Ivan Lewis should be careful what he wishes for

SHADOW culture secretary Ivan Lewis has sparked controversy with his ideas for press regulation. He told the Labour Party conference that journalists "guilty of gross malpractice should be struck off", raising the prospect of licensing the press. Lewis might want to consider the following examples of severe press regulation abroad before his next speech.
 
Syria
 
Even before the uprising and the harsh crackdown which followed, Syria was in the bottom 10 of Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index. Known as the "kingdom of silence" for its abuse of state of emergency powers, Syria holds journalists to a restrictive press decree, passed in 2001. It can mean prison for journalists who "attack the prestige and dignity of the state, national unity or army morale".
 
Russia
 
At the height of Cold War hostilities Russia had a reputation for obstructing, intimidating and killing journalists. In 2006, crusading investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead outside her Moscow home in what Philip Jacobson called "another of Russia's media murders that never get solved". The Guardian's Luke Harding was denied entry to Russia after working on the Wikileaks cables. He was told: "For you, Russia is closed".
 
Israel
 
Journalists go through an extensive vetting process before being granted a government press card, which is rarely granted to independent writers or those who criticise Israel. This practise has allowed the military (seen above) to control the release of information on sensitive subjects, as with Operation Cast Lead, when only a few select reporters were allowed into Gaza. Journalists aboard last year's Gaza Flotilla reported that their equipment was confiscated.
 
Fiji
 
In 2009, Reporters Without Borders wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, objecting to the introduction of public emergency regulations. The regulations prevent media reports that "give rise to disorder" or "promote disaffection or public alarm." Several journalists have been arrested for "negative" writing and newsrooms are policed by security officials.
 
Rwanda
 
A fixture at the foot of the press freedom index, and last year's Presidential election showed why. The state-influenced Media High Council suspended two weekly newspapers for purportedly inciting violence. One of the weeklies - Umuvugizi - continued to operate under its deputy editor Jean-Leonard Rugambage, but he was killed soon after in suspicious circumstances. "(President) Kagame allows less political space and press freedom at home than Robert Mugabe does in Zimbabwe," the Economist said. ·