VITTO BANEZ WRITES – Singapore is very well-off. At least that’s the perception. The skyline alone illustrates the nation’s growth. The island country has become a hotspot for rich vacationers attracted by its fancy hotels and world-class cuisine. Looking at all that, it’s hard to believe poverty exists in a place like Singapore. Yes, it’s one […]
Author Archive | Vitto Banez
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Causes Trouble for Presidential Elections
By Vitto Banez | March 13, 2014
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – With Afghan elections around the corner, it’s no surprise that the Taliban have something to say. On March 10, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghans should sit out the elections, because they’re “an American conspiracy” cooked up by the U.S. for its own evil purposes. Evil or not, finding a successor […]
AFGHANISTAN: U.S. Paints a Positive Picture of its Presence
By Vitto Banez | February 20, 2014
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – Because of its unique, soap-box position, the media has an outsized ability to influence. But when it stops objectively calling things as it sees them, it becomes a propaganda tool for the powers that be. Recently, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) proposed paying journalists for positive photographs of the […]
AFGHANISTAN: Bombs Blow up People but Media Blows up Morality
By Vitto Banez | December 5, 2013
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – Western Afghan religious leaders claim the media is displaying material that is un-Islamic. The mullahs assert that said material is inflicting more harm than a suicide bomb. Farouq Hussaini, the spokesman for the council of Muslim scholars, articulated this belief in his statement that “suicide attackers take people’s lives, but the […]
AFGHANISTAN: The “Courage” of an Afghan Journalist
By Vitto Banez | November 14, 2013
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – What makes a good journalist? Is it the way they pursue a lead? Or can it be the way they go with their gut? For Najiba Ayubi, it was her love for the media of her homeland. This passion led her to voice her opinion on the country’s independent media, specifically on how […]
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Strike but was it a Big Deal?
By Vitto Banez | September 17, 2013
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – A U.S. airfield was under attack! Late in the night of October 13, Taliban fighters launched several missiles in Bagram, an airfield north of the capital of Kabul. It’s still uncertain on how much of an impact the attack made. Reports on its effectiveness varied. A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, took full […]