Stories about Media & Journalism from May, 2011
Bahamas, Jamaica: Caribbean Climate Change
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe is “all for going green voluntarily…and in time”, while Labrish Jamaica warns: “There is no debate anymore about climate change. It is here. If sea level were to rise only 1 metre in the Caribbean, the impacts would be catastrophic.”
Caribbean: FIFA Foul
Regional bloggers congratulate the Bermudian and Bahamian football representatives – now being lauded as whistleblowers – who refused to accept bribes from FIFA; Globewriter republishes suspended vice-president Jack Warner's statement on the FIFA ruling and Plain Talk says that he is not as concerned with Jack Warner the FIFA rep...
Pakistan: Journalist Disappeared
Chowrangi reports that Journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, correspondent of Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) in Pakistan, has disappeared recently in Islamabad. In 2006 he was kidnapped by Taliban militants while on duty and was later released.
Thailand: Free bilingual business newspaper
Launched this year, Business Plus Thailand is Thailand's only free bilingual business newspaper that focuses on local news.
India: Media Biased About Elite And Middle Class
Sans Serif comments: “although it is easy to find instances of media manufactured struggles in India if the victims are elite, educated or middle class but to say the same for this very media taking up the causes of the underprivileged, oppressed or rural masses is difficult.”
Russia: OBEY Giant Poster Wonders ‘Who Set Up Strauss-Kahn?’
LJ-user groupper posts [ru] pictures of an illegal poster with OBEY Giant and a question in French and Russian: “Who set up Strauss-Kahn?” The poster hanging in front of the French diplomatic mission building in Saint-Petersburg, raises a conspiracy theory question, wherever the #DSK scandal was a deliberate removal of...
Zimbabwe: On Journalism and Sexual Harassment
Beven Takunda blogs about journalism and sexual harassment in Zimbabwe: “A number of young female journalists coming from college have raised complaints that they are being asked to go out with some of the editors of these newly established newspapers if they want to get employed. This is vey sad...
Philippines: Digital Media Wiki
A wiki page provides a rich source of information on the state of digital media in the Philippines.
Philippines: Novelist Mired in Plagiarism Controversy
Alfred "Krip" Yuson, an award-winning Filipino novelist, achieved notoriety for allegedly plagiarizing an article by his subordinate in a mainstream news agency. Here are some reactions from the Philippine blogosphere
Puerto Rico: Debate on Media and Politics
Journalist Sandra Rodríguez Cotto analyzes the recent debate [es] on the alleged donations of the largest and most influential newspaper in the Island, El Nuevo Día [es], to the politician Jorge De Castro Font, convicted of federal charges on corruption.
Russia: Famous Sci-Fi Writer's Blog Removed for ‘Anti-Semitism’
Following President Medvedev's speech on extremism in the Russian Internet, security services began a campaign against online neo-Nazis and vocal nationalists. On May 28, 2011, the campaign against racial and religious extremism found an unusual enemy – Leonid Kaganov, one of Russia's oldest bloggers, a poet, and a science fiction writer.
Uganda: Police Raid Newspaper Printing Press
Police raid newspaper printing press in Uganda: “The police have raided and searched premises of Prime General Supply limited a company which offers printing services to Ggwanga news paper, barely hours after the newspaper premises were raided. The Ntinda based company also prints for the Razor – a daily publication...
Mexico: Consensus on Disapproval of TV Series: ‘The Team’
Mexican bloggers share their disapproval of the television series "The Team" ("El Equipo") that seeks to glorify the country's Federal Police. The series is set to be removed from the air on May 27, 2011, after signs that its transmission disturbed not only the audience but also high commanders of the army.
Haiti: Vendors in Delmas
Throwing Down the Water reports on “the chaos” associated with clean-up efforts in Delmas, the capital's largest commune.
Cuba: Repressive Action
Cuban bloggers cite numerous cases of the authorities cracking down on dissidents, calling the arrests “part of a vicious series of repressive moves by the dictatorship to target the opposition.”
North Korea Claims They Developed Their Own Computers
North Korean state media claimed the country is developing it own PCs by showing the insides of a computer manufacturing facility. But technology experts found out that one of the laptops appeared on the news is actually a low-cost netbook already on the US market. Martyn Williams wrote about it...
India: Malayalam Bloggers Campaign For Soumya
Kerala was rife with outrage, when 23 year old woman Soumya was thrown out from a moving passenger train, raped and brutally murdered. With the public losing the trust in mainstream media, blogs with the individual's voices question media's silent role and discuss many unnoticed aspects of the story.
Panama: Wikileaks Reach Panamanian Government
The diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks have wreaked havoc in global politics. Panama is not an exception. A cable that links the government party CD - Democratic Change - with the Colombian drug dealer David Murcia has triggered outrage among Panamanian citizens.
Russia: Reporters’ Open Letter Highlights TV Censorship Concerns
Censorship on the majority of Russian television channels has been around forever, but a recent open letter by REN TV reporters showed how even remaining small islands of media freedom could get washed away.
South Korea: Social Media Controversy Surrounds Sports Broadcaster's Death
The suicide on May 23, 2011, of national television channel MBC sports announcer, Song Ji-seon in South Korea has sparked considerable controversy regarding social media in the country. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, but this latest case has opened a new debate on the public health issue.
Cuba: Prisoner & Dissident Deaths
Uncommon Sense links to a report which alleges that the death of a prisoner was at the hands of prison guards, while Babalu links to new medical reports of the late Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, noting that “the report from the most recent beating…mentions the bruises found on his body;...