North Korea has reaffirmed its plans to continue with an announced rocket launch to put a satellite into orbit, despite facing widespread opposition from the international community. The launch is widely speculated to be a cover for testing missile technology and therefore a violation of a UN Security Council Resolution.…
Month: March 2012
NEW ZEALAND: Cameraman Free of Police Charges, Though Not of Scandal
Police officials in New Zealand have decided not to press charges against a freelance cameraman involved in the “teapot tapes” affair during last year’s election cycle. Allegedly, cameraman Bradley Ambrose intentionally recorded a conversation between Prime Minister John Key and Act Party Epsom candidate John Banks at a public press…
BANGLADESH: Media Turn Up the Volume for Independence Celebrations
Forty-one years ago, Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in the bloody nine-month Liberation war. Now, with the help of its media, the country honors this day. On March 26, 1971, the Bangladeshi government informed the public via radio that the Liberation War had reached its conclusion. On Monday, March 26,…
SOUTH KOREA: A Brief Look at the Nuclear Security Summit
In what is being called the largest diplomatic gathering in history, the nuclear security summit held in Seoul this past Monday and Tuesday, with leaders of nearly 60 nations and international organizations in attendance, has led to the release of a sweeping agreement known as the “Seoul Communique.” Initially the…
CHINA: Blogging Community Reaches Out, But Too Late
Wang Shanshan, a senior student at Nanjing Technology College hanged herself in her dorm on March 17. A frequent blogger on China’s popular Sina Weibo site, Shanshan left a suicide note on her blog that automatically uploaded 12 hours after her death. It stated: “I have depression, so I want to…
SRI LANKA: Navy Denies Attacking Tamil Fishermen From India
Sri Lanka is used to being accused of abusing Tamils, but usually those under attack are their own, not India’s. Sri Lanka appears to be caught up in a publicity scandal in which its Navy has been accused of attacking a ship of 16 Tamil fisherman from India on March…
PAKISTAN: Obama and Gilani at Nuclear Security Summit — Easing Tension
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in South Korea to discuss relations between their respective countries. How Pakistani citizens view such a meeting however, has been entirely dependent on its presentation in the media.…
THAILAND: Canadian Columnist Explains Complexities of Political Asylum
By Asia Media staff writer Brian Canave (pictured above) — Amid all the articles and columns published in the world, with topics ranging from technology to the latest fashion, we have for you a golden beacon of hope: a column exemplifying journalism’s sense of social responsibility at its best. Well-known…
GUEST COLUMN ABOUT HONG KONG: SHAME OF THE NEWS MEDIA
Gutter journalism made a mockery of the island territory’s self-proclaimed ‘march toward democracy’, argues Alice Wu Hong Kong, 29 March — Sex, lies, sleaze, money, mafia, illegal basement, and tear-gas — boy, calling Hong Kong’s…
BIRDHEAD TAKES FLIGHT IN LONDON
BIRDHEAD TAKES FLIGHT IN LONDON
BIRDHEAD TAKES FLIGHT IN LONDON
CHINA MEDIA: The Mad Scramble to Arrest a Key Keyword!
Opinionated Chinese Netizens have long blogged and slogged Chinese leaders for being corrupt. But last week’s sacking of Bo Xilai, a top Chinese Leader, ignited an explosion of blogging activity about official corruption that topped anything anyone has ever seen. At first, perhaps surprisingly, the Chinese government allowed the eruption…
HONG KONG: Beijing’s Man Takes the Prize
“The so-called freedom of speech, freedom of the press [in China]- it is a joke.” This was the widely shared sentiment of one microblogger regarding mainland China’s persistent censorship of the bitter back and forth over the noisy and messy campaign for the position of Chief Executive of Hong Kong.…
PHILIPPINES JOURNALIST DEATH WATCH: The Bloody Assault on Journalists Continues
Fernan Angeles, reporter for the Daily Tribune, was seriously injured after being shot six times on March 11 near his home in Pasig, located in Manila. According to his wife, Gemma Angeles, the reporter was dragged into an alley by three men, beaten, and then shot with a 45-calibre handgun. The…
BANGLADESH: Battle Royal of Two Newspaper Titans
It would appear that a war of words is brewing in Bangladesh. On Sunday March 18, The Daily Star reported that the Bangladesh Daily, Prothom Alo, filed a plaintiff’s case with the Press Council against another Bangladesh daily, The Daily Sun. Matiur Rahman, the editor and publisher of the Bangla daily, Prothom Alo, initiated the action against The Daily…