental differences between races. Segregation “fostered the development of separate and unequal hospitals; raising barriers to entry for African Americans into health professions; endorsed the marginalisation of black midwives; and supported white-only state medical societies,” Wailoo wrote.

Old views on race continue to appear, he said. “For instance, two years ago a provocative report was published that noted that medical students and residents at a leading institution held unfounded and deeply mistaken beliefs about blood of black and white patients coagulating at different rates, skin of black patients being thicker than skin of white patients, and African Americans having lower sensitivity to pain. In medicine and society, the ghosts of bygone racism are always present.”

In another essay, Vence L. Bonham and colleagues from National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland consider how race, ethnicity, and ancestry data are (and should be) used in biomedical research.

“It is time to bring the stakeholders together (including researchers from different disciplines, clinicians, and editorial boards of journals) to build consensus on what we must consider in the use of race and ethnicity in biomedical research and publications,” Bonham told Reuters Health by email.

“Use of race and ethnicity as a surrogate for understanding an individual patient’s genetic background is problematic,” he said. Furthermore, he added, “Patient care must look at the social and environmental background of patients along with their genomic make up to understand influences on health.”

A third essay considers the appropriate – and inappropriate – use of data on race and ancestry in medical journal articles. Researchers need to avoid “simply reinforcing the normative view of race as the great social divide without offering fresh insights or bringing attention to an unrecognized problem,” according to Dr. Richard S. Cooper from Loyola University Medical School, Maywood, Illinois and co-authors.

“Race/racism has . . . negative consequences for broad segments of the population beyond minority or other stigmatized groups,” Cooper told Reuters Health by email. “I think it is necessary to begin to place the everyday outcomes of institutional and personal racism in perspective.”

Racialised thinking and practice, he said, can be used to “divide the opposition or unite one’s followers” while “a variety of progressive reforms (health care, benefits for unemployment, public schools, etc.)” are “ignored or neglected . . . while scapegoating the vulnerable and weak.” Racialised thinking can also be used, he continued, “to create a sub-population required to take low paying jobs, thereby also set a low floor on wages and expectations.”

“The discussion of race as a biological or social construct has become more complicated because of the evolving science of genetics and ancestry,” conclude Executive Editor Dr. Phil B. Fontanarosa and Editor in Chief Dr. Howard Bauchner in a related editorial. “JAMA remains committed to exploring complicated medical, scientific, ethical, legal, political, and social issues in medicine and in medical research.”

SOURCE: bit.ly/2xAX18I, bit.ly/2xAXuI0, bit.ly/2xzaC0A and bit.ly/2xzA8Cy JAMA, online September 24, 2018.

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[guywithgreensunglasses]

Data and Distrust: audience analytics is both a cornerstone and pitfall of new journalism

Last week’s Demystifying Media course featured Jessica Clark, a person whose job description is hard to pin down into a concise description. She is the director of Dot Connector Studio, a media strategy and production firm, as well as the editor of Immerse, an online news site. She also has a background in media research, and currently works a research affiliate at MIT’s Open Doc Lab, which studies forms of documentary. Her talk spread the myriad of her journalistic experience, dabbling in media analytics, new technologies and the future of journalism.

On the first talking point, media analytics, Clark is an expert. Because of her immense background in media research, she has become a leading authority on forecasting media use among audiences that serve to increase social impact for her clients. In 2014, she started working with media impact funders, the people who pay the big bucks. “The funders rule the day in the field that I’m a part of,” she said. Companies rely heavily on audience analytics to determine the scope and engagement on the materials that they publish online. Clark uses that kind of data to make recommendations for future media content.

  An article published this week on Medium also spoke to the importance of what the authors called, “measurable journalism.” It featured interviews with media professionals who work in the field speaking to the importance of media analytics, and advising how data measurement can be improved. Rodrigo Zamith, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said that the current media environment demands audience data-gathering more than ever. “We are witnessing a new wave of audience measurement in journalism that is driven by audience analytics,” he said.

Matt Carlson, Associate Professor at St. Louis University, agreed on the importance of audience analytics, but warned that current measurements can oversimplify audience engagement, leading companies to adopt “clickbait” strategies that undercut the integrity of journalism without creating lasting engagement. “I am always worried that user data becomes so fetishized that we forget it can only ever be a partial representation,” he said. “We talk about such complex terms as impact or engagement but then we look for simple measurements.”

All of this intense focus on analytics helps to why Clark’s services have become so popular. She has crafted games and eye-catching diagrams that present step-by-step strategies for companies to grow their services and reach new audiences. She said her media strategy deck, for instance, has been featured in workshops, classes, conferences all around the world: from Denver, to Jakarta, to Budapest and beyond.

However, analytics have also been under the gun recently. Cambridge Analytica, the data collecting company that was hired by the Trump campaign, recently shut down because of mass condemnation over its obtaining information on millions of Facebook users. An article in The Verge covered the story, highlighting the role that media had in leading to the company’s demise. According to a statement from Cambridge Analytica, “The siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the Company’s customers and suppliers.” However, the company also pointed out that they broke no laws in collecting users’ data through a personality test app. What they did was not even out of the ordinary. The statement went on to read that its data analytics strategies have been “widely accepted as a standard component of online advertising in both the political and commercial arenas.” Regardless of the legality of its actions, people still saw this as an invasion of privacy. This marks a gray area in the analytics industry that will likely be more hotly contested in the months and years to come. The company’s actions have already sparked hearings in the U.S. and U.K., and brought Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, before Congress to testify. As Clark pointed out, all of this comes at a time when American trust in media coverage is at all time low.

Right-leaning Americans are twice as likely to say they mistrust the news than those on the left, according to a 2018 report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Overall, just 38% of Americans say they trust the news media in general (only 53% say they trust the news they consume). She has been involved with a project for the Knight Foundation called “Trust, Media & Democracy,” which aims to determine the reasons for these record-low numbers.

Much of this points to the current presidential administration. Starting April 19, journalists have been busy reporting on the relationship between Fox News personality Sean Hannity and President Trump. The President’s personal lawyer, who has been under criminal investigation by the FBI, was forced to admit on April 16 that Hannity is also one of his clients, a fact that the conservative host has failed to disclose to the public, despite journalistic codes of ethics. Hannity has been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, calling the FBI investigation into Russia’s possible collusion with the 2016 presidential election a “witch-hunt” that “is now a runaway train that is clearly careening off the tracks.” He devotes most of his weeknight broadcasts to defending the President, while inciting distrust in major news organizations like The New York Times, CNN, and any who critique the President. He laments of, “rampant corruption” among these types of publications, an ironic claim in light of these recent developments. Nevertheless, many Americans — my father included — now believe that long-trusted news groups have biases toward their reporting.

There is no clear answer to solving these problems. Even Clark, with her wide-ranging expertise, did not voice any silver bullet solutions. She hopes that through publications like Immerse, that promote the voices of experts and give comprehensive coverage to complex current event topics, that audiences will believe once again in the importance of good reporting. It may be a long climb, but Clark certainly has the work ethic to continue the fight.

[phooll123]

Costa Rica chooses new 

president in conservative country split over gay rights | News | DW

Opinion polls going into Sunday's presidential runoff showed the two candidates in a virtual tie, with the only certainty that the winner will be named "Alvarado."  However, the two men are not related. Carlos Alvarado of the incumbent Citizens' Action Party stood on a platform of reining in the deficit, improving education and maintaining ecological standards. He was labor minister in the former government, in power since 2014. Fabricio Alvarado is an evangelical pastor who heads the National Restoration Party — a party name that many construe as a loaded term for turning back the clock on equal rights. He came from nowhere in the first round of the presidential election held in February to head a field of 13 candidates with 25 percent of the vote, over Carlos Alvarado's 22 percent. Neither of the candidates came close to the 40 percent of the votes needed to claim an outright victory. The two men took opposing stands on a January ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) that had urged the recognition of same-sex marriages.

Fabricio Alvarado had a one-point lead going into the run-off

Fabricio Alvarado, conservative preacher The 43-year-old Fabricio Alvarado slammed the IACHR ruling, calling it an affront to traditional values. He threatened to remove the country from the court's jurisdiction. "We're united... in defending life and family, but also to defend ethics and transparency and the battle against corruption," Fabricio Alvarado said in an video appeal to Catholics on Saturday. Catholics account for more than 60 percent of the population while evangelical protestants represent about 20 percent. Fabricio Alvarado is a former TV newscaster, a gospel singer and a member of the archly-conservative Protestant Pentacostal movement. He was endorsed last week by the candidate who came third with 18 percent in the preliminary round, Antonio Alvarez.

Carlos Alvarado at a campaign rally

Carlos Alvarado, former labor minister The 38-year-old Carlos Alvarado was labor and social security minister in the last government and is a political scientist and writer. He studied literature at college where he also sang in a rock and roll band. The previous president, Luis Guillermo Solis, had grown increasingly unpopular over the past year — not least because of a corruption scandal and partly because of his strong embrace of gay rights. In 2014, Solis ordered the gay pride flag to fly alongside the Costa Rican standard atop the presidential office to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It was the first time any head of state had done so in the Americas, and it generated headlines around the world. At a last-minute election rally Carlos Alvarado called on his supporters: "Let's go out and vote. Let's go out and win" On the campaign trail, Carlos Alvarado lamented the international attention the gay-pride flag-raising had provoked. He said he would have favored "more positive news, like Costa Rica beating Mexico 3-0" at soccer. Costa Rica has 3.3 million eligible voters. Polls close at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday (Monday 0100 UTC). The results should be known late Sunday or early Monday. The new president will be in power for a four-year term. bik/jm (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa) Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

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[allineednow]

<p>Sen. Al Franken fights for his survival</p>

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Al Franken, who until two weeks ago was one of the Democratic Party's brightest stars, is currently fighting for political survival amid mounting allegations that he committed sexual abuse and a solidifying resolve within his party to take a hard line on any such transgressions.

The senator from Minnesota's problems were compounded Thursday on two fronts: A fifth accuser, this one an Army veteran, stepped forward with an account similar to three others who have claimed they were groped while posing for pictures with the former "Saturday Night Live" star.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken finishes a news conference on Capitol Hill on Monday. Not one of his fellow Democratic senators have called for him to resign, but his position appears shaky. Reuters/Yuri Gripas

John Conyers

Meanwhile, a move by leading Democrats to force another lawmaker out showed an increasing eagerness to immunize the party on an issue that's turning into a social movement.

In the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her three deputies called on Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., the longest-serving member of Congress, to resign in the face of accusations that he abused female aides for at least two decades. "Zero tolerance means consequences for everybody," Pelosi said.

Her comment had repercussions on the other side of the Capitol, where the comedian-turned-senator has become one of his party's sharpest and most effective combatants against the Trump administration although Pelosi didn't mention Franken. He has been cited as a possible 2020 contender.

"In light of Pelosi demanding that Conyers step down, I do not know how Franken can endure it," said Jim Manley, who was a longtime top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.

Not one of his fellow Senate Democrats has called to resign; the party line has been that he should be taken care of by the Ethics Committee.

But more and more Democrats outside the Senate are currently saying that it is now untenable for Franken to stay in office, regardless of the fact that his crimes are arguably of a lesser degree than those of the other cases that have dominated the news. Conyers, as an instance, has been accused of demanding sexual favors of female aides.

At the House on Thursday, two more Democrats -- caucus chairman Joseph Crowley, N.Y., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio -- called on both Franken and Conyers to leave Congress. Earlier in the week, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said both men should resign.

Privately, many Democrats are coming to the same conclusion about Franken, said political strategist Lis Smith. "I have not talked to a Democrat behind the scenes that thinks this guy should stay," Smith said.

Franken signaled Thursday that he intends to stay put. "I know I've got a great deal of work to do to regain people's trust," he said in a statement given to The Washington Post. "However, I remain committed to continuing to work as hard as I can for my constituents."

Democrats don't need to be viewed as having a double standard on the issue of sexual abuse, party strategists said.

They frequently bring up the fact that President Trump sits in the Oval Office after boasting of primitive acts on a now-famous "Access Hollywood" video, and despite the fact that more than a dozen women have come forward saying he really behaved that way with them.

Sexual abuse has also become a central question in a Dec. 12 special Senate election in Alabama. Democrats have a chance of winning a seat in that state, thanks mostly to the fact that former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore, the Republican nominee, has been accused of making sexual advances to girls when he was in his 30s.

But there are indications that the allegations against Franken may be weighing down efforts by Democrats to gain momentum.

Some polls show Moore may be recovering, and Trump aides credit that in part to accusations from Franken and media figures drawing attention according to two people.

Concerns about Franken seem to be growing among Democratic donors. Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA, among the largest and most active Democratic super PACs, tweeted Thursday: "This is not complicated. Conyers should resign. Franken should resign. Moore should drop out or be defeated. Hypocrisy on the other side doesn't justify hypocrisy. Period."

Racial questions figure as Congress considers how to deal with among its members. Conyers is African-American.

"There are, to my count, five of those allegations against Al Franken. There are four, three or four, against the congressman," Conyers's lawyer, Arnold Reed, stated, in a Detroit news conference where he rejected Pelosi's call for his customer to resign.

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[csrgood]

Swarovski Supports Trust Conference to Advance Women’s Rights and Fight Slavery

For the fourth consecutive year Swarovski is supporting Trust Conference (November 15 – 16), which brings together thought leaders and change makers to find real solutions to empower women, fight slavery and advance human rights worldwide.

Trust Conference is an annual event in London gathering over 700 delegates from around the world to discuss women’s rights, women’s empowerment, modern-day slavery and forced labor. Founded in 2012 as Trust Women, the event has changed its name to Trust Conference to reflect its wider focus on all human rights issues, while keeping women’s rights and anti-slavery at its core.

With Swarovski’s support, Trust Conference (organised by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Thomson Reuters) has created a dynamic platform for global corporations, lawyers, government representatives and pioneers for human rights to come together and shed light on these pressing issues. Over the two-day event, delegates will engage in thought-provoking discussions, share their expertise, propose innovative solutions and, most importantly, commit to taking ambitious actions to create real change.

Key speakers at this year’s conference include, Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco-Age and Founder of the Green Carpet Challenge; John Morrison, Chief Executive of the Institute for Human Rights and Business; and Nazir Afzal, Former Chief Executive of the Police & Crime Commissioners for England & Wales.

Swarovski and Trust Conference share common values. As a company with a largely female customer base and workforce, Swarovski actively seeks to promote women’s empowerment — both among its employees and in the wider community. The company is committed to conducting business in a lawful and ethical manner and to protecting the right of all individuals to be free from slavery and any kind of forced labor in the workplace.

Swarovski recognizes that the private sector has a key role to play in building a sustainable future for all. The company’s support for Trust Conference forms part of its drive to align its sustainability efforts with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly working towards gender equality.

For more information about Swarovski’s sustainability strategy, please visit www.swarovskigroup.com/S/aboutus/Sustainability.en.html

For more information about Trust Conference, please visit www.trustconference.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Swarovski has a 120-year heritage of responsibility – we think in generations, not quarters. We aim to be a leader in sustainability, performing in greener and fairer ways to ensure we create a positive impact in society and thrive long into the future.

We align our efforts with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, commit to the United Nations Global Compact and the Women’s Empowerment Principles.

We are part of the UN Women UK National Committee Corporate Advisory Group, supporting UN Women in its mission for gender equality.

Across the business we promote a healthy work-life balance, equal access to career advancement and development opportunities, and the option of flexible working arrangements where appropriate.

We are creating a more diverse and inclusive leadership through mentoring and leadership programs.

We have used internationally recognized standards, including EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) certification to assess the internal landscape of gender equality in our Austrian headquarters.

On International Women’s Day 2017, Swarovski colleagues globally pledged their support to advance gender equality.

We work closely with the Swarovski Foundation to support on-the-ground efforts with charity partners that provide access to training, education and economic opportunities, which lead to empowered roles in society for women. 

Swarovski Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members and has a global reach with approximately 2,800 stores in around 170 countries, more than 27,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.6 billion euros in 2016. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2016, the Group generated revenue of about 3.37 billion euros and employed more than 32,000 people. A responsible relationship with people and the planet is an integral part of Swarovski’s heritage. The global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 461,000 children on the world’s greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote wellbeing, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact. www.swarovskigroup.com

Thomson Reuters Foundation The Thomson Reuters Foundation acts to promote the highest standards in journalism and spread the practice of legal pro bono worldwide. The organisation runs initiatives that inform, connect and empower people around the world: access to free legal assistance, editorial coverage of the world’s under-reported news, media development and training, and the Trust Conference.

source: http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/40568-Swarovski-Supports-Trust-Conference-to-Advance-Women-s-Rights-and-Fight-Slavery?tracking_source=rss

[touristguidebuzz]

Overtourism Issues Can No Longer Be Brushed Aside as Someone Else’s Problem

Tourists pose for a photo in a flooded St. Mark's Square. Venice has become the poster child for overtourism. Manuel Silvestri / Reuters

Skift Take: After a couple of years bubbling below the surface, the overtourism concept has broken into mainstream public consciousness this summer. Tourist boards and travel companies can no longer deny its existence; there is an urgent need for these groups to work with destinations to ensure a better balance.

— Patrick Whyte

Skift Editor’s Note: Europe’s place as the world’s most popular tourist destination is being challenged from within.

Recent protests against overtourism in Barcelona and Venice, both of which welcome millions of visitors each year, show the backlash is gaining is gaining some traction with grievances ranging from sky-high housing prices to rising pollution levels.

The tourism industry is yet to come to grips with the problem and there is a tendency to downplay the issue, but the scale of the protests this summer show that it is not going away. Indeed, with falling airfares, the rise of low-cost carriers and the continuing proliferation of Airbnb, the issue is coming increasingly to the fore.

Earlier this year, we published a story from research company Euromonitor, which looked at the impact of overtourism on communities and the potential for change. Given the current scale of disenchantment it seems an opportune time to revisit the piece.

With 2017 being the United Nations’ International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, now is as good a time as ever to take stock of the opportunities and challenges faced by tourism providers trying to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry.

While tourism is important to many local and national economies, overcrowding is changing the perception of the benefits of mass tourism. Spain is a prime example of a country struggling with its popularity.

Barcelona’s relationship with tourism has been shaky for a number of years now. Already in 2014, the documentary “Bye Bye Barcelona” highlighted the negative impact of mass tourism on the city. Locals fear that they will be priced out of the housing market, eventually resulting in Barcelona losing population diversity and character. The local government has stopped issuing licences for new hotels and has banned change-of-use permits required for holiday lets.

And Barcelona is not alone. As of 2017, Santorini is limiting the number of cruise visitors to 8,000 per day. Local activists in Venice have asked government to ban cruise ships stopping in its harbour, as cruise visitors have quintupled in the past 15 years. Cinque Terre on the Italian coast is capping the number of visitors to 1.5 million per year. Popular attractions including Machu Picchu and Mount Everest are capping the number of visitors and require visitors to be accompanied by a recognised guide, and Zion National Park is looking at proposals to limit visitors through a reservation system.

Capping tourists is a drastic measure, and surely not something destinations would like to do. It is often seen as a last resort, and the fact that more and more tourist destinations see no other way to remain sustainable and competitive is telling of the apparent failure of other initiatives.

Defining Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism development is not a new phenomenon. Already in 1992 the International Hotels Environment Initiative was launched. And since then the drive by organisations in the tourism industry to implement the concept of sustainability has led to the growth of many alternative formats of tourism. From eco-friendly to ethical, the objective of sustainable tourism is to retain the economic and social advantages of tourism development, while reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural, historic, cultural or social environment.

Source: Euromonitor International

Governments, Businesses, and Individuals All Must Take Responsibility

The problem with sustainable tourism development, as most of the key issues of our time, is that it requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. As Trump’s recent insinuation that climate change is a hoax created by the Chinese shows, this participation and commitment is not always easy to find. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process, and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism development can only be achieved if governments, businesses and individuals take responsibility for improving their (and others’) behaviour. While understanding of behaviour is improving, taking responsibility is often lacking.

The Business Case for Sustainable Development Falls Short

Hotel companies provide a good example of what can be achieved through commitment, but also what is still unachievable if efforts are not concerted and far-reaching enough.

The business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of the strongest arguments in favour of sustainable development in the hotel industry, with many hotels implementing CSR practices to increase their profitability. Most major hotel chains have their own set of targets to reduce the negative impact on the natural environment and provide benefits for the local community. Concerted efforts such as the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) see hotel chains collaborate to increase their influence and to share best practices.

However, hotels implementing sustainability practices to reduce money can only take us so far. The same goes for airlines who are seemingly focusing solely on technological innovations to improve their environmental performances. To achieve genuinely sustainable tourism development, companies will need to go beyond the business case and use truly innovative thinking around traveler expectations, and use sustainability practices to shape and improve experiences.

The Attitude-Behaviour Gap Provides Challenges

One glaring issue here is that there is persistently conflicting data on what travelers really want. While surveys show that individuals feel increasingly responsible about their impact on the environment, this does not necessarily translate into action, a phenomenon that has in the past been referred to as the 30:3 syndrome. While 30% of respondents to a survey claimed to be ethical consumers, only 3% actually bought ethical products.

This provides a difficult situation for tourism players. On the one hand, providing sustainable products and services can be pushed as an entry-level way for people to interact with ideas around sustainable development and their personal impact. On the other hand, it promotes increased consumption, while in the long run reducing consumption might be the key to combating climate issues. Luxury hotels, in particular, have struggled with asking its guests to reduce their consumption after they have paid large amounts to stay in the hotel.

It Starts With Information

Change is in the air, however, and it all starts with information. One thing is beyond doubt: in order to get guests to change their behaviour, companies need to start providing better information. Without providing information, individuals cannot be expected to know why and how to change their current behaviour.

Take the following example: local produce has seen a strong rise in popularity in the past decade, and supermarkets and hospitality establishments are increasingly offering a wide range of locally sourced foods. When considering the environmental impact of food consumption, however, it is often far from clear whether it is better to, for example, buy tomatoes which are produced locally in an artificially heated greenhouse, or whether to opt for the naturally ripened, and subsequently flown in, tomatoes from a country with a warmer climate. This means that for consumers it is often hard to decide whether a product is truly more ethical than alternatives, or whether a company is “greenwashing”. The result is consumers mistrusting information provided by companies, and companies subsequently providing less CSR information, spiralling into a vicious cycle.

The Environmental Certification Landscape Reduces Clarity

One way to combat the fear of greenwashing, is by licensing good behaviour. Environmental certification schemes provide travelers with more accurate information about the environmental performance of destinations and hotels, and offer management a save way of promoting their achievements.

Again, however, there are issues here. The sheer number of certification schemes offered, and the way they are monitored, is a point of concern. There are over 100 sustainability certification schemes for tourism and hospitality organisations. The large number of schemes means that they become less recognisable and less trusted by travelers, especially since each geographical region has its own certification scheme. The proliferation of different certification schemes, and other programmes and standards, has the opposite effect to what it tries to achieve. Instead of providing clarity regarding which hotels are the frontrunners, the sheer number of different programmes only clouds the market.

How to Move Forward

The terms “responsible tourism” and “sustainable tourism” indicate that this is only a part of all tourism, and today this reasoning runs true. However, at the current trajectory, in 10 years, all tourism will have to be responsible and sustainable. As Fabian Cousteau said at the WTTC Global Summit 2016: “I look forward to the day when there is no sustainable tourism. Just tourism.” This shift results in travelers increasingly expecting their airlines, accommodation providers, tour guides and attractions to be environmentally and socially responsible.

In the past decades, tourism has gone from being sidelined to being one of the key industries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The tourism industry needs to own up to its responsibility and see sustainable development as an opportunity to improve the longevity of the very product the industry relies on. Working together with all stakeholders, including local communities, regulators, employees, guests and competitors, will be key to the success of the tourism industry in the long run.

Today, the overwhelming reason for tourism businesses to implement environmental practices is to reduce costs. This “light-green” approach to sustainable tourism development falls short, and it is likely that practices which save costs will become the norm. Hotels will need to try and stand out through truly innovative thinking around guest expectations and using sustainability practices to improve experiences. Running a successful business will mean involving employees, local communities, and guests in equal measures in the decision-making process.

Wouter Geerts is Senior Travel Analyst, Euromonitor International

Euromonitor International is a leading provider of global strategic intelligence on consumer markets, with offices in London, Chicago, Singapore, Shanghai, Vilnius, Santiago, Dubai, Cape Town, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Sydney and Bangalore and a network of 800 in-country analysts worldwide. Euromonitor International’s analysis of the global travel industry covers a wide range of categories, including tourist flows and expenditure, lodging, transportation, car rental, cruise, tourist activities, travel intermediaries, online and mobile travel.

[allineednow]

<p>Sen. Al Franken fights for his political Success</p>

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Al Franken, who until two weeks ago was one of the Democratic Party's brightest stars, is currently fighting for political survival amid mounting allegations that he committed sexual abuse and a solidifying resolve within his party to take a hard line on any such transgressions.

The senator from Minnesota's problems were compounded Thursday on two fronts: A fifth accuser, this one an Army veteran, stepped forward with an account similar to three others who have claimed they were groped while posing for pictures with the former "Saturday Night Live" star.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken ends a news conference on Capitol Hill on Monday. His position appears shaky, although not one of his fellow Democratic senators have called for him to resign. Reuters/Yuri Gripas

John Conyers

Meanwhile, an increasing eagerness to immunize the party on an issue that's turning into a social movement was shown by a move by Democrats.

In the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., along with her three deputies called on Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., the longest-serving member of Congress, to resign in the face of accusations that he abused female aides for more than two decades. "Zero tolerance means consequences for everybody," Pelosi said.

Her remark had repercussions on the other side of the Capitol, where the comedian-turned-senator has become one of his party and best combatants against the Trump government although Franken was not mentioned by Pelosi. He has been mentioned as a possible 2020 presidential contender.

"In light of Pelosi demanding that Conyers step down, I do not understand how Franken can endure it," said Jim Manley, who was a longtime top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.

Not one of his fellow Senate Democrats has yet called to resign; the party line was that he should be taken care of by the Ethics Committee.

But more and more Democrats outside the Senate are saying that it has become for Franken to stay in office, regardless of the fact that his crimes are arguably of a lesser degree than those of the other cases that have dominated the news. Conyers, as an example, has been accused of demanding sexual favors of female aides.

In the House on Thursday, two more Democrats -- caucus chairman Joseph Crowley, N.Y., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio -- called on both Franken and Conyers to leave Congress. Earlier in the week, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said both men should resign.

Privately, a number of Democrats are coming to the same conclusion about Franken, said political strategist Lis Smith. "I have not talked to a Democrat behind the scenes that thinks this guy should remain," Smith said.

Franken signaled Thursday that he intends to stay put. "I understand I've got a great deal of work to do to regain people's trust," he said in a statement given to The Washington Post. "However, I remain committed to continuing to work as hard as I can for my constituents."

Democrats don't need to be seen as having a double standard on the issue of sexual abuse, party strategists said.

They frequently bring up the fact that President Trump sits in the Oval Office after boasting of crude acts on a now-famous "Access Hollywood" video, and in spite of the fact that more than a dozen women have come forward saying he actually behaved that way with them.

Sexual abuse has also become a central question in a Dec. 12 special Senate election in Alabama. Democrats have a chance of winning a seat in that conservative country that former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore, the Republican nominee, was accused of making sexual advances to girls when he was in his 30s.

But there are indications that the allegations against Franken might be weighing down attempts to gain momentum.

Some polls show Moore might be recovering, and Trump aides privately credit that in part to accusations from Franken and media figures drawing attention according to two people.

Concerns about Franken appear to be growing among donors. Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA, among the largest and most active Democratic super PACs, tweeted Thursday: "This is not complicated. Conyers should resign. Franken should resign. Moore should drop out or be defeated. Hypocrisy on the other side does not justify hypocrisy. Period."

As Congress considers how to deal with two of its members racial questions also figure. Conyers is African-American.

"There are, to my count, five of these allegations against Al Franken. There are four, four or three, against the congressman," Conyers's lawyer, Arnold Reed, stated, in a Detroit news conference where he rejected Pelosi's call for his customer to resign.

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