China Censors Obama Speech

Inaugural address praised as masterful use of language

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's inaugural address showed a literary mastery of language, assorted authors tell the Los Angeles Times. The president's plain speaking and restraint is commended, along with his use of "we" instead of "I." Author Ted Wilmer hails the president's use of "tight language, short sentences and strong images," and his evocative references to past presidents and other historical figures. More»

Rooftop snipers, the vice president sprinting, Denzel in action, and more

(NEWSER) - Yesterday’s all-star concert on the National Mall put the super in supergroup, but the HBO broadcast didn’t catch everything. Here’s some of what went down off-camera, as seen by Jada Yuan of New York:

• Black-clad Secret Service snipers trolled the Lincoln Memorial’s rooftop, packing binocs and “really big machine guns.”
• Audience members gasping at actor Denzel Washington’s presence, with one man exclaiming, “Damn, all the famous black people are here.” Denzel also “did a little dance” and “raised the roof” for singer Mary J. Blige.
• President-elect Barack Obama obeying Jamie Foxx’s command that “Chi-Town, stand up!”

Government, banks, citizens must do their part to fix US

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s inaugural speech will highlight the need for responsibility—among government, financial institutions, and the citizenry, the Washington Post reports as the incoming press secretary described what we can expect in tomorrow. “We need more responsibility and accountability, certainly, in the way our government acts,” Robert Gibbs said. And “obviously, the American people are going to have to give some.” More»

Censorship only builds pressure in Internet age, warns famous artist

(NEWSER) - Authoritarian societies are all about propaganda and control, but the Internet has destroyed both of those pillars, writes the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Guardian . Unlike Russia's glasnost, China never really opened ideologically to the West, only practically. Then came the Internet, and thanks to blogs and microblogs—whether a silly post about breakfast or serious discussions of the news—people in China for the first time have gotten used to expressing themselves. "People have started to feel the breeze," writes Ai. More»

Dissidents fear losing free-speech tool

(NEWSER) - Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called the move a "welcome development," adding that the government has already received "good co-operation" from Google and Facebook. Thais can be jailed just for clicking "like" on a page deemed offensive to the monarchy, the Guardian notes. More»