Madison Avenue has nothing on New China TV’s catchy video explaining the country’s 13th five-year plan, also known as the 十三五. You’ll be tapping your toes as your learn about the nation’s benevolent leaders and their big plans for, well, presumably the rest of us.
MIRANDA PAK WRITES – A year ago, as he perceived local media outlets to be bowing to editorial pressure from the mainland, British expat Tom Grundy thought Hong Kong could use an independent English-language news source. Spurred by events surrounding the Umbrella Movement, the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) became…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – The Al Jazeera journalists who were jailed in Egypt are now free and out of the country. Australian Peter Greste was deported in February 2015 and in September his colleagues Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy were finally pardoned by the Egyptian government and released from prison.…
(This article appears in the South China Morning Post print editions as Dealing with China) TOM PLATE WRITES – Let us recall that almost two decades ago, a cocky William Jefferson Clinton, then president of a country but two-centuries-plus old, bluntly informed Jiang Zemin that his country, of many millennia,…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the governing body for international soccer, continues to face hard times; Qatar is still dealing with controversy over the World Cup, and it continues to do what it can to defend its bid. The problem is that Qatar cannot control…
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – How is it that a North Korean refugee, who just five years ago did not know what the Internet was, is now learning how to code? Thanks to a new partnership between Coding Dojo and Link (Liberty in North Korea), there is renewed hope that North…
KELCEY LORENZO WRITES – In the past year, livestreaming has become a hot trend in pop culture. The ability for fans to watch their favorite singers and bands talk and answer questions in realtime is obviously appealing. But while it can create positive interactions between artists and fans, it can…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Qatar reinforced their cybercrime law when the government approved an amendment that criminalizes photographing those who are injured or killed in accidents and posting them on social media. The amendment was added to the 2004 penal law code, and according to the state-run organization Qatar News agency, it…
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – In early September, as if the international community needed to be reminded about the alleged capabilities of the North Korean armed forces, the country said that it was prepared to carry out a nuclear attack against (big shocker) the United States and “other hostile forces” for…
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES – Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has caused a massive refugee exodus. A large majority are now located in the countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. Recently, several European countries have begun to allow Syrian refugees into their borders. While these are promising steps, they have also opened…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – One could say that Al Qaeda is the grumpy old man to the Islamic State’s (ISIS) younger, vibrant, and more energetic twenty-something year old. Their success in recruiting is due to members being greatly familiar with modern technology and excelling at the use of social media.…
ASIA MEDIA WRITES: The East-West Center has announced the 2015 Korea-United States Journalists Exchange, scheduled for November 8 – 18, 2015. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Exchange. While Koreans generally have positive feelings toward the United States, Korean media are questioning the Korea-US relationship, suggesting it receives…
WRITE WEIWEI XU AND TIMOTHY DWYER, ASSOCIATE PROF. FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY — The tragic explosion in the Chinese city of Tianjin, which has so far claimed the lives of 114 people including 19 firefighters, triggered a nationwide online conversation in China. The widespread social sharing of video and…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Qatar is going on the offensive in the media game. The country wants the world to know that it is keeping the World Cup and is looking to start a rebranding effort. A Washington Post blog item published in May reported that 1,200 migrant workers had died…
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES: Hi all! My mom tells me that in Japan, it’s a tradition to start a letter by addressing the season. So: For the past three weeks or so, Japan has been getting warnings of typhoons 9, 10, 11, and the upcoming 12. Do not be fooled; this…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- World soccer is wrapped up in a whirlwind of scandal. Not only have American authorities indicted FIFA executives, they are now working with the Swiss to investigate soccer’s governing body for corruption and bribery. Once again under scrutiny are Russia’s (2018) and Qatar’s (2022) upcoming World Cup matches. Qatar…
