NATALIA FALCHI WRITES — Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai recently shared a personal #MeToo experience on Weibo, accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. But her post was removed within minutes. Zhang Gaoli of course served on the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2017. Ms.…
KIANA KARIMI WRITES — As hope for reform and freedom slowly inched forward, a new cloud of darkness arose over the Iranian public, and for good reason. The media will be under substantial scrutiny and attack soon. Apps such as Signal and Instagram are crucial to everyday modern society by…
TOM PLATE WRITES — Given the relentless Western media verdict about “China’s increasing assertiveness,” it might seem surprising that across Asia doubts about America’s own continental conduct proceed apace. Yet this goes little reported back in the U.S. Nonetheless, within some government and policy circles in Indonesia, Japan and Singapore –…
VALERIA GURROLA WRITES — Jang Yeong-jin has found love as a gay man nearly twenty-five years after his escape from North Korea. He first made international headlines in 2015 with A Mark of Red Honor’s release, his memoir about living as an openly gay defector in South Korea. In the…
ABEER ABUNAYYAN WRITES — In 2018, Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban on theaters that had been in place for 35 years. The ban had originally been in place due to social pressure from conservative Islamists to limit public entertainment, particularly theaters that had mixing between men and women. However,…
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES — Clubhouse has recently gained media and investment attention, having secured roughly a billion valuation-10 times higher than its actual app valuation. But what, exactly, is Clubhouse? It’s an audio chat-based social media app created during the pandemic. Users can hop in and out of…
TAYLOR BOSVELD WRITES — It is no secret that China is continuing to grow its influence on the world stage, yet who would think that one of the most culturally impactful institutions in the United States is the National Basketball Association? And what’s the relationship between China and the NBA?…
CHINACOURTESY, WALL STEET JOURNAL — China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time the Chinese government has expelled multiple journalists simultaneously from one international news organization since the country began re-engaging with the world in the post-Mao era. China’s Foreign Ministry…
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – Not much of a surprise, the popular LGBT movie “Call Me by Your name” was banned in China. Although the Oscar-winning movie with a cult-following has top ratings on IMDB, RottenTomatoes, and other movie review websites, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has chosen not to…
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – The freedom of the press in Myanmar is in a questionable state. Despite talk of a transitioning democracy, it is unclear whether human rights, such as freedom of the press, will receive the reform needed to become fully democratized. Lau Hon Meng and Mok Choy Lin,…
MADISON KOCHENDERFER WRITES — If a responsible journalist, it is one’s duty to ensure that the information shared with the world is accurate, especially in a time where fake news is so rampant. When media exploits “alternative facts,” attention detracts from where it is truly needed, and individuals are left…
FASSA SAR WRITES – Chinese officials say that despite the country’s current prosperity, there’s trouble brewing: commercial films just aren’t socialist enough. China’s legislature, National People’s of Congress, revisited a draft of a film law proposed in 2015 that attempts to regulate its domestic film Industry and Chinese-owned Hollywood studios.…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Usually it’s censors who block a controversial film from domestic distribution. Not so in Quatar, at least in the case of The Danish Girl. Following online outrage at the transgender tale, the country’s Ministry of Culture tweeted out this month: “We would like to inform you…
SABRINA VERDUZCO WRITES – On Nov. 3rd, the South Korean government made the controversial, yet entirely legal decision to rewrite history textbooks. Many scholars and political opponents of the Park administration immediately condemned this move. Two weeks later, 70,000 protesters congregated in Seoul in an attempt to confront the South Korean government’s move…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Social media sites give users a platform to voice their opinions. They provide a means to communicate with others and express whatever they wish. Some people post disrespectful material, and that’s when censorship and social media ethics enter into the equation. This is a problem Qatar is mulling…
EMILY ROCHA WRITES – A new study has exposed further censorship of Chinese citizens. Following the release of a documentary exposing the high levels of air pollution in China earlier this year, it was found that users on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, called Weibo, were censored as they discussed the…
