TAIWAN: Death of Fisherman Sparks Tension with Philippines
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – A tide of anger is rising between the Philippines and Taiwan after the Filipino Coast Guard shot and killed a Taiwanese fisherman in the strait of the South China Sea separating the two nations. Since the shooting in the middle of May, media in the Philippines,…
Full Article TAIWAN: Death of Fisherman Sparks Tension with PhilippinesNORTH KOREA: One Click from the Internet
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES -Simple lack of Internet access is one of the biggest obstacles to solving some of North Korea’s myriad woes. The hermit state has a computer network of its own, but citizens can only access those sites the government has OK’d. Further, the nation’s computers are designed to…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: One Click from the InternetPHILIPPINES: Getting Away with Media Manslaughter
LAUREN CHEN WRITES- Hopefully this murder won’t become another unsolved media mystery. Recently, radio broadcaster Mario Vendiola, 33, was gunned down and killed in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay. On his motorcycle ride home, Vendiola was shot 3 times in the chest and was declared dead before reaching the hospital. He was…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Getting Away with Media ManslaughterPAKISTAN: List of Truth or Defamation?
JESSICA GADOMSKI WRITES – While some Pakistani journalists may be comfortable accepting money from the government, they are not accustomed to having their names made public- on the Supreme Court’s website no less! The Supreme Court’s recent decision to publish the names of journalists who allegedly received money from the…
Full Article PAKISTAN: List of Truth or Defamation?NORTH KOREA: American Tried for Treason
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES- Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American tourist, is currently awaiting trial in Pyongyang for allegedly planning to remove the North Korean government from power. If Bae is found guilty, he may be executed. The government-owned media in North Korea has been fairly tight-lipped about the specifics of Bae’s…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: American Tried for TreasonPAKISTAN: 2013 Elections Tainted by Violence
LIZA HERNANDEZ WRITES- With the recent outbreak of violence over the 2013 elections in Pakistan, a rather grim mood has settled over the event. The targets of the recent attacks have all been candidates running for office in this year’s election. In Peshawar, 2 bombs exploded in attacks that…
Full Article PAKISTAN: 2013 Elections Tainted by ViolenceMALAYSIA: Elections Up In Flames!
MARLENA NIP WRITES- The National party of Malaysia is up in flames! Tuesday night, it quite literally was up in flames. Two bottles containing gasoline were found in the headquarters of the Barisan Nasional (BN) party. It is predicted that persons from the opposition party were aiming to burn…
Full Article MALAYSIA: Elections Up In Flames!JAPAN: From Shrines to Tanks, Abe’s Cabinet Faces Criticism
JEREMIAH FARJADO WRITES- Will the Japanese government ever learn? Once again, Japanese tension with the Chinese and South Koreans have flared up due to a recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by over 150 Japanese politicians, including members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet. As Bloomberg and Kotaku, a…
Full Article JAPAN: From Shrines to Tanks, Abe’s Cabinet Faces CriticismTAIWAN: Two Way Street for Television in China and Taiwan
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES- Taiwanese government fears losing influence over their citizens to China. With all of the talk about increasing cross straits dialogue, former Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung suggested introducing international news programs such as Hong-Kong based Phoenix TV and Beijing’s state-run China Central Television (CCTV) satellite channels…
Full Article TAIWAN: Two Way Street for Television in China and TaiwanLAOS: Worries for Laos
E.J. DE LARA WRITES- Recently, the Laos National Assembly approved the construction of a $7 billion railroad that would extend to the China border in Luang Namntha province. The railroad was supposed to be a joint project between Laos and China until China dropped out last year fearing a lack…
Full Article LAOS: Worries for LaosCHINA: The Creation of an Internet Security Powerhouse
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES- Cyber security has always been a hot concern with Americans, but what we fail to realize is that it is also a global problem. According to the director of the security research team at a web security company Beijing Rising Information Technology Co Ltd , Liu Siyu,…
Full Article CHINA: The Creation of an Internet Security PowerhouseSINGAPORE: Can’t Take a Joke?
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES- Cartoons are typically humorous, but Leslie Chew is hardly laughing since being charged with sedition for his “racially insensitive” comic strip. The 37 year old may face up to $5,000 in fines and three years jail time if he is found guilty of violating Section 298 of…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Can’t Take a Joke?MYANMAR: Entering a Dangerous Period?
ALEXANDRE GUIRAUD WRITES- In this time of drastic change in Myanmar’s media structure, many companies are trying to help the development of the country by gaining a new market. One of the most recent people to do so was Google’s Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, who traveled to Myanmar to promote…
Full Article MYANMAR: Entering a Dangerous Period?BANGLADESH: Collapsing Disaster in Booming Garment Industry
KIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – The worst disaster to hit Bangladesh’s garment industry happened on Wednesday, April 24th with a death toll of 344 and counting. The media regarding Bangladesh is dominated by this story and rightly so. With unapproved construction of parts of the garment factory and ignored warnings of…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Collapsing Disaster in Booming Garment IndustryLEBANON: Who Are They Punishing?
NICOLE SABA WRITES- Lebanon has once again proven its sound relationship with media censorship. “The Attack”, an award-winning movie directed by Lebanese director, Ziad Doueiri, was banned from airing in Lebanese cinemas. The Interior Minister of Lebanon, Marwan Charbel, claims that the reason for rejecting the movie is because…
Full Article LEBANON: Who Are They Punishing?MYANMAR: Blogging For Bloodshed
GABRIELLA CASTRO WRITES – The use of media propaganda to rally support is not a new phenomenon. However, using violent content to incite military backing is somewhat of a contemporary trend. Myanmar is a country that is still ripe with social conflict and unrest within its borders. Sites are…
Full Article MYANMAR: Blogging For Bloodshed