HAIG TER-GHEVONDIAN WRITES – Here in the United States, someone can say or write a controversial opinion and be protected from government intervention or the public. Some abuse it and some take it for granted, but having a right like freedom of speech implemented and enforced in Pakistan would be a…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Is Defense the Best Offence?
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 – Melinda “Mei” Magsino-Lubis, 40, a former correspondent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, was shot and killed in broad daylight in front of her home in Batangas Monday, April 13. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines reports that the murderer shot Magsino-Lubis in…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Just Another Statistic
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?
PEYTON CROSS WRITES- With a world press freedom index rating of 165, it is no surprise that the Sri Lankan media is corrupt. Thanks to a recent election, however, it may only be a matter of time before this score improves. On January 24, the Colombo Telegraph called into question…
Full Article Sri Lanka: Sirisena, White Knight of the Free Press
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – When two Associated Press journalists visited North Korea over the summer, they saw things few, if any, foreigners have ever seen. No, they did not see concentration camps or nuclear weapons. But they did get to see what life is like for North Koreans from all…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: How the Other 90% LivesRYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Could sports succeed where years of diplomacy have fallen flat? On the heels of Dennis Rodman’s visits to the Hermit Kingdom, an international group of wrestlers, including athletes from Japan and the US, journeyed to North Korea recently to compete in a match before thousands of…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Professional Wrestlers Tackle IsolationKIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – Interns at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) apparently left their posts recently just long enough to beat up approximately 10 journalists, leaving one critically injured. What would Hippocrates say? On April 22, The Daily Star reported that police had been escorting journalists into the hospital the previous Sunday…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Medical Interns Attack JournalistsARACELI PALAFOX WRITES – There’s something fishy about the recent murder of journalist Suon Chon, and it’s not his series of reports on illegal fishing. Earlier this month, The Phnom Penh Post reported the death of the forty-four year old Cambodian, who wrote for The Meakea Kampuchea Newspaper. It said Chon…
Full Article CAMBODIA: Something’s Fishy About Cambodian AuthoritiesKIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – Three Bangladeshi journalists were arrested January 16 for publishing what Information Minister Hansanul Huq Inu called a “baseless” story. The story in question was a report in the online and print editions of the pro-opposition Daily Inqilab that Indian security forces had helped Bangladeshi officials contain…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Journalists Under ArrestAUSTIN 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 WorkplaceBEN SULLIVAN WRITES – U.S. journalists in China have long griped that the government picks on them. Specifically, they say, China retaliates against unfavorable coverage by withholding visas and access to top officials, barring reporters from important events, and even blocking the China editions of their employers’ web sites. The…
Full Article ‘Smokin’ Joe’ Jabs at China Treatment of U.S. NewsiesRYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Bad bosses have made life miserable for employees since the dawn of time, but Chang Jae-ku is one boss who won’t tolerate complaints. Since June 15, approximately 180 correspondents have been kept from returning to their jobs at Hankook Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper. Their boss,…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Complaining About the Boss Gets Newspaper Staff Locked OutRYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Stories about celebrity love lives are often more speculation than fact. But in South Korea, this may be changing thanks to Dispatch, a web site that’s made its name telling the truth. Though just two years old, Dispatch has already gained a reputation for both breaking…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Looking Past the GossipDuring a recent protest in Assam, a northeastern state of India, journalists became the target of the protestors – and they are now up in arms about it. On August 29th the Daily News Analysis (DNA) India reported on a twelve-hour protest held the day before by the All Assam…
Full Article INDIA: Who Loves Ya, You Poor Journo???Bangladesh is only recently a democratically-elected country, and is therefore still feeling the growing pains of development. The nation’s plight can be illustrated through an inspection of remaining political oppression of the media. But understanding that country’s media system is difficult, at best. Now, at last, comes a new media…
Full Article IN REVIEW: Media Asia Explains Bangladesh’s Complex Media