MARGARET RAY WRITES– Rumors that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, intends to buy Premier League football club Manchester United were quelled by the Kingdom’s Media Minister, Turki Al-Shabanah, who stated on Monday that the rumors were “completely false.” “Manchester United held a meeting with the Public Investment Fund…
Full Article DUBAI: Rumors of Manchester United Buyout Denied by Saudi Arabia
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – It was quite a familial setting – he sat at the head of the table over lunch as he recounted episodes in his 83 years of life in a calm but assured manner. No, this was not my grandfather, but renowned Japanese journalist, Fumio Matsuo. There…
Full Article JAPAN: JOURNALIST FORETELLS
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…
Full Article CHINA: If Posts are Censored, Do They Make a Sound?
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – BuzzFeed, a site that every millennial is well aware of, has finally made a move to provide quizzes, funny cat gifs, and “would you rather” polls to Japan. At the helm of the site will be founding editor Daisuke Furuta. As a former member of the digital…
Full Article JAPAN: What’s the Buzz, Daisuke Furuta?
EMILY ROCHA WRITES – Back in September, a robot called Dreamwriter published a near 1,000 word article in nearly a minute. The business finance report was written in Chinese and entirely understandable, leaving readers to assume it was written by a human. Dreamwriter, developed by “gaming giant” Tencent, has led…
Full Article CHINA: Dreamwriter is a Dream-Killer for Journalists
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – Way to rain on the parade, Chito Narvasa! Invited to speak at an awards dinner for journalists covering Philippines basketball, the new b-ball commissioner chose to dress down reporters, warning them to practice “responsible journalism” or else. It seems Narvasa wanted to ensure that all Philippine…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Writers Ye Be Warned
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – One could say that Al Qaeda is the grumpy old man to the Islamic State’s (ISIS) younger, vibrant, and more energetic twenty-something year old. Their success in recruiting is due to members being greatly familiar with modern technology and excelling at the use of social media.…
Full Article QATAR: ISIS Social Media Accounts Cast Net
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…
Full Article JAPAN: Committing Journalistic Seppuku
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…
Full Article HONG KONG: Hard Times for Hong Kong’s Media
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES– Is killing journalists an act of war? Associated Press president Gary Pruitt believes it is. Last week at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club, Pruitt suggested changes to international laws that would make killing journalists or taking them hostage a war crime, punishable under the 1948…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Justice for Journalists?
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…
Full Article ASIA-AT-LARGE: 2015 Festival of Media Asia Pacific
MIRANDA PAK WRITES- With all the tension and protests in Hong Kong, it’s not surprising that media censorship is on the rise. Two recent reports show the decline of Hong Kong’s press freedom. The PEN American Center, a literary society and human rights organization, released a report stating that media self-censorship…
Full Article HONG KONG: Hope for the Media
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Today’s generation would find it hard to imagine life without social media. And at least some people in the government seem to have caught on. According to TuoiTreNews, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated that authorities must provide “official and accurate information in a timely manner on…
Full Article VIETNAM: A Step in the Right Direction for Social Media Freedom
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Since the beginning of Fall, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of press freedom in Vietnam, beating this dead horse and watching talented journalists battle the nooses around their necks. However, this sad story is taking a turn. It’s about time someone with a powerful voice said something about this…
Full Article VIETNAM: Popping the Silence Bubble
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Journalists need to grab the attention of their readers, and what better way is there than reporting on a possible scandal? Unfortunately, even in a so-called free media system, a simple rumor can get you into big trouble. Sankei Shimbun reporter Tatsuya Kato’s is now on…
Full Article JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA: Rumor Has It…
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — In a perfect world, there would be depth to the concept of press freedom in Vietnam. Unfortunately, all they have now is a shallow kiddy pool that is severely monitored by ‘helicopter’ parents. The issue is becoming much more complicated as the party is finding more…
Full Article VIETNAM: Free Media Doesn’t Require Lifeguards