CPJ to Vietnam: Stop Censoring BBC

The Committee to Protect Journalists told Vietnam Monday (May 23) to stop censoring the BBC and harassing journalists.

That came after the BBC reported that its news team was prevented from reporting on President Barack Obama's three-day visit to the country.

CPJ says it was told by Jonathan Head, a Bangkok-based BBC correspondent who said his teams accreditation had been pulled by Vietnamese authorities, that the authorities had suspected them of meeting with a leading dissident. The team denied it, but the credentials were pulled anyway.

"Vietnam's harassment of the BBC on such a high-profile occasion shows just how blasé authorities have become about censorship," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ senior Southeast Asia representative, in a statement. "President Obama should make clear to his hosts that the obstruction of journalists will have significant repercussions for bilateral relations."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.