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…
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…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – In a piece from The Japan Times, Columbia University’s Gerald Curtis states that, “the [Japanese] government doesn’t have to muzzle the press if the press takes it upon itself to do the muzzling.” Shigeaki Koga, an ex-bureaucrat at Japan’s Ministry of the Economy, wants to tear…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES- Good PR is hard to obtain for Qatar, and last week it became even more difficult when Qatari security officers arrested a BBC crew reporting on migrant workers. The Prime Minister’s office had invited several media outlets, including the BBC, on an official tour of the new…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Stop to think about what it means to live in a democracy and freedom of the press will likely come to mind. Journalists being able to speak out about societal wrongs is vital to improving society and expanding the minds of the people they serve. But…
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Vietnam has come a long way since the start of the year. We’ve seen major progress with the acceptance of social media and dips with press freedom, but the road is still jagged and, if they don’t watch their step, they might end up hurt. The Economist reported…
ALESSANDRA DALY JOHNSON WRITES- The seventh installment of the Fast and Furious franchise was released in the United Arab Emirates on April 2. Since its release, Furious 7 has reportedly grossed $9.5 million (Dh 34,836,000), which makes it the highest-grossing film in the UAE. The prequel, Fast & Furious 6…
VERONICA BANEZ WRITES – Is piracy becoming too big of a problem? Some may argue that pirating movies off the Internet is simply nothing more than a form of free entertainment. After all, why pay so much money to watch a movie when one can simply get it online for…
MIRANDA PAK WRITES — The bad news just keeps flowing for Hong Kong’s media. Recently, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government (LOCPG) has taken control of Sino United Publishing Limited. This publishing company owns Joint Publishing HK, Chung Hwa Book Co., and the Commercial Press, which are the three…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES– If China, South Korea, and Japan were humans instead of countries, you might say their relationship status would be “It’s Complicated.” The three are geographical neighbors, and treat each other as such – they are cordial when they need to be, but behind closed doors are not…
MIRANDA PAK WRITES – Everything must come to an end, including Hong Kong’s oldest TV station, Asia Television (ATV). ATV will have to stop broadcasting starting April 1st, 2016. Hong Kong’s Executive Council said they won’t renew ATV’s free-to-air license when it expires on November 30th of this year. ATV strove to…
VERONICA BANEZ WRITES – Lightbox, Neon, Netflix, Quickflix, Sky TV. These are only a few of the many streaming movie and television services that are provided in New Zealand. James Croot and Blayne Slabbert, writers for the website Stuff.com, really put into perspective the wide range of differences between all…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES- The Festival of Media Asia Pacific (FOMAC), an event celebrating the accomplishments and new goals for the region’s media, took place this week from March 22-24 at the Capella Singapore, Sentosa. The festival gathered over 700 leaders of the region’s media from 22 countries and was a busy three…
JOHN PO WRITES – Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew passed away peacefully on March 23. As Singapore observed her final day of mourning, the legacy that he leaves behind is one that can be seen in the modern city that is home to 7 million. Mr. Lee has…
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES – Beware what you click on Facebook. An Indian is under arrest in Saudi Arabia for what he says was simply taking a look at an image authorities have since deemed blasphemous. The rub: To see the photo, the man says he was tricked into giving it…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES- At a conference in Washington D.C. last week, Australian Attorney General George Brandis announced an $18 million program that will fight pro-terrorist websites by closely observing social media sites that promote terrorist ideals. Following the theme of the summit, “countering violent extremism,” this program, dubbed Combating Terrorist…
