Asia Insight 2 – A Trip To Japan from The Asia Media on Vimeo.
Archive | February, 2013
HOLLYWOOD: Oscars for ‘Intellectual Honesty’?
ARGO won for Best Picture, of course, but in my view it merited an additional Oscar. And so did the far more controversial ZERO DARK THIRTY. Consider that Hollywood hands out awards for everything from “Sound Mixing” to “Best Picture.” But over the decades no Oscar category existed to honor movies for intellectual or political [...]
SAUDI ARABIA: When Social Media Triggers Intolerance — Is it Thinking Outside the Box … Or Just Thinking Out Loud?
We’re living in a time where social media is playing a crucial role in our lives, whether if it is digitizing human interactions, making us more/less connected, or even mobilizing revolutions. Whatever it is, we cannot deny the fact that we’re being greatly touched by this double-edged sword. As with any other type of technology, [...]
SINGAPORE: Oral Sex Trial Blows Over!
What the region’s overheated news media has termed “the most high profile graft trial in decades” is finally over… maybe. Last week, Ng Boon Gay, former Central Narcotics Bureau Director, was acquitted of all four charges of corruption. He was accused of obtaining oral sex from Cecilia Sue, sales manager at two IT vendors, in [...]
VIETNAM: The Overseas Slander Musical
Who knew that Do-Re-Mi could spell Do-Re-Banned? Two Vietnamese singers in the US have been banned from performing in Vietnam, accused of opposing the mother country with slanderous lyrics. Thanh Tuyen and Tuan Vu, along with a handful of others, were charged with slander for their performances on the latest DVD by Asia Music Corp [...]
THAILAND: Saturday Night Live Faces A Tough Crowd
American television has managed to extend its normal offensive material from domestic viewers to Thailand’s very own Ministry of Culture. In a recent Saturday Night Live sketch poking fun at the learn-the-language product Rosetta Stone, sordid gentlemen were depicted as trying to learn Thai in order to solicit prostitutes. Thai PBS claims the video has [...]
New Zealand: Government Tries to Blow Smoke from Tobacco Dangers
Known for its green and environmentally friendly efforts, the New Zealand government is at it again, trying to enact policies that are not only “good” for the environment, but also good for the people. First Target: Tobacco companies. Influenced by the Australian government’s recent introduction of “plain cigarette packaging,” the New Zealand government will be [...]
JAPAN: Is This the Best PM Abe Can Do?
In the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test, national security issues have become an even greater priority for Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who is in the early stages of his second run as Prime Minister. However, his responses to the DPRK are already under fire, especially from liberal circles, such as The Asahi Shimbun, [...]
INDONESIA: Fair to Call Them the ‘Dirty Dozen’?
Indonesia’s media will be busy this year covering the approaching 2014 presidential elections, as well as several local elections that will take place before then. However, the media’s role in these elections is now under scrutiny, both from Indonesian citizens and free press supporters worldwide. With the removal of the central government’s control at the [...]
PHILIPPINES: Media-Phobic Commission on Elections—Feigned Fairness?
The public should be cautious of the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) ability to meet its expectations to conduct clean polls in the May 2013 Elections. So far, the Comelec’s integrity has been in question. According to Comelec Resolution 9615, the poll body has imposed aggregate and not per station airtime limits. Since the Supreme Court [...]
BANGLADESH: Persistent Outrage Over Crusading Blogger’s Death
Bangladesh news coverage this month has been dominated by demonstrations in Dakha demanding stiffer sentences for war criminals from the country’s 1971 Liberation War. Now, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis have been gathering as they also seek justice for the killing of Ahmed Rajib Haider, a blogger who helped organize the war crimes protests. Haider [...]
Pakistan: No room for argument in “The News”
Recently the Pakistan Army condemned what they called the “inhuman and brutal killing” of a soldier by Indian troops near the “Line of Control” in the Kashmir border. According to the Pakistani military, the soldier inadvertently crossed the LoC, and was killed after being questioned by Indian soldiers. As unfortunate as the death of the [...]
CHINA: Who’s Hertz, Who’s Avis?
Despite recent media reports that China had surpassed the US when it comes to trade, the recent reports from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that this is not, in fact, the case. The two largest economies in the world, China and the United States have always been neck and neck when it comes down [...]
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