The 10th Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC10) is a premier gathering of scholars, researchers and industry players interested in trends and developments in the world’s largest Internet community.This year’s conference is hosted by the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism and the USC U.S.-China Institute. In this year’s conference…
Author: LMU
CHINA: Press Shocked, But Not Overly So
The recent early-morning slaying of two University of Southern California students made headlines in newspapers across Asia, of course. USC boasts the largest international student population in the U.S. – and many are from China, as were the murdered Ying Wu and Ming Qu in what may have been a…
PROGRESS REPORT: “Conversations with Ban Ki-moon”
“Conversations with Ban Ki-moon,” the fourth in the ‘Giants of Asia’ series, and the first book on the current UN Secretary General with which he has cooperated, is moving closer to publication, now scheduled for September by Marshall Cavendish International (Singapore, New York, London). Late last month, author Tom Plate…
AFGHANISTAN AND LOS ANGELES: Pictures at a Most Gruesome Exhibition
The U.S. news media often has to make publish-or-not-publish decisions under immense time pressure. And sometimes these decisions are not easy ones, especially for our most responsible media (Los Angeles Times top editor Davan Maharaj pictured above left). Take the case of disturbing photographs of U.S. soldiers posing all too…
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…
THAILAND: You Can’t Teach English if the Teachers Fear it!
A conference recently held in Thailand for more than 600 Thai educators and teachers promoted the encouragement and motivation to overcome educators’ fear of using English in the classroom. A model known as the English for Integrated Studies (EIS) demonstrates that teaching in English makes the language more accessible to…
THAILAND: Offering the Tourist a Warm Techie Hug
The Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency’s (NSTDA) goals are to support research in science and technology and their applications in the Thai economy. To promote this goal, the NSTDA, in unison with Samart Corporation, launched the Samart Innovation Awards under the theme of Tourism Software Development. The so-called…
THAILAND: Police throw the Facebook at 20-year old Student
Making headlines across the world, 20-year-old Kanthoop, a Thai university student, faces up to 15 years in jail for defying one of “the world’s strictest pro-monarchy regulations, which sentences anyone who insults, defames, or threatens the king or his family to three to fifteen years’ imprisonment.” “Article 112,” as the…
BOOK REVIEW: A Portrait of Thailand’s True Soul
The following review by well-known author Tom Vater (“Sacred Skin — Thailand’s Spirit Tattoos”) of “Navigating the Bangkok Noir”, a book of paintings by American artist Chris Coles, is reprinted from a leading-edge website about Thailand (www.thedevilsroad.com). The review by Mr Vater reads: “Producing great art in Thailand is difficult.…
THAILAND: Media Controversy Ends Up A Mountain Out of A Molehill
Thailand’s media has been obsessing over an alleged hotel meeting between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and four business leaders on February 8, 2012. Before leaving for a one-day visit to Malaysia, the Prime Minister responded to journalists about the controversy claiming the meeting was open and “in fact, the media…
BOOK REVIEW: TOO KIND … BY FAR!
This review of ‘Conversations with Thaksin’, in the Giants of Asia book series by Tom Plate, the founder of ASIA MEDIA, appeared in The National, a newspaper of the Gulf States based in Abu Dhabi. The reviewer is New Statesman writer Sholto Byrnes. The review ran as follows: Conversations with…
CHINA: Micro Blogs – Consumer’s Voice in the Free Market
From every indication, should present trends continue, some wags predict that China is destined to become little more than one big blog. Everyone knows the political impact of micro-blogs on mainland China. Now they appear to have become the Chinese people’s greatest weapon in fighting corporate injustice. Such blogs ensure…
THAILAND: Military Puts TV Emphasis on ‘National Security’
In an interview, Lt.-General Chatchai Sarikulya, president of the military owned Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5, discusses changes facing the media network in the coming months. These changes are part of a broader transformation of the Thai media mandated by the government’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.…
SRI LANKA: Official History Versus Credited Reality
It’s possible to make history but much harder to rewrite it. On February 4th, the government of Sri Lanka celebrated the country’s 64th year of independence from Great Britain with a festive ceremony, including a moment of silence, a parade, and a speech given by current Sri Lankan President Mahinda…
CHINA: Professor’s Suggested China Course Calls for Increased Understanding
It’s been said that people fear that which they do not understand. As China continues to grow in power and becomes increasingly important on a global scale, it is increasingly viewed as a “threat.” However, Hugo de Burgh, a professor of journalism and director of the China Media Center at…