KAISARA WALTON WRITES — Bangladesh’s government recently enacted a controversial new law, the Digital Security Act, invoking sections of the colonial era 1989 Official Secrets Act, which included restrictions in freedom of the press. Press releases from other entities such as the US, the EU, and human rights activists have…
Full Article Bangladesh: The Fight for Free Speech & Media
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES– Amos Yee, a teen blogger who fled Singapore, has been granted asylum in the United States. Yee was released from U.S. detention after 9 months of being detained. Yee first received asylum in March, but was quickly rejected by the Department of Homeland Security. However, the…
Full Article SINGAPORE: TEEN BLOGGER AMOS YEE GRANTED ASYLUM IN THE U.S.
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…
Full Article JAPAN: The Pen is Mightier than the Government
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – The Sony Pictures hacking scandal and the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France have fueled a global dialogue on free speech. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, addressed the subject during an impromptu press conference on a Sri Lankan aircraft en route to Manila on January 15.…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Pope Francis, Freedom FighterSometimes in Vietnam it pays to keep your mouth (or blog) shut. Last month, a Vietnamese court sentenced three bloggers to between 4 and 12 years in prison for allegedly troubling citizens and trying to overthrow the Communist government. You’d think with debt scandals, a slowing economy and inflation expected…
Full Article VIETNAM: If You’re Gonna Blog, Blog Something Nice, Ok?Free speech advocate gets ten months behind bars for posting online? This sounds close to ridiculous in a democracy like South Korea. However, Park Jung-geun, a South Korean photographer and a supporter of free speech, suffered this exact fate recently. He is accused of supporting North Korea, an act that…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: A Little Sympathy Goes A Long Way!Nearly two years after the Maguindanao massacre in which 32 journalists were murdered, the Catholic-run radio station dzVT in Luzon has been hit with an arson attack that destroyed 10 million pesos (about 230 thousand USD) worth of transmission equipment. The police believe the fire started in the dead of night and found…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Radio Station Latest Target in Wave of Media Attacks as Government Falls AsleepAccording to the Japanese government, seventeen Japanese citizens were abducted and taken to North Korea during the 1970s and 1980s. Among those who are reportedly held by the communist nation is Keiko Arimoto. In 2009, TV Asahi, a Japanese television network, featured a debate program during which journalist Soichiro Tahara…
Full Article JAPAN: Free Speech VS. Political Correctness in Journalist’s Comments