Stories about Media & Journalism from February, 2010
Morocco: The Death of a Newspaper
Jamal Elabiad writes of the possible demise of Morocco's only English-language newspaper, The Casablanca Analyst.
Qatar: Artist MF Husain trades Indian passport for Qatari one
Reactions on the Internet ranged from shock, dismay and delight as MF Husain, one of India's most celebrated and reviled artists, is offered Qatari citizenship - and accepts.
Morocco: Maghreb Bloggers Search for Common Ground
A three-day workshop for bloggers from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco was held from 15 to 17 February 2010 in the Moroccan capital Rabat. Participating bloggers reported and live-tweeted the event. They shared their blogging experiences, engaged in lively debates openly confronting their views on contentious issues and were encouraged to reflect on ways to find grounds for mutual understanding.
Azerbaijan: Oil Academy corruption allegations
ANTV, a citizen journalism site recently awarded for its contribution to freedom of the press in Azerbaijan, posts a YouTube video [AZ/EN] interview with Elmin Badalaov, a fourth year student at Baku's Oil Academy expelled allegedly because of his investigation into corruption at the prestigious institute.
Greece, Germany and the middle finger of Venus de Milo
In the continuing drama of the Greek financial crisis, a row erupted last week because of a German magazine cover that depicted ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo flipping a middle finger at the European Union.
Azerbaijan: ANTV receives freedom of the press award
ANTV [AZ/EN/RU], an online citizen journalism site co-founded by now imprisoned video blogging youth activist Emin Milli, has received an award from ZEIT-Stiftung for its work in promoting independent voices and alternative news and views in Azerbaijan [RU]. The Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS) also carries the news...
Trinidad & Tobago: New Opposition Leader
“Kamla Persad-Bissessar will take her seat today in the Red House in Port-of-Spain as Trinidad & Tobago’s first female Oppostion Leader”: Islandista and Trinidad and Tobago News Blog weigh in.
Cuba: On the Front Line
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says that “Orlando Zapata Tamayo's fight for liberty is not over, as reports…are that other Cuban freedom fighters are taking his place on the front lines of the struggle.”
Global: Concerns About Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
The last meeting of negotiations for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has provoked the protest of online communities against both its content and the circumstances of their negotiations
Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana: Rights of LGBT
gspottt has its eyes on developments in Guyana regarding the filing of “a constitutional challenge to a law criminalising ‘crossdressing’ in that country’s high court.”
Macau: Alternative public sphere
Chong from interlocals has a summary of a local research on the development of online alternative public sphere in Macau.
Russia: Government Supports Blogger School
Gov-gov.ru blogs [RUS] about a new online initiative: government-sponsored blogger schools that emerge in Tomsk (Siberia) [RUS] and Dagestan [RUS]. The Dagestan region has one of the lowest Internet penetration rates in the country. The schools involve the most popular Kremlin-affiliated bloggers.
Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis: Corruption Watch
Barbados Free Press has its eyes on St. Kitts and Nevis when it comes to transparency and government accountability.
Russia: Provider Sued For Not Blocking Web Sites
The prosecutor's office of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Siberian region where most of Russia's oil comes from, filed a suit against a local Internet provider that refused to block “extremist” Web site, Regnum reported. However, there's no federal law that requires providers to block the sites.
Armenia: Working conditions
Adrineh Macaan details the trials and tribulations of working in Armenia. The blog says that conditions are inconvenient and lacking, hours are long, and salaries sometimes take months to be paid.
China: CNN Poll on Tibetan Independence
C. Custer from ChinaGeeks blogs about anti-CNN members’ recent mobilization to spam CNN poll on Tibetan independence.
Russia: Online Media Competition Lacks Transparency
The Russian Federal Telecommunications Agency announced [RUS] a competition to support online media. Adindex.ru reports [RUS] that requirements for lack transparency and suggests the competition is a way to encourage new media loyal to the government.
India: The Influence Of Local Language News Channels and Media
“The recent expansion in Indian language news channels and media, preceded by the expansion in the Indian language newspaper market has brought television to the fore, as a powerful new force in the evolving Indian society”, comments Vikram at An Academic View Of India.
Puerto Rico: Artifacts Seized
The Voice of the Taino People Online notes that “the French authorities confiscated a piece of the Taino culture valued as high as one million euros…”
Trinidad & Tobago: Observations
Diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch focuses his attention on a few developments – from politics to crime – in Trinidad and Tobago.
China: Netizens make fun of charges for hacking Google
The so-called ‘Operation Aurora’, which attacked Google and at least 33 other western conglomerates, allegedly originated from two Chinese universities, according to a recent New York Times story. One of these ‘universities’ is, in fact, an obscure 4th- tier vocational school in Northern China. It is Shandong Lan Xiang Advanced...
