Stories about Media & Journalism from August, 2012
Pakistan: Conflicting Reports in #SaveRimsha Blasphemy Case
The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been the focus of a heated debate yet again, after a minor christian girl named Rimsha was accused of blasphemy and was sent to jail. There have been a few conflicting reports about the case, and the most significant one being a picture of a girl being used, that has now become the face of the #SaveRimsha campaign.
Kyrgyzstan: Facebook Post Spurs Row with Belarus
A photo uploaded on Facebook suggests that Janysh Bakiyev, the brother of the former Kyrgyzstani president ousted by 2010 protests, lives in Minsk. This has sparked an extradition request, the withdrawal of an ambassador and the storming of an embassy.
Macedonia, Bulgaria: Social Media Users Help Expose Forgery
A fact-checking intervention - a joint effort by Macedonian and Bulgarian social media users - has helped independent journalists expose forged documents used as a lure for suspicious humanitarian donations.
Russia: Censorship Law Threatens Children's Classics
After news that Russian television will soon be forced to curtail showings of a classic children’s cartoon “Nu, Pogodi!” [wiki] (the Soviet version of Tom & Jerry but with wolf and bunny instead of cat and mouse) because it is too violent for a new law protecting children from the...
Puerto Rico: Dancing through the Lens of Heriberto Castro
Photographer and blogger Heriberto Castro talks about his blog En la punta del pie, a site dedicated to the world of body movement. He hopes to provide a place to collaborate news and photographs about all dance-related activities in Puerto Rico.
East Timor: Return Trip of an Indonesian
Dalih Sembiring, an Indonesian journalist and travel blogger, wrote “Postcards from Dili“, on a trip he did to East Timor 16 years after he left the country. On his post he republishes an article he wrote for the Jakarta Globe “focusing on how [he] reacquainted with a special person in Bairro...
China: Editor's Suicide Prompts Reflection, Reproach
Xu Huaiqian, the chief editor of the People’s Daily‘s “Earth” supplement committed suicide last week on 22 of August, 2012. He once said during his lifetime that what pained him was that what he dared to think he dared not say, what he dared to say he dared not write,...
EU in Crisis: First E-Book by Global Voices
"EU in crisis" is the first production of our new Global Voices Books project and includes the best material from social conversation, participation and mobilization boosted by citizens going through the tough times of austerity in the old continent and beyond.
Caribbean: No Escape; Isaac Strikes
Despite Caribbean bloggers' hopes that Tropical Storm Isaac would go easy on them, some islands are today coping with the disarray the storm has left in its path. Haiti experienced some of the worst effects from the weather system; flooding and landslides reportedly caused a few deaths and some people had to be evacuated.
Russia: Diva Politics Over Pussy Riot
The Pussy Riot trial has caused no small amount of debate among Russia's public figures, including an amusing row between two of the country's best known celebrities.
Myanmar: Mizzima Website Hacked
“We regret to inform you that Mizzima’s websites have come under DDoS attack. Mizzima has received several threats in reference to our coverage of ongoing hostilities in Rakhine State.” Mizzima, a Myanmar independent media website, issued a statement about the DDoS attacks.
Philippines: Senator Accused of Plagiarism
A Philippine senator is accused of plagiarism when he delivered a speech without mentioning that he copied several parts of the speech from a blog. The senator, instead of apologizing, has denied that he committed plagiarism. He said his office doesn't quote from blogs. His chief of staff later added that 'copying' is normal in the Senate.
India: Social Media Censorship to Contain ‘Cyber-Terrorism'?
'Are we going to follow the footsteps of Pakistan and China and turn into a Blockistan?' The Indian government has cracked down on various social media sites; some Facebook pages and Twitter handles have also been blocked.
Egypt: Women on TV in Ramadan
Now that Ramadan is over, I can get it out of my mind and scream hard on how women were portrayed in the Egyptian TV throughout the whole month Eman Hashim writes in her blog.
India: Social Media Blamed for Fueling Assam Unrest
'A temporary ban was put on bulk SMS and MMS. Local police swung into action and began arresting people forwarding ‘hate' SMS examples. Social media sites were warned to monitor and remove inflammatory content. About 310 webpages were blocked.'
Syria: Ali Farzat Insults Al Arabia Anchor for her Sect
Al Arabiya correspondent Alia Ibrahim was allegedly insulted by famous Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat for her sect. What happened saddened Syrian activist Mohammed Al Abdallah [ar] who apologized on the behalf of Farzat. Asa'ad Abu Khalil blogged about Farzat, saying: “The man has now exposed himself to be a petty,...
Russia: Pussy Riot and the Orthodox Reformation
Retired priest speaks out for Pussy Riot, breaking with the Patriarch and renouncing his holy orders, but his letter is mostly plagiarized. What does this mean for Russia's religious Reformation?
Togo: Police Clashes with Thousand of Protesters in Lomé
Today (August 21), the association ” Sauvons le Togo” has posted photos on its twitter and Flickr account that illustrate clashes between police and thousand of protesters who demand reforms in the electoral process.
Guyana: Social Media Plays Role in Linden Solidarity Protests
The protests in Linden have spawned other protests in solidarity, both in Guyana and overseas - and social media, in the form of blogs, online videos and Facebook - have been helping to spread the message.
Caribbean: Marking Eid
There were just two posts from within the Caribbean region talking about Eid-ul-Fitr, which was celebrated yesterday: this one from Guyana and this, from Trinidad and Tobago, which republishes the President's Eid message.
Argentina: A Public Ethics Law for Journalists?
Through the use of national broadcasts, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner makes announcements about the achievements of her government and speaks on various topics. During her last national broadcast President Fernández suggested the creation of a public ethics law for the practice of journalism, a proposal that caused numerous reactions from Argentine bloggers and journalists.
