HAIG TER-GHEVONDIAN WRITES – The death of a single child is a tragedy; the death of over 100 can hardly be put into words. Last December, Taliban suicide bombers attacked the Peshawar Army School of Pakistan slaughtering students, faculty and staff. As most of the nation wept for the those who lost their…
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UAE: Keeping Up With the Times
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has re-launched two of its most popular TV channels, Al Emarat and Abu Dhabi. ADMC is self-described as a “multi-platform media and entertainment organization operating across the broadcast, publishing, and digital media sectors.” Reported by ADMC-owned newspaper The National, ADMC has “adopted the latest media and digital…
R.I.P. LKY
Lee Kuan Yew, father of modern Singapore, passed away on March 23, 2015 at the age of 91. Asia Media International Editor-in-Chief Thomas Plate spoke with multiple news outlets regarding the man who helped Singapore grow from a struggling third-world country to a thriving first-world economy. Interviews featuring Tom Plate Bloomberg…
QATAR: Al Jazeera – Weapon in a Media War
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Qatar provides the headquarters for the international media powerhouse Al Jazeera. While the network claims to be independent, one of their journalists who is currently incarcerated in Egypt, Mohamed Fahmy, claims that they have failed to support him in court because of political differences between Qatar…
NORTH KOREA: A Slice of Justice?
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – At an event where a peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula was being discussed on March 4, U.S. ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was attacked by a knife-wielding activist who demanded the reunification of the two Koreas and expressed opposition to the annual U.S.-South Korean…
CHINA: Stuffing the Duck
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES – China’s school system is recognized as the most rigorous in the world. In an education survey run by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Shanghai teens scored the highest in the international education ranking . After 12 years of dedication, all seniors in…
MOVIE REVIEW: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Last year marked a milestone for the history of animation, as the legendary Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away) of Studio Ghibli retired from filmmaking after the release of his final film, The Wind Rises. However, this year marks yet another milestone as master animator and Ghibli co-founder…
SINGAPORE: Fifty Shades of Trending
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES –The small island city-state of Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday as a nation this August 9th. As we covered in a previous article, there are many commemorative events being arranged for the momentous occasion. It seems Singaporeans are getting into the celebratory mood in their own…
MALAYSIA: Fifty Shades of No Way
ALEX PARK WRITES – There are five groups of people that will not be watching the movie adaptation of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey. People who loved the book but know that the movie will disappoint, those who were intensely uncomfortable with the material, women activists who stand against…
HONG KONG: Hope for the Media
MIRANDA PAK WRITES- With all the tension and protests in Hong Kong, it’s not surprising that media censorship is on the rise. Two recent reports show the decline of Hong Kong’s press freedom. The PEN American Center, a literary society and human rights organization, released a report stating that media self-censorship…
THAILAND: Orwellian Dystopia at its Finest
ELIZABETH NA’AI WRITES – Thailand’s military junta is crafting an Orwellian state. Junta leader and self-imposed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared those who cross the lèse majesté line, or espouse anti-junta political dissent will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)…
HONOLULU: PACIFIC FORUM BASH!
FROM OUR FRIENDS AT PACIFIC FORUM IN HONOLULU COMES THIS: “Dear Asia Media -The Pacific Forum CSIS is celebrating its 40th anniversary at our annual Board of Governors’ fundraising gala dinner at the Sheraton Waikiki on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Tickets and table sponsorships are still available for this special…
K-POP KORNER: You’re Nothing Without Your Fans
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…
IRAN: Give Tweets a Chance
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.…
LONDON: AND THE NEW EDITOR IS … A LADY!
It may be hard for many to believe, but The Economist – surely the world’s highest quality political English language weekly – has a new editor in chief who’s a she! The Economist Group has announced Zanny Minton Beddoes as the 17th editor of The Economist., succeeding John Micklethwait, the…
PARIS: ‘ALL IS FORGIVEN’
The following is courtesy of the provocative and informative online magazine SLATE: Here is the cover of this week’s issue of Charlie Hebdo as depicted in Libération, the newspaper that has given Hebdo’s staff use of its offices. “I am Charlie,” goofy cartoon Mohammed’s sign reads. “All is forgiven,” the…