On February 14, 2012 – however fleetingly — love was truly in the air in politically torn-Pakistan, although, it had nothing to do with Valentines Day. Pakistanis of all partisan stripes appeared to agree that the action of the National Assembly to make future elections as free and fair as possible was a critical step in the right direction.
Author: Asia Media Staff
KUWAIT: From Twitter Comment to Civil Unrest?
Behold the stinging power of the “pen,” even via Twitter: Kuwait is apparently in a national uproar over a Twitter comment by writer Mohamed Al-Mulaifi regarding Islamic religious icon Awaited Mahdi, Islam’s End Time prophet.
MALAYSIA: Saudi Arabian Columnist Repatriated
Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced that columnist Mohammad Najeeb A. Kashgari is to be repatriated to his home country, Saudi Arabia. Kashgari, a 23 year old journalist, posted several tweets insulting Islam on the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. At the request of the Saudi Arabian government, the columnist had been…
SOUTH KOREA: No End to the Media Advertising Controversy
It took years of contentious debate, but the oft-fractious National Assembly passed the long disputed and controversial Media Representative Bill by a large majority. According to the Korea Herald, a leading English language daily, “The bill calls for designating a single advertising broker for public stations” in response to the…
PHILIPPINES: Tittering About General’s Twitter
Amidst raging pop stars and celebrity gossip queens, Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa jumped on the Twitter bandwagon after encouragement from his children. His account @CSAFP gained over 60 followers within hours. Dellosa’s first tweet reads, “This is the official twitter account of the Chief of Staff, AFP.…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Netizens Parody Hong Kong’s Anti-Mainlander Ad
The mutual dislike between Hong Kong-ers and Chinese mainlanders is nothing new. Although Hong Kong is part of China, it runs as a special administrative region and a half autonomous economy. Unlike the motherland, Hong Kong has a historical advantage as an ex-British colony,…
SOUTH KOREA: Jiha Moon’s “Springfield”
Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool
Happy Hours
WE ASK/THEY ANSWER: ‘THE GREAT (AND NOT SO GREAT) OF THE MEDIA OF THE ASIA PACIFIC’ An Exclusive Interview with Celebrated Career Editor David Armstrong
I was recently given the opportunity to interview longtime journalist and editor David Armstrong. The course of his career has led him to traverse the Asian landscape, from Australia, to Hong Kong, and currently to Thailand. Among his many prominent posts, he has been Editor-in-Chief of both The Australian and…
TAIWAN: Cross-strait cooperation – Be careful how you use it?
Publishing representatives in Taiwan are encouraging bilateral exchanges between their island democracy and mainland China, as a means of increasing readership and producing quality Chinese-language publications. According to the Taipei Times, the head of Taiwan’s Planter Press Co., Lee Ho states that one measure would be reducing taxes on books…
JAPAN: How to Protect User Information Without Harming Social Media
According to The Daily Yomiuri, Japan’s leading English daily, some e-book apps have allegedly been compiling private information on their users, many without consent. In response, industry experts and one Japanese government ministry have called for the drafting of strict guidelines. Two of the apps accused of gathering information are…
INDONESIA: Internet Usage Rises—and So Do Tempers and Worries
The Communications and Information Ministry in Indonesia claims that it has effectively blocked nearly 1 million pornographic websites, and vows to continue its mass censorship of unfavorable Internet publications. According to the Jakarta Post, the nation’s leading English-language newspaper, “censorship on porn sites was in line with the government’s commitment…
SINGAPORE: Blogger Hoax Stirs Controversy
Recent activity in Singapore’s blogosphere has caught the attention of the nation’s lawyers – not to mention parents of armed services personnel. According the Sumita Sreedhan of Today, the lively English-language daily, a hoax about the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was posted on January 27th on both a blog and…
MALAYSIA: The Poster Boys Were Not Happy at All
The popular social networking sites Facebook and Twitter were full of pictures and gossip items that triggered the scandal. In the end, ten people were nabbed for displaying offensive posters of Malaysian big-shots. They were Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the two co-chairmen of the Bersih 2.0 coalition…
NEW ZEALAND: Reverberations over TV Station Collapse
A Department of Building and Housing investigation has found the Canterbury TV building that collapsed in the February earthquake did not meet building standards when it was built in 1986. This finding has led to numerous calls for justice by family and friends of the 115 people who died in…