THAILAND: Rumor Has It
ELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – Is speaking about a rumor the same as spreading it? One of Thailand’s top cops says it is, and four journalists now face serious jail time as a result. Police Maj Gen Pisit Pao-in, head of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, says posting a Facebook comment,…
Full Article THAILAND: Rumor Has ItSINGAPORE: Thoughts about Lee Kuan Yew at 90
TOM PLATE WRITES – Lee Kuan Yew, whom I first interviewed in 1996, was always a terrific interview and if you ask Western journalists how many public figures they can say this of, you may be surprised at how few they name. But I cannot think of one journalist who…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Thoughts about Lee Kuan Yew at 90LEBANON: Promoting Digital Media Literacy in the Middle East
NICOLE SABA WRITES – Though Arabs are as Net savvy as anyone, many Arab universities rely on Western resources to build their digital media studies and literacy curricula. Fed up with the second-hand material, Lebanon has hosted the first digital academy by and for Arabs. Built on the example of…
Full Article LEBANON: Promoting Digital Media Literacy in the Middle EastMYANMAR: From Censorship to Courts
ALEXANDRE GUIRAUD-COINTREAU WRITES – Myanmar’s new regime has found new ways to deal with unwanted magazine articles by doling out defamation lawsuits left and right. Within the last year, the population in Myanmar has seen countless improvements, such as the development of new media sources, as well as the popularization…
Full Article MYANMAR: From Censorship to CourtsCHINA: US Saves the Day, Even in the Movies
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – The movie Pacific Rim, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, opened this summer to only so-so reviews in the US. The sci-fi story of monsters called Kaiju which emerge from the Pacific Ocean to try and destroy the human race made only $99,331,880 domestically, while…
Full Article CHINA: US Saves the Day, Even in the MoviesJAPAN: Iconic Anime Director Retires, Again
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – After decades in the anime and film industries, Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has announced his retirement. According to The Japan Times, the shocking news came out of the Venice film festival on September 1. Koji Hoshino, head of Studio Ghibli, told reporters that Miyazaki’s…
Full Article JAPAN: Iconic Anime Director Retires, AgainVIETNAM: Beautiful Bodies, Uterus Required
YVONNE EPPS WRITES – The next Vietnam beauty may be just around the corner, but the government will only except the most feminine of them all, literally. Based off America’s Next Top Model, the fourth season of Vietnam’s Next Top Model has come under fire after advancing transgendered contestants in…
Full Article VIETNAM: Beautiful Bodies, Uterus RequiredBANGLADESH: Bicycles Bring Internet to Rural Areas
KIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – Ladies clad in pink and blue uniforms on bikes are appearing in Bangladesh’s remote villages, bearing the gift of the Internet. These women, called “info ladies” ride their bikes across the countryside with laptops ready to hold Internet sessions for the disconnected. The Guardian newspaper reports…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Bicycles Bring Internet to Rural AreasMALAYSIA: Says “No” to Tobacco and the US
MARLENA NIP WRITES – Malaysia is taking a stand against a smoking Uncle Sam. In ongoing trade talks with the U.S., it adamantly defended its right to set stiff rules on the sale of tobacco products within its own borders. In the process, it won the praise of everyone from…
Full Article MALAYSIA: Says “No” to Tobacco and the USTAIWAN: Does Taiwan Media Need Reform?
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – Taipei Times highlights the lack of a more diverse and critical media system. But wait, isn’t it one of the biggest newspapers in Taiwan? Recently, Taipei Times has published two articles stressing the media’s important role on uncovering news the government may have covered up, as…
Full Article TAIWAN: Does Taiwan Media Need Reform?SINGAPORE: Evangelizing Comes at a High Cost
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – What could be more scandalous than a pop star, a church, and alleged embezzlement between the two? A “second coming” of “The Messiah” threatening to reveal all the dirty details of the so-called “hidden agenda.” On Monday, September 2, pop star Ho Yeow Sunʼs official website…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Evangelizing Comes at a High CostHONOLULU: East-West Center Announces Pakistan US Journalist Exchange
The East-West Center has announced it is now accepting applications for the 2014 Pakistan-United States Journalists Exchange, March 30-April 19, 2014. This program, now in its fourth year, is designed to increase and deepen public understanding of the two countries and their important relationship, one that is crucial to regional…
Full Article HONOLULU: East-West Center Announces Pakistan US Journalist ExchangePACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: The Big Scoop on Our Print Media Tragedies
Los Angeles – The digital revolution roiling all media in societies plugged into the Internet (North Korea: you may disregard this column) is having a profound effect. Paper from trees has become the stone tablet of our time, not quite as hefty in weight of course but in other respects…
Full Article PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: The Big Scoop on Our Print Media TragediesSINGAPORE: One Man’s View Receives Mixed Reviews
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – The world weighs in as the Father of Modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, shares his most pugnacious opinions in his latest book. One Man’s View of the World, a fitting title for a book whose author single handedly took a nation from rags to riches, was…
Full Article SINGAPORE: One Man’s View Receives Mixed ReviewsLOS ANGELES: Raunchy, Racist Music Video Goes Viral
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Sex often sells, but not when it’s mixed with the stark insensitivity of misogyny and racism. Los Angeles based band Day Above Ground provoked a torrent of controversy earlier this month following the release of a music video for their song “Asian Girlz.” The video featured…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: Raunchy, Racist Music Video Goes ViralCHINA: Saved by the Bloggers
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – It all began with a video that spread on Sina Weibo, China’s popular micro blog website. Distributed by whistle-blowing writers, the short video snippets exposed the process by which bile is removed from Asiatic black bears, prompting outrage amid animal rights lovers and activists. On August…
Full Article CHINA: Saved by the Bloggers