A government can be formed her conservative party is negotiating with the social democrats on forming a coalition. Goals here with the news grid in a little over twenty five minutes here on aljazeera right after this weeks edition of the listening post next. On counting the cost some of the biggest names in take out with record earnings but theyre also under scrutiny by regulators in whats being called at the sec clash a look at business relations between the u. K. And china plus another scandal in the german Auto Industry counting the cost at this time. Russia. And mike. In the west. Hello richard gives birth in europe the listening post here are some of the media stories weve been tracking this week both russia and cambodia have elections upcoming its not a great time to be an opposition figure or journalist in either having difficulty getting followers on twitter thats ok just by some more journalists have been arrested in turkey over a story the governments clearly sensitive about and the alternative swearing in ceremony in nairobi that was meant to send a political message. Russias president ial election takes place about six weeks from now the kremlin has been clamping down on critical voices and as the opposition politician at the heart of this story Alexei Navalny will tell you theres nothing particularly subtle about the governments tactics no volley was arrested last weekend is you tube based channel was shut down in the middle of a broadcast he was probably banking on the attention that he gets from global news outlets International Coverage along with his online following have been central to the volleys media strategy as the kremlin has steadily tighten the screws on domestic news outlets over the past few years ownership of mass media in russia has shifted almost entirely into the hands of the kremlins allies moscow has also blocked access to v. P. N. To the Virtual Private Networks that allowed citizens to surf. Invent censorship online and a new law is in the works that would require some journalists and bloggers to register as foreign agents its no wonder that the loudest voices in russia these days are those who call president Vladimir Putin a National Savior our starting point this week is moscow. Not to sell Alexei Navalny short but his arrest last weekend in moscow is not really fall under the category of breaking news in russia its the fourth time of all these been arrests since calling for a boycott of a president ial election in which he has been banned from running. Both his arrest and the storming of his foundations you tube studio in mid broadcasts would tailor made moments for the meet. Look i should also small digital its not going to end the line in the coming future. That sound you hear is a chainsaw the police playing very part in the new spectacle this particular video is rated erratic during the conversation that the hosts are having while the police is trying to break through the door of the beating of a they calling themselves journalists youre working for a politician and this is a political channel probably youre not really a journalist and this whole video falls into alec saying of all these contain strategy he knows if he goes out he will probably be arrested and the footage that you saw was done quite professionally you see two young girls looking a hand with admiration as if he were some celebrity just like star and quit was more sinister but this is an opportunity to mobilize support of and its one of the new because if you. Doesnt produce media events he will disappear the politicians its also an opportunity to show one more time to the Global Community that the leader of a protest has been arrested and i think and when the western media covers the arrest and helps them build his image with the market the way in which. Somebody has to cover election of all makes sense russian news outlets owned or controlled by the kremlin have effectively blackball to western news organizations however have never met a russian dissident they didnt like is it worth your life. Because there is a big target on you no question whether its a soviet era soccer off or soldier or in the volley today your position they tend to give them a volley story the surface treatment the one time blogger the anticorruption crusade bypassed probe putin news media by using social media to take on the crime where the foreign coverage tends to fall short though is the only back story this past rotations with russian nationalist movements in two thousand and seven he likened muslims to insects in two thousand and eight it was george as he called them rodents and said they should all be deported from russia and in two thousand and thirteen he publicly backed nationalist skinheads to attack democrats. That used to be one of the main boys of course this is what its and i dont use his nationalistic ideas but recently here tried to shift more out to mainstream liberal values so i dont think that western media didnt notice. Ideas they just dont write about this now because he doesnt say anything. Nobody is base of support is not there. It is not russia but it is mostly in the west among American Government officials and i make and media and some european governments that. B. Of that is political left in the russia benefit them and that is why in the western media and the valley is president of theres a lot of shit but the reality is that the government in russia is quite lenient when it comes to nevada and his supporters. Because even though flout a mere putin has authoritarian tendencies his government applies them quite selective politically that means a dissident like Alexei Navalny gets arrested frequently but is never locked up for long the kremlin takes a similar approach to the news media again it can act in authoritarian ways but falls somewhere short of being dictatorial the first thing closing the report it did when it came to power in two thousand was arresting the owner of and to the channel ten control over to be pretty quickly that it took control of our biggest internet newspapers like that orlando but then social networks became very important and she faced the problem that you cannot just close facebook so this is the biggest challenge now for the kremlin actually is close to. Being there is a cluster of Media Outlets that the state directly influences in terms of editorial policy channel one and big a target for example both of which with own channels then there are Media Outlets owned by Large Business with a loyal to the state this includes channel five events and run t. V. There is no doubt that there are lists of people like nobody who are banned from appearing on these channels and then there are opposition media such as no by media that i know im a do that we should take the counter position will. And media executives have developed an internal system of valiants where they fell foul of what kinds of things they can and cannot say otherwise they wouldnt keep their job. But still if you are not a very deep informational source in less than one Million Euros per month usually if they will allow you exists. Theres a reason for that lattimer putin understands that he does not need to control all of the russian news media just the bulk of the major players. Which is why for the most part the kremlins leaves newspapers alone knowing that print journalism is nowhere near as influential as television and by tolerating the existence of an independently minded Radio Station like echo moscow or a relatively small critical television outlet. There is just enough media plurality in russia for the governments defenders to say things like this contrary to Popular Western opinion not all media in russia support the government positions their opposition newspapers their opposition Radio Stations and evidently has access to newspapers and magazines he has access to radio he has access to channels for example and despite all that. We see in the last few months in the last year that he has not been able to garner. Significant support. With Alexei Navalny affectively neutralized that clears the way for russian mainstream Media Outlets to focus on the job at hand. Which is casting by the mere putin the president who stood up to the west during the showdown over ukraine as the savior that russia and russians. Are all good for course on how bad is everything in ukraine. Which of got a. Bad situation. Because of immigration because its explained like in the brazen. They tried to explain that russia is the only one. Old prices accordingly and venues which will feel that lets not. Offend us from these in the face there is a specific narrative that they are trying to push right now. There is this. About. Restoring an ancient monastery in vala in the northern part of prussia girlie the what is live for those of you who should presume that the season of the and the message of the story is to try to come by some sort of further lead narrative and. Ability to restore justice to bring order and to show her as this National Savior so the sort of really just sentiment that plays out here is something that the kremlin is trying to exploit and. That added religious elements suggests that after all these years russian news outlets are still managing to find new ways to showcase random europe. As far as most of the Mainstream Media are concerned this story is about a National Savior must not be questioned against a flawed outsider he must not be mentioned its no contest and thats just how the kremlin likes. Were discussing other media stories that are on our radar today with one of our producers flo philips flo the turkish government has made another series of arrests journalists are among those being held what exactly are they accused of yes so this most recent crackdown is much like many others in turkey its all about quote silencing the spread of terrorist propaganda turkeys interior minister announced the arrest of more than three hundred people including politicians activists and at least four journalists but all written social media posts criticizing the governments attacks on the kurdish y p g militia in the syrian province of free the news outlets affected all the Mesopotamian News Agency r. T. T. V. The online independent newspaper t twenty four and the leftist online paper how can nab see a turkey has a track record of arbitrary. Arrests especially since the failed coup in two thousand and sixteen whats driving this latest round while ankara seems determined to control the media narrative on what it calls Operation Olive Branch the military campaign was launched with the goal of quote crushing the Kurdish Militia the y. P. Jeep the government an encore a claim the y. P. G. Has ties to the p. K. K. A kurdish separatist movement that the Ruling Ak Party calls a terrorist group the majority of Media Outlets in turkey who are increasingly progovernment have supported the intervention in syria but the government is clearly on easy about any dissent that might de lay and its campaign the other story youre looking into is an expose of a company that is alleged to sell followers on twitter a socalled follower factory first of all who broke that story the New York Times so theyve published an extensive comprehensive investigation really lifting the lid unveiling a whole world of fake social media accounts and the companies behind them the report revolves around one specific company deveny which sells twitter followers to businesses celebrities even politicians. The way it works is that divinia creates fake accounts on twitter and these bots can then be automated to follow retreat even like to be news clients posts but this is not just about popularity for popularity sake for celebrities and other socalled online influences more followers means more money according to the data company captivate an influencer with a million followers can actually earn twenty thousand dollars for a single tweet promoting a brand or product sure but how widespread a problem are we talking about here and what if anything is being done to fix it whats become clear is that the sale and use of twitter bots is now pretty common the times report quoted estimates putting the percentage of fake twitter accounts as high as fifteen percent and that dividing itself was sold more than two hundred million followers in total but the companys founder does deny his company has actually sold any fake photos among them is customers named in the investigation are a c. N. N. Contributor hilary rosen and an editor at the Chinese State run news agency to walk us through whats being done about what the hopes are is not very much although twitters terms of use clearly state that uses are not allowed to buy followers the companys value is directly linked to the number of twitter accounts in circulation so you can really see why it might choose not to be particularly vigilant in dealing with these fake accounts ok thanks from cambodia is another country with an election coming up the vote is five months away and it was conceivable that the government of one send the worlds longest serving Prime Minister could have lost its parliamentary majority but cambodians are now seeing a Concerted Campaign to silence opposition figures n. G. O. S and news outlets that refuse to toe the official line three months ago the government dissolved the Main Opposition Party arrested its leader on charges of treason which prompted more than half of the oppositions m. P. s to flee the country multiple Media Outlets both on the airwaves and in print have been forced to shut down over. Tax evasion charges the journalist say have been manufactured the silence voices of dissent listening posts johannah whos now on the state of democracy in cambodia and and information blackout that is by government design. Im. Mute. Cambodias Prime Minister just last week he celebrated his thirty third year in power and in july he will face a sixth election after losing a significant share of the boat to the opposition in two thousand and thirteen he and his ruling party the c. P. P. Are no longer leaving much to chance in the last few months they have systematically silenced our critics and the news outlets carrying their messages in august it doesnt Radio Station its still a significant a. T. M. For those in the countryside for their licenses suspended for carrying programs produced by u. S. Government funded broadcasters are they radio free asia and v. O. A. Voice of america radio especially. In deep in and radio a country viewed as significantly to the results of the elections and come both here we are truth and a true vili hurts the government we broadcast for example about deforestation and the doors of businessmen who are conducting a b. And d. For exploration children nephews nieces the Government Official and that really make the government really really unhappy with us they saddam media that support. The Opposition Party they. Are. Bringing a lot of things against the Prime Minister again his interests and of course they broadcast a lot of tools you know made of our sedation so so those people from the radio. Its significant. And its not just radio in september the combo daily newspaper known for its fervent criticism of the government was forced to print its final pages journalists believe its their content the authorities are taking issue with but the government is sticking to its line look because of the tom border lee all right rule free asia. They are not the by why the law of the sovereign state but not high tech and if you live in this nation. Invasion is a crime. Trumped up tax charges close your suspensions these are just some of the tactics in one sense media playbook the arrest of numerous reporter is usually on charges of treason or attempts to overthrow the government has forced many journalists to flee the country and scared those who remain into silence case in point a journalist we spoke to at the nonpaying post one of the few remaining outlets that still criticism of the government the post consistently caused the Current Situation a media crackdown but once in front of our camera the reporter whose identity we chose to disguise told a different story to the. Country but its evident that there is some degree of selfcensorship being practiced at the moment because the plan post was you know thats its for possible that its a precious weve been made to stop as well and it isnt just those inside cambodia incense scare tactics have proven effective well beyond the countrys borders even interviewees we approached outside cambodia were very reluctant to speak to us going through a huge transformation at the moment and we just dont know yet where the lines will be drawn between can be said and what can not be said and in that. The most rational thing to do is to be very cautious people at the moment are just sort of holding their breath if you there are two pretty side the government there to speak to truths you have to leave the country for fear of arrests and persecution i myself. I have to leave the country and the government issue arrest warrant against me i cannot return to cambodia. With the space for traditional media shrinking one Online Platform has offered an alternative facebook a recent study by the Asia Foundation found that the network can since two thousand and sixteen become commodious go to source for the news but in october last year facebook chose can bodi as one of six countries to participate in an experiment in which content from news publishers was pushed away from peoples news feeds into a separate explorer section unless they were prepared to pay to promote it the effect was tangible when facebook rolled out its explorer experiment in october people were very concerned the fear was that you would have a very biased situation where most independent me there would be pushed on to explore you and that other media perhaps where the Financial Resources would still be able to put the contents on the news feed the facebook explorer feed really a fake show a figure of a reach to come body an audience anything you post on of a page it doesnt show to regular crowd we have seen decrease in the number of people following over news. The facebook experiment played right into the hands of the Prime Minister who seemed set on taking down all u. S. Funded Media Outlets from the outset ever since the two thousand and thirteen election his party has accused these outlets of being part of an american conspiracy to topple the government the irony is the c. P. P. Has long been dependent on the us for aid but those funds come with Strings Attached preserving media freedoms for example not freedoms and send has been particularly happy to embrace the gun. There were you know why are you the democracy they never why are you freedom of media in place which is why you have so. Democracy just on the again to attract. Is not a real commitment to democracy. A commitment to democracy the Prime Minister and send no longer needs to comply with thanks to a willing new partner china when they close down. And so that the media keep raising the relationship weve had for the government charges and mistakes to the Us Government that im not afraid of you know you are not my boss. This is my country i think the message very clear they come when the government has broken with the west basically they broke in with two decades so western efforts to bring democracy in the country turn away from the west has been enabled by chinas full political and economic support i think. You dont want to play with me if. I just want to clarify on this because a lot of people they missed on this. If you. Country like i said you want to friend with the u. S. You also want her good friend with china. But if chinas own record on press freedom is anything to go by the new relationship between north and beijing does not bode well for the journalists silenced and the Media Outlets shut down. And voters in the run up to a crucial election are getting less and less news and information just the way you sound like sort. Finally last years president ial election in kenya was not exactly a textbook exercise in democracy the incumbent who kenyatta one the august election which his main rival rylan odinga said was rigged the courts agreed with that ordered another vote in october which o. Didnt go then boycotted saying it was never going to be a fair fight so kenyatta was eventually sworn in but oh dang hasnt gone away this past week he held his own swearing in ceremony declaring himself the peoples president now k t n was one of three Kenyan Television networks that plan to cover that event the authorities ordered all three of them off the air so katie and provided live coverage online were leaving you now with some images from both swearing in ceremonies kenyata s. And o. Dangerous note the similarities and the katie an anchor struggling to characterize this latest swearing in ceremony that really wasnt well see you next time here at the listening post. This. As president of the republic of it was. Was this. Year and i thought it. Was. The right. That it was kind of a day that kenyans have been waiting and we did see to read that maybe doubting whether it really will get down to business it is come to pass a rhino dingan nasa need there has just to take an oath of office as a president off the peoples eyes as president. The nature is news as it breaks the u. S. Cut the funding has cemented the failing hey that the u. S. Is now part of the problem and has picked the israeli side with detailed coverage the Nigerian Government insists negotiations are ongoing to secure the release of the girls and hundreds of others. From around the world three decades on chileans are still thinking about abuses but this time those committed by the church. Need. To. Meet. The frustration. Well i think one of our biggest strengths is that we talk to normal everyday people we get them to tell their stories and doing that really reveals the truth people are still gathered outside these gates waiting for any information most of them dont know whether their loved ones are alive or dead or miami really is a place were two worlds meet we can get to washington d. C. In two hours we can get so on jurists in the rest of Central America about the same time but more importantly is where those two cultures north and south America Needs us to teach its a very important place for all to do its a big. This is al jazeera. And line from studio fourteen here at aljazeera headquarters in doha on the mall santa maria welcome to the news