KELCEY LORENZO WRITES – EXID, a girl group that debuted in 2012, won their first weekly music show award four months after releasing and promoting their song “Up&Down.” Back in August 2014, EXID released their music video and single for “Up&Down.” The song failed to gain the attention of the…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – The Sony Pictures hacking scandal and the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France have fueled a global dialogue on free speech. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, addressed the subject during an impromptu press conference on a Sri Lankan aircraft en route to Manila on January 15.…
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Shin Dong-hyuk, whose experiences in a North Korean concentration camp are chronicled in 2012’s “Escape from Camp 14,” announced last week that parts of the story portrayed in the book are not completely true. He stated, for example, that most of his time in the camps…
SHUTING LI WRITES – In a country of 1.4 billion, with an extreme gender imbalance of 117.6 boys to every 100 girls, competition for love is fierce. But what do Chinese men think of when they imagine a traditionally beautiful woman? The primary factor to be considered is white skin. The…
In a nation where homosexuality is shunned, journalists rise up to defend the rights and dignity of gay, lesbian and transgender people against verbal and sometimes physical assault from invasive television media. Here’s the kicker: this nation is Pakistan. The country is known for having the highest Muslim population in…
NICK ARMER WRITES – Though the election of President Hassan Rouhani came with the hope of a more moderate Iranian government, the result has been quite the opposite. The Iranian authorities have brought forth tighter controls on the media and strict punishments for those bold enough to voice controversial beliefs.…
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Today’s generation would find it hard to imagine life without social media. And at least some people in the government seem to have caught on. According to TuoiTreNews, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated that authorities must provide “official and accurate information in a timely manner on…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– Leaning towards All India Radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses to India’s youth on the issue of drug use. PM Modi wants to start a movement that is intended for a #DrugFreeIndia through the means of social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even the…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES- This week Australia celebrated 2015’s Australia Day, a national holiday which commemorates the 1788 arrival of British ships at Port Jackson in New South Wales and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain under Governor Arthur Phillip. In celebration of this day, awards and appointments to…
Annie Lundgren Writes: TV viewers in China are using social media to criticize the government’s censorship of cleavage in the new show, “The Empress of China.” After a brief, four-day suspension of the original broadcast, an edited version of the show returned with close-up shots – but only above the…
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – Julien Blanc and his company Real Social Dynamics (RSD), have been banned from entering Singapore. The cause? A petition started by a local on change.org. Blanc and his company RSD, based in California, promote the use of violence and threats to seduce women to have sex. As…
MICHELLE VARINATA WRITES – Not a single person thinks that being Chinese and Christian in a homogeneously Muslim majority will make history in Indonesia’s political sphere. Basuki Tjahaja Purnarma, otherwise known as Ahok, is Jakarta’s first governor of Chinese descent. While Jokowi has already left his position as Governor of…
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Since the beginning of Fall, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of press freedom in Vietnam, beating this dead horse and watching talented journalists battle the nooses around their necks. However, this sad story is taking a turn. It’s about time someone with a powerful voice said something about this…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Journalists need to grab the attention of their readers, and what better way is there than reporting on a possible scandal? Unfortunately, even in a so-called free media system, a simple rumor can get you into big trouble. Sankei Shimbun reporter Tatsuya Kato’s is now on…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES: Sunrise Radio, the UK’s first Asian around-the-clock media corporation, celebrated its 25th anniversary this November. Founded by Avtar Lit in 1989, the radio station offers news about the Asian continent and the opinions of broadcasters who support its dissemination to the greater public. The London-based music station…
KELCEY LORENZO WRITES – On December 4, the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) were broadcast live from Hong Kong. Known as one of the biggest annual award shows of the year, the 2014 MAMA rewards groups and solo artists who have made exceptional contributions to the Korean Pop music…
