BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – Media lesson learned in Taiwan this week: don’t let tainted cooking oil taint your responsibility in reporting. In light of recent reports on the sale of bad cooking oil in Taiwan, the media had a frenzy covering this controversy, including speculation causing an increase in worry for the…
Full Article TAIWAN: Media Gets Burned With Cooking Oil
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – This October, The Interview will give moviegoers a glimpse of what could happen if Seth Rogen and James Franco were hired by the CIA in an attempt to turn an interview with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Kong-un into an assassination attempt. Though it’s a comedy, not everyone…
Full Article North Korea: New Movie Starring Seth Rogen and James Franco Sparks ControversyAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Has India elected a dangerous man? The media failed to answer this question. As Narendra Modi becomes leader of the world’s biggest democracy, his role in the killing of a thousand Muslims in 2002 remains murky. The 2002 Gujarat riots, a pogrom against Muslims, happened on Modi’s watch. His…
Full Article INDIA: Is Modi a Murderer?AUSTIN SZABO WRITES – For years, news anchor and journalist Hamid Mir has been fighting for the cause of a free press in Pakistan. Now he’s fighting for his own life. Still recovering from an unsolved assassination attempt April 19, Mir, undaunted, issued a statement accusing the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Are Government Spies Behind Media Assault?AUSTIN SZABO WRITES – The Pakistani wing of the Taliban wants to do the seemingly impossible: Win public sympathy through improved PR. Surprisingly, it’s working. Since the election of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last year, the Taliban has retooled its communications ops to project the image of an embattled and…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Taliban’s PR Blitz Divides and ConquersAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Though they’ve reported on floods, bombings, wars, and protests in some of the most dangerous places in the world, female journalists in Pakistan and India are still threatened and mistreated at home. Despite repeated calls for change from groups ranging from the United Nations to the Women’s…
Full Article INDIA & PAKISTAN: Female Journalists Face Dangers in the Field and WorkplaceAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Pakistani student and education activist Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography has been well received everywhere, it seems, but in her own country. On November 11, The Guardian reported that nationwide, Pakistani private schools had banned her book, I Am Malala, from being studied or read. Education officials point…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Malala’s Book Banned in SchoolsWant to be happy with your life? Then according to Indian media, make sure to have fair skin. A legacy from India’s caste system, fair skin is still considered essential for success in business and love, and Indian media still spreads this message. Controversial products such as whitening creams are…
Full Article INDIA: The Media’s Whitewashing of BeautyAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – With explosions and non-stop action, Pakistan’s first action blockbuster, Waar, is making waves. Indians are less excited: they are the bad guys. Reuters offered a summary of the movie: “Indian villains team up with Islamist militants to plot spectacular attacks across Pakistan. Pakistani security forces jump in…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Action Movie Paints India as the Bad GuyAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Media darling or not, the Western press has largely ignored Malala Yousafzai’s stance against U.S. drone strikes — and capitalism. Malala has been praised for her efforts to raise awareness of the importance of education in Pakistan, particularly for girls, but her voice against drone strikes…
Full Article PAKISTAN: American Media Silent On Malala’s Stance Against CapitalismAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – The front page of Pakistan’s only LGBT support website, Queer Pakistan, reads “Don’t Hate Us, Know Us!” The Pakistani government said no. In another attempt to impede social progress in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (the PTA) censored the website, saying “Surf Safely! This website is…
Full Article PAKISTAN: First Gay Pakistani Site BlockedRYAN LIPPERT WRITES – A new textbook awaiting publication by Kyohak Publishing Co. is now the subject of an intense argument between South Korean liberals and conservatives. On both sides, politicians, media personalities, and educators are making their opinions known. Following the South Korean Ministry of Education’s decision to require…
Full Article South Korea: Propaganda Disguised as Education?RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – A dozen North Korean musicians faced a government firing squad last month for allegedly making and selling porn. That might have gone unnoticed by the world if one of them hadn’t been Hyon Song-wol, national chanteuse and hottie former girlfriend of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Conspiracy…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Did Porn put Popstar in Firing Line?The release of North Korea’s new “Arirang” tablet computer is very exciting news, but as with many new gadgets, there is at least one big question. Instead of asking how it compares to competitors or how well it performs, the question is about where it was made. North Korea’s media…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Trying to Save Face With a Stolen Tablet?
The March issue of FHM Singapore, a monthly magazine targeted towards men, has been pulled off the shelves for containing two articles deemed offensive to Christianity. One of which, titled “Which of These Celebs Might Secretly Be Jesus?”, “evaluates“ the possibility that celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Magazine pulled Off Shelves for Anti-Christian ContentIt’s possible to make history but much harder to rewrite it. On February 4th, the government of Sri Lanka celebrated the country’s 64th year of independence from Great Britain with a festive ceremony, including a moment of silence, a parade, and a speech given by current Sri Lankan President Mahinda…
Full Article SRI LANKA: Official History Versus Credited Reality