Freedom of speech continues to be challenged in the Middle East, as two Kuwaiti males, Ayyad al-Harbi and Rashed al-Enezi, were recently arrested for insulting the Amir of the country, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, on Twitter. Harbi, who has created a name for himself in Kuwait, was given his sentence…
Author: Asia Media Staff
MYANMAR: Retractable Reform
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This is abundantly evident in the case of Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the media rights group, who has called for reform in Myanmar’s media. The Bangkok Post recently reported that this group has urged Myanmar to fulfill their…
China Blog Blotter: Too Soon for Equal Rights?
“Gays Dare to Love” was the slogan for the Equal Rights for Gays Parade that took place in Hong Kong recently. Much like America’s own Pride Parades, Equal Rights for Gays Parade is public, loud, and flamboyant. Although parades like these have happened in the past in Hong Kong, this…
NEW ZEALAND: Green for Profit?
New Zealand’s popularity as a tourist destination relies on its natural beauty and flawless scenery. The Government has chosen to market itself to tourists on this basis, with a clean, green brand. However, according to the New Zealand Herald, the Government has not been supporting the green brand like it…
PHILIPPINES: The Time Is Now
The Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) has sparked much controversy in the past few weeks. The bill was originally introduced in 2010, but due to lack of quorum, was not passed. Recently, the FOI bill has incited debate between legislators and members of the press regarding whether or not it…
CHINA: A Glorious Print Revolution
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) publicity chief recently accentuated efforts to improve the media’s reporting style during an inspection tour of the Party’s flagship newspaper. Liu Qibao visited the headquarters of the official newspaper of the CCP Central Committee, The People’s Daily, and remarked that media organizations should start to…
PAKISTAN: Lessons on Courage
Author Maya Angelou stated, “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.” If this is true, Malala Yousafzai was born with an unlimited amount of potential for courage. Quite frankly she has shown more courage in her first 15 years of life than most adults ever…
BANGLADESH: Death Penalty Kills a Deal
A new proposal from Bangladesh to make counterfeiting money punishable by the death penalty has alarmed the German Bundensbank (German Central Bank) who originally offered to assist Bangladesh in detecting counterfeit money. The Economist reports that Bangladesh, plagued with more than 5,000 pending cases regarding currency counterfeiting, is scheduled to…
SOUTH KOREA: Pleasing the Press
There has clearly been no shortage of work for South Korean journalists in the past few weeks. Last month, Park Geun-hye was elected President of South Korea. An event as important as a presidential election tends to get a lot of media attention, but even after the election, there is…
HONG KONG: Inbound Troubles Asking For Trouble?
Despite the growing amount of disputes between Hong Kong locals and Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong’s television channel TVB Jade recently aired its first episode of Inbound Troubles, which sparked an array of complaints claiming the show is deepening already severe cultural conflicts. January 14th marks the show’s first episode, presenting…
TAIWAN: Monopoly Game for Media Investors
The dice has been rolled. Taiwan’s government advances four spaces and lands on Boardwalk. Will they purchase it and prevent the monopoly that Taiwan’s media group is after? Since the start of the new year, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been submitting legislation to regulate cross-media ownership. However, other…
SINGAPORE: Why Was the Rape Victim Moved from India?
The mystery deepens as media speculation won’t go away. On Saturday, December 29, chief executive Dr. Kevin Loh of Singapore’s Mt. Elizabeth Hospital stated that the hospital and team of eight specialists mourned the loss of the 23 year old New Dehli gang rape vicim and was honored to have…
GUNS: ONE VIEW FROM CHINA
GUNS: ONE VIEW FROM CHINA
PHILIPPINES: Justice for Journalists in Maguindanao Massacre
The Supreme Court stood by its June 2012 ruling that affirmed the Court of Appeals’ decision to include former Governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the list of those accused in the Maguindanao massacre. He is charged with plotting what would turn out to…
JAPAN: Issues the Big Election Never Really Discussed
The monumental election in Japan’s House of Representatives is quickly approaching, bringing with it a slew of reports and articles on everything Japanese – from policy to political strategy. Set for December 16th, the election has the potential to change the political landscape of the nation. With issues such as…