Energy production has been a pressing issue for Japanese politicians and journalists lately, especially as the summer heat approaches. Concerns over possible obligatory blackouts have fueled debates regarding the future of the nation’s nuclear facilities. In light of these ongoing discussions, The Mainichi, Japan’s third leading daily, obtained documents earlier this month detailing secret meetings [...]
Archive | May, 2012
MYANMAR: Headlines Capture Essence of Political Change
Recent headlines in the Myanmar media are a clear indication of a polarized country. Some articles touch on Japanese plans to develop the Myanmar Stock Exchange. Others describe the plights of 471 confirmed political prisoners in Myanmar, with 465 more awaiting confirmation. Looking at the Myanmar headlines on Mizzima News, an online magazine specializing in [...]
NEPAL: Journalists Find Themselves Targets of Political Protest
A variety of ethnic and religious groups have joined forces against local media personnel in Nepal recently. According to both the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, these groups expect their opinions to be taken into account during the upcoming drafting of the new Nepali Constitution, and believe that journalists are standing in [...]
CHINA: Cyber Crime Surveillance Increases with Internet Use
The Internet is extremely vast, virtually limitless. This fact makes cyberspace starkly different from the physical world, particularly when it comes to crime, and begs the question: Can a government successfully regulate the Internet? According to Shanghai police, the number of online crimes in China is growing quickly as online traffic increases, and shopping and [...]
TAIWAN: Media Coverage Lacking in Bo Xilai Scandal
Reports of the Bo Xilai political scandal that is currently unfolding in China have been intentionally incomplete and superficial. Taiwanese media has focused solely on sex scandals and individual corruption, instead of addressing the serious political crisis that is afflicting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At the heart of the scandal is the death of [...]
THAILAND: OBEC Innovates Education with Tablet Computers
Secretary General of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) made a recent statement that tablet computers for school children are ready and will be delivered to students in different provinces in alphabetical order starting June 7th. Thailand is the most recent nation to follow the trend of innovation in education, with the first [...]
BANGLADESH: Journalists Prove Their Story True in Head to Head with Police
The journalists of Bangladesh have found themselves victims of police brutality once again. On Monday, May 27th 2012, The Daily Star reported that three on-duty photojournalists were assaulted by police men the previous day. According to the reports, the journalists were taking photographs of students at Dhaka Women Polytechnic Institute as they staged a demonstration, [...]
MIDDLE EAST: An Example of Magazine Excellence
This month Asia Media is happy to spotlight for serious praise FOREIGN POLICY magazine. Its May-June issue takes on the extraordinarily relevant but ever-tricky question of the status of women in the Middle East. Not fearing a head-first plunge into the deepest of waters, the editors plaster their magazine cover with an iconic picture of [...]
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Ambitious Experimental Course Coming to First Semester’s End
Must differing civilizations clash? Or can they sometimes combine to harmonious effect? The late Harvard Prof. Samuel Huntington took a dim view of the future with his provocative and possibly predictive “Clash of Civilizations.” The 1996 book posited a gloomy post- Cold War geopolitical world in which the Islamic world would grind up against the Western [...]
ASIA INSIGHT VIDEO NO. FOUR: STEPHANIE GARCIA AND HER VIEW ON AMERICAN JOURNALISM AND SINGAPORE
Professor Tom Plate meets with South-South News
Professor Tom Plate Goes Live With South-South News to discuss his book on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Professor Plate reveals why he decided to write a book on Ban Ki-Moon -- and how the Western media stereotypes the Korean diplomat.
Staff Writer Lauren Chen Reflects on the Death of a Journalist