The people of Serbia are starving for the truth. But after years of practice under Milosevic, they remain resourceful, using inventive ways to get any news. There are places where people are literally dying because the press cannot function effectively. Whether it has to do with the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers or word from the government announcing which areas are rebel-free, reliable sources and dissemination of news for a population traumatized by 10 years of civil war are very much desired and cherished. The drive to know and tell the story persists despite the obstacles.
Journalists seek alternative routes, turning when they can to satellite television and the Internet.
And repressive regimes move to close these new conduits. The Chinese government last fall issued stringent regulations on Internet use. But in March, China s largest telecommunications operator signed a deal with a French company for equipment to deploy high-speed Internet access to millions of Chinese. At press time, the Palestinian Authority shut down the West Bank and Gaza bureaus of Al Jazeera, the independent Qatar-based satellite TV station. A documentary offering an unflattering portrait of Yasser Arafat apparently led Palestinian officials to pull the plug.