Stories about Media & Journalism from April, 2013
Pavel Durov, Russia's Zuckerberg, Fights for Control of His Creation
Something strange is happening with Vkontakte, Russia’s homegrown version of Facebook. In the last couple of months, the company’s founder and current head, Pavel Durov, has suffered three very public “kicks in the teeth,” one of which might even lead to criminal charges.
Ukraine's TVi Saga: 31 Journalists Resign
On FT.com's beyondbric blog, Graham Stack writes [en] about the “murky takeover” and “a tangled history of offshore ownership” of the Ukrainian TV station TVi, 31 of whose journalists resigned [uk] on April 29.
Do All Miss Korea Contestants Look Alike?
The web was abuzz over the photo of 20 of South Korean pageant contestants who all look uncannily alike, and jeering comments were made against South Korean women's beauty standards. However, some Korean net users, pointing out some media coverage can be misleading, posted another photos of contestants which people can...
Russian Conspiracy Theories About Boston Bombings Abound
"Bush blew up the Twin Towers, Putin blew up [the towns of] Buinaksk and Volgodonsk. Obama blew up the marathon." The RuNet, just like the Internet at large, has always had a penchant for conspiracy theories.
Haiti: “Better Prisons, Fewer Prisoners”
Haiti does not need more prisons, it needs better prisons and fewer prisoners. Haiti Chery provides some interesting statistics which support his view.
RSF Addresses the Situation at Ukraine's TVi Channel
On April 26, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement [en; fr; uk – .pdf] on the situation at the Ukrainian TV station TVi: Reporters Without Borders condemns the sudden change of management at the opposition TV station TVi, announced three days ago, and is disturbed to learn that ensuing...
Data Journalism Handbook Now in Spanish
The International Journalists’ Network, IJNET, recently announced the release of the Spanish translation [es] of The Data Journalism Handbook, “a free, open-source book that aims to help journalists use data to improve journalism.” Both the original English version and the Spanish translation are freely available online under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike...
Saudi-American View on Boston Bombings
Nora Abdulkarim shares a Saudi-American perspective on the Boston Bombings. She explains: I won't try to simplify what is inherently complex. I will simply present and reflect, and nothing more. No fancy theorizing, no overarching message. This post is only meant to be a glimpse at personal identity – that...
‘Poor’ Coverage of Boston Marathon Bombing in Media
...[M]uch information has been misunderstood due to lack of knowledge about the Caucasus or Russia and a desire to present the suspects in a framework easily understandable to the American public.
Chinese and Western Media Bias Claims in Xinjiang “Terrorist Attack”
A terror incident took place in Bachu County of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on April 23 2013, in which 15 police officers and community workers were killed and 6 suspects were shot dead. Chinese media outlets depicted the incident as a terrorist attack and criticized western media for not using the term "terrorists" to describe the suspects.
Diaper Ad Hit for ‘Twisting’ Philippine History
A popular diaper manufacturer has been ordered to stop airing a TV advertisement that parodies an episode in Philippine history. An online petition was also initiated which criticized the ad for “insulting the Filipino people.”
Expectations Run High for Immigration Reform in the United States
In a massive rally in Washington DC, protesters, activists and community leaders called for immigration reform that would legalize the status of some 11 million immigrants in the United States. Their cause seems to have been heard by a bipartisan group of senators who have just proposed a new immigration bill. Netizens weigh in.
“Manipulative” Coverage of Macedonia's Media Law
“Practice indicates that responsible and ethical journalism is never the result of state legislation and regulations, but of the voluntary compliance with the code created by the media community itself.” This statement from the Guide on Ethics in Journalism [mk] opens Žarko Trajanoski's analysis [en] of the “manipulations” by Macedonia's...
Chronicles of the Unemployed in Greece
Journalist and author Christoforos Kasdaglis started The Diary of an Unemployed [el], a project to collect stories [el] and data [el] on Greek unemployment, consistently driven to record figures for years on end by the debt and austerity crisis. 27% of Greeks were jobless in January, a rate that has tripled since the crisis began in 2009,...
Chinese President Xi Jinping's ‘Fake’ Taxi Ride Fools State Media
China's state news agency is backpedaling on a report it endorsed that appeared in Beijing-backed Hong Kong newspaper about Chinese President Xi Jinping hailing a taxi last month in order to chat with the cabby about the issues of the day, calling the piece "fake news".
The Russian Opposition “Snake Pit”
The Russian opposition is at war with itself, and it’s thanks to more than the usual ideological tectonics. The various fault lines that infamously allow the Kremlin to “divide and conquer” Russia’s would-be saviors are indeed political, but the divisions are every bit as much about idiosyncrasies and shady dealings. Just look at May 6.
Myanmar: Suu Kyi Beats Lady Gaga in Time Magazine Poll
Myanmar opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was voted as the Time Magazine's most influential person of the decade on April 17, 2013. Suu Kyi won against Lady Gaga by 61 percent of the total votes. Following her victory after the voting closed, many people in Myanmar shared their joy and enthusiasm on Facebook
Russian Journalist and Election Observer Speaks about Her Arrest
Earlier this week, RuNet Echo published an article about Svetlana Lokotkova, a Russian journalist and election observer who was arrested and removed from an overnight train for alleged intoxication. Lokotkova later contacted RuNet Echo, and agreed to outline what happened on the train and in the police station in her own words. She also spoke about social media as a tool for political activism.
Catalan Wikipedia Reaches 400,000 Article Milestone
The Catalan edition of Wikipedia Viquipèdia, a fundamental support to a language and culture historically discriminated against because it belongs to a stateless nation, has registered a record number of active users, with its article count reaching 400,000. At a moment when Catalonia is involved in a debate about becoming independent from Spain, its role in raising global awareness on the issue is crucial.
China Bans Media from Quoting Foreign News
China's media authority announced new regulations banning news outlets and other organizations from reporting on foreign news coverage without permission less than a day after The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize for its report on the hidden wealth of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's family.
Before Trial, Navalny Nominated as Russia's “Political Enlightener”
As Alexey Navalny is gearing up for his embezzlement show-trial in Kirov, there is at least one silver lining: he made it on the short-list of the Russian award Politprosvet (literally "Political Enlightenment").
