· October, 2009

Stories about Media & Journalism from October, 2009

China: Bridging the gap? Interviewing bridge bloggers

  30 October 2009

The Chinese blogosphere, as we all know, is booming. As one of the largest on the planet, it is constantly evolving and simultaneously being set back by the all-too-famous governmental censorship. According to Li Datong, the country’s civil society is being reborn online through the intense cyber-dissent and the breaching...

Russia: Riot Police vs “Senior Citizens”

  30 October 2009

Oleg Kozlovsky reports on a scandal that broke out after riot police used – during a drill – “water cannons, shock grenades, and tear gas” to disperse “a group of senior citizens that protested social injustice and blocked a federal highway.”

Anguilla: No News is Bad News

  29 October 2009

“Six members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force arrested in the last five years. Traditionally, the Anguilla public administration operates under the assumption that any bad news is better not published”: Corruption-free Anguilla is “simply disgusted at this state of affairs.”

Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia: “Dumping Grounds for People”

  29 October 2009

Dumping Grounds for People is a blog devoted to the results “of a four-months long journalistic investigation, conducted mostly undercover in ten institutions for adults with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.” A Flickr photo set, by Yana Buhrer Tavanier, is here, along with this note:...

Hungary: 1956

  29 October 2009

Hungarian Spectrum writes about an online collection of testimony (HUN) on the events of 1956, which “helped the western powers understand the Hungarian situation, not just events that occurred during the revolution but more importantly the reasons for the outbreak of the uprising.” Remainder of Budapest wrote this on the...

Taiwan: Ethics of gift giving

  28 October 2009

Michella discusses the ethical issues for journalists offered gifts. She finds it difficult to understand some of the gift and money giving traditions in Taiwan.

Disaster Management and the role of ICTs

  27 October 2009

In a first post of the series, we explore the role of ICTs in Disaster Management and the paradigm shift in Disaster Management strategies that came about post the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.

Japan: News in Manga Format

  27 October 2009

The Kininaruu blog is enthusiastic about Manga no Shinbun (‘Manga Newspaper’), a new Japanese website that publishes news stories as manga illustrations. Boo-hee thinks it's a good medium in a world overflowing with information [ja]. Hiroshi Hara posted an image of a similar attempt in his high school years.

False report on Brunei

  27 October 2009

The Daily Brunei Resources spots a factual mistake in a news article which appeared in The Florida Times-Union. The article mentioned that Brunei participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and that it has a male-only policy.

Israel: “Ordinary Racism” In Media Coverage

  26 October 2009

Approximately 20 per cent of the country's population, the Palestinian citizens of Israel (also known as Israeli Arabs) argue that they are discriminated against in many aspects of life. The media coverage of a recent road accident prompted a Palestinian blogger in Israel to comment.

Trinidad & Tobago: Long Live The Queen!

  26 October 2009

Tongue very much in cheek, This Beach Called Life is pleased that the Queen of England is coming to Trinidad, since the Minister of Works, “fearing his ass would be highlighted in the international press…announced how, after years of looking, his Ministry suddenly found out what was blocking the drains...

Tunisia: Al Jazeera and France

  26 October 2009

From Tunisia, Farhat Al Tunisi remarks [Ar]: “The similarity between the news on Tunisia that the occupying French media and Al Jazeera broadcast has reached a point which makes you think that our country is under French rule.”

Armenia: Twitter counters false media report

  25 October 2009

After a news item in the local press reported that a British MP had been appointed as rapporteur on Armenia and Turkey, Unzipped says that it used Twitter to check the accuracy of the story. Tweeting a question to the MP in question, it turned out that the report was...

India: Blogger Journalist Mediates Cop's Release

  23 October 2009

On the 20th of October dozens of Maoist insurgents attacked the Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district in India and abducted the officer in charge. Keeping him as hostage they demanded release of 14 tribal women as a swap and two BBC journalists including a blogger mediated his release.

Haiti: No Justice?

  23 October 2009

As an ex-priest is extradited to Canada to face charges of sexual abuse of minors in Haiti, The Haitian Blogger says: “The international community has evidently concluded that there is no justice in Haiti. Sexual predators who have been operating with impunity in Haiti are being extradited to their countries...