A Maryland judge on Monday vacated the 2000 murder conviction of Adnan Syed after prosecutors said there were two other possible suspects in the killing of his former girlfriend who were never disclosed to the defense at trial.
The case gained national attention when the podcast “Serial” raised doubts about his guilt. Syed, now 42, has always said he was innocent and did not kill Hae Min Lee, who was 18 when she was strangled and buried in a Baltimore park in 1999.
Judge Melissa Phinn of the Circuit Court in Baltimore ordered Syed to be released from prison and put on home detention and that a new trial be scheduled.
The state’s attorney for Baltimore filed a motion to vacate the conviction on Wednesday following a year-long investigation conducted alongside a public defender representing Syed, in which several problems were found with witnesses and evidence from the trial.
Prosecutors told the court that they were not asserting that Syed is innocent but that they no longer had confidence in “the integrity of the conviction,” and that justice required that Syed at least be afforded a new trial. They said Syed should be released from prison, where he has spent two decades, while prosecutors complete the investigation and decide whether to seek a new trial.
Prosecutors said that they had found new information about two alternative suspects, whom they have not named. Their identities were known to the original prosecutors but not disclosed to the defense as required by law.
Prosecutors also decided a key witness and the detective who investigated the murder were unreliable. They also found new information that cast doubt on the cellphone data prosecutors relied upon at trial to place Syed at the scene of the murder.
The podcast “Serial,” produced by Chicago public radio station WBEZ, drew national attention to the case in 2014.
Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore, in a statement said that “the person responsible for this heinous crime must be held accountable.”
Young Lee, the victim’s brother, told the court he was shocked and his family felt betrayed that the prosecutors had reversed course after standing by the conviction for decades.
“It’s really tough to go through this again and again and again,” he said, his voice breaking and wavering at times. “It’s a living nightmare.”
Maryland judge vacates murder conviction of ‘Serial’ podcast subject Syed
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Maryland judge vacates murder conviction of ‘Serial’ podcast subject Syed
- Prosecutors told the court that they were not asserting that Syed is innocent but that they no longer had confidence in ‘the integrity of the conviction’
New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers, New Yorker 3; Washington Post wins for coverage of Trump shooting
- The Pulitzers honored the best in journalism from 2024 in 15 categories, along with eight arts categories including books, music and theater
NEW YORK: The New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and the New Yorker three on Monday for journalism in 2024 that touched on topics like the fentanyl crisis, the US military and last summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
The Pulitzers’ prestigious public service medal went to ProPublica for the second straight year. Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo and Stacy Kranitz were honored for reporting on pregnant women who died after doctors delayed urgent care in states with strict abortion laws.
The Washington Post won for “urgent and illuminating” breaking news coverage of the Trump assassination attempt. The Pultizers honored Ann Telnaes, who quit the Post in January after the news outlet refused to run her editorial cartoon lampooning tech chiefs — including Post owner Jeff Bezos — cozying up to Trump.
The Pulitzers honored the best in journalism from 2024 in 15 categories, along with eight arts categories including books, music and theater. The public service winner receives a gold medal. All other winners receive $15,000.
The Times’ Azam Ahmed and Christina Goldbaum and contributing writer Matthieu Aikins won an explanatory reporting prize for examining US policy failures in Afghanistan. The newspaper’s Doug Mills won in breaking news photography for his images of the assassination attempt. Declan Walsh and the Times’ staff won for an investigation into the Sudan conflict. Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher won in local reporting, an award shared by the Times and The Baltimore Banner, for reporting on that city’s fentanyl crisis.
The New Yorker’s Mosab Abu Toha won for his commentaries on Gaza. The magazine also won for its “In the Dark” podcast about the killing of Iraqi civilians by the US military and in feature photography for Moises Saman’s pictures of the Sednaya prison in Syria.
BBC to investigate Arabic service over allegations of antisemitism
- The Telegraph reported last week that freelance contributors had made antisemitic comments or expressed support for Hamas
LONDON: The BBC is preparing to launch an independent investigation into its Arabic-language service following allegations that it has featured contributors accused of antisemitic remarks and support for Hamas.
BBC Chairman Dr. Samir Shah confirmed over the weekend that the corporation would appoint an external figure to lead a review into the broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict and examine the issues raised by a recent report in The Telegraph.
“The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we’ve been examining it,” Shah told Times Radio. “I think this whole business of how we’ve covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we’re going to identify … we’re going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.”
According to BBC sources cited by UK media, the review will be “independent and published in full” and presented to the BBC board as part of a broader evaluation of its Middle East reporting.
Shah, who became chairman of the BBC in March 2024, said the corporation must remain vigilant regarding bias but maintained that the BBC continues to be a trusted source for impartial news.
The announcement follows a report by The Telegraph that some contributors to BBC Arabic had made antisemitic comments or expressed support for Hamas, a group proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK, US, EU, and others, including Saudi Arabia.
One contributor, Gaza-based journalist Samer Elzaenen, reportedly posted in 2011 that Jews should be burned “as Hitler did.” Another, Ahmed Qannan, allegedly praised a 2022 shooter who killed five people in Israel and expressed hope that victims of a 2023 synagogue shooting would die.
The BBC has said that neither contributor is a member of staff but did not deny their appearances on air. Both are understood to be freelance contributors.
The broadcaster is also facing criticism over a recent documentary on the war in Gaza, after it was revealed that the narrator was the son of a Hamas government minister — information that was not disclosed in the film. The BBC said it was unaware of the familial connection at the time of production.
The documentary has since been removed from its on-demand platform pending a separate review.
The incident has reignited debate over the BBC’s editorial stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, with critics on both sides accusing it of bias. Hundreds of media figures have defended the film, arguing that a narrator’s family connections should not disqualify them from participating or undermine their testimony and criticizing the BBC for pulling an “essential piece of journalism” that offers “a rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinians.”
The BBC, which has been marred by controversy since conflict broke out between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, has also faced political pressure over its decision not to label Hamas a terrorist organization in its reporting.
Defending the approach, Shah told Times Radio the BBC board had agreed to use the term only when it is attributed to a source, consistent with the broadcaster’s editorial guidelines.
State of the Saudi media sector and investment opportunities it offers
RIYADH: The General Authority for Media Regulation has released a report, “The State of the Saudi Media Sector and Investment Opportunities for 2024,” which provides an overview of the media landscape in the Kingdom and highlights the significant transformations the sector is undergoing to keep pace with Saudi Vision 2030.
The report reflects promising investment opportunities, in addition to the technical and regulatory shifts that support the growth and sustainability of the sector. It also illustrates the magnitude of the boom in the Saudi media sector, which has achieved remarkable development driven by digital transformation and technological advance, improving the efficiency of media content and enhancing its global competitiveness.
The media authority’s estimates in the report indicate that the contribution of the media sector to the direct and indirect gross domestic product increased to 0.57 per cent in 2024, amounting to SAR16 billion ($4.26 billion), compared with 0.52 per cent in 2023.
The authority continues to work towards achieving its ambitious goals of raising this percentage to 0.8 percent by 2030. In terms of investment in human capital, job growth reached 67,000 jobs, with a rate of 22 percent by the end of 2024, with the aim of reaching 160,000 jobs by 2030.
The report also identified six key transformations in the media industry in the Kingdom, including the increasing demand for local content, developing media infrastructure, adopting modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, improving the regulatory environment, supporting national talents and competencies, and expanding investment opportunities.
The report confirms that the Kingdom has become a prominent destination for media investment, providing a flexible regulatory environment and mega-projects aimed at enhancing the media industry.
It also addressed the opportunities available to investors in content production, the development of electronic games, investment in media infrastructure, and international partnerships in the Saudi media market. In addition, the continued innovation and adoption of modern technologies to enhance the competitiveness of Saudi media globally is a crucial factor because the sector has elements that make it one of the main drivers of economic and cultural development in the Kingdom.
The report details the opportunities and challenges in the sector and covers the five media divisions supervised by the General Authority for Media Regulation: publishing; audio; visual; advertising; and games sectors.
The authority, through the report, hopes to improve understanding of the local media landscape and provide clear and accurate data to media entities and local and international investors, to highlight the promising opportunities in the sector.
The report is a comprehensive reference for the state of media in the Kingdom and is provides a guide for local and international investors and researchers in the sector. The authority urges interested partis to view the report on its website at https://gmedia.gov.sa/ar/media-status-report
Algerian TV channel suspended for racism against African migrants
- Since the start of April, Algeria has expelled some 5,000 Africans to neighbouring Niger, according to state television. About half were from Niger
ALGIERS: Algerian authorities on Friday suspended broadcasts by a television news channel for 10 days after it used a racist word on social media to describe African migrants.
Echorouk News TV used the derogatory word in a Facebook post after police raids in which migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were detained.
The ANIRA broadcasting authority called the publication "extremely serious".
The report contained "a racist and discriminatory term, an attack on human dignity, conveying hate speech against a category of people because of their race," said ANIRA which demanded that the channel's management make an official apology.
Tens of thousands of undocumented African migrants have used Algeria as a staging post to attempt to get to Europe. Many have sought jobs in the North African country.
Since the start of April, Algeria has expelled some 5,000 Africans to neighbouring Niger, according to state television. About half were from Niger.
Eurovision lifts ban on Palestinian flags as scrutiny of Israel’s participation grows
- Fans will now be allowed to bring and display any flag that does not contain racist content, hate symbols
- Iceland, Spain and Slovenia have all raised concerns about Israel’s participation at this year’s contest
LONDON: Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have lifted a ban on Palestinian flags for audience members, but maintained restrictions for participating artists, as pressure over Israel’s inclusion in this year’s event increased.
The change, confirmed by Danish broadcaster DR, marks a shift from the European Broadcasting Union’s longstanding rule prohibiting flags from non-competing countries and territories. That policy led to Palestinian flags being banned in previous years.
According to updated guidelines obtained by DR, fans will now be allowed to bring and display any flag that does not contain “racist and/or discriminatory content,” or symbols thought to incite hatred, violence, or linked to banned organizations.
In a statement to CNN, the EBU said the update seeks to “strike a balance to ensure that our audiences and artists can express their enthusiasm and identities,” while offering greater clarity for national delegations.
However, the relaxed policy applies only to the audience. Participating artists will still be restricted to displaying official national flags in all official Eurovision spaces, including the stage, green room, and Eurovision Village. Artists may show only the flag of the country they represent.
The revised policy comes amid growing criticism of Israel’s participation in this year’s contest to be held in Basel, Switzerland, with semifinals on May 13 and 15 and the final on May 17.
Officials in countries including Slovenia, Spain and Iceland have questioned Israel’s inclusion.
Icelandic Foreign Minister Porgerour Katrin Gunnarsdottir told a local outlet she found it “strange and actually unnatural that Israel is allowed to participate,” accusing the country of committing “war crimes” and “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
Despite these objections, the EBU has confirmed that Israel’s entry meets the competition’s rules. As with last year, large-scale protests are expected in Basel against Israel’s participation.
Despite pressure from pro-Israel organizations, Swiss authorities said demonstrations are permitted in principle, including those opposing Israel’s presence, provided they comply with public safety regulations.
