Stories about Media & Journalism from February, 2015
Whoever Said Japanese Students’ Indoor Shoes Had to Be Boring?
Parents and children alike are personalizing students' "uwabaki", or indoor shoes. Students, teachers, and visitors are all required to remove their street shoes before entering the school.
Did Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung Newspaper Let Advertisers Dictate Its Content?
Former contributor Sebastian Heiser accused Süddeutsche Zeitung on his blog of letting advertisers influence editorial content, saying he witnessed it happening firsthand when he worked on the services supplement desk.
The ‘Spy Cables’ Reveal Inconvenient Truths about Israel's Mossad
Al Jazeera and The Guardian newspaper have released leaks from spy agencies across the world. Here are the first few stories pertaining to Israel's Mossad.
‘Ministry of Truth’ Recruits Ukrainians for ‘Internet Army’
Ukrainian Ministry of Information Policy has launched a website to recruit Ukrainian social media users for a government-run "Internet Army."
The Dress Rehearsal for the Belarusian Crackdown
"Belaruskaya Pravda" chief editor Yuri Dubina says the recent crackdown in Belarus on independent online media is only "the dress rehearsal" before the presidential election this November.
Read First-Hand Accounts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings, Translated to English
August 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Spanish Mayor's 'Pearls' Inspire a Thousand Lame Excuses for Failing Class
The mayor of a small town in Spain made the dubious claim that the head of alternative party Podemos failed her in university three times "for wearing pearls."
The Politics of ‘Wining’ in Trinidad & Tobago
Did a candidate for prime-minister just 'wine' on a female reveller at the carnival? This political scandal is a potent cocktail of sex, race and patriarchy.
Cuban LGBT Activist Takes On Conservative ‘Family Code’
An article published in the state newspaper Granma has fueled a debate about the obsolescence of the Cuban Family Code.
Poor TV Coverage Makes Trinidad & Tobago Carnival Lovers Feel They Missed Out
Are the organisations charged with stewardship of the national festival sacrificing it to the almighty dollar? Broadcasters claim their sub-par coverage was due to their restrictions.
Twitter Chatter About Putin and Poroshenko: The Language Breakdown
Tweets in Russian account for over half of the 6,342,294 tweets in our dataset. English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and French are the other common languages in tweets about Putin and Poroshenko.
Japan Seizes Syria-Bound Photographer's Passport Amid ISIS Fears
This follows the brutal murder of two Japanese nationals by ISIS in January. There is now a vague sense in Japan that some places that are not acceptable for travel.
Cuba Announces New IT Policy and Does Not Mention Internet Access
ICT use and access is one of the talking points in the process of normalizing relations between Cuba and the United States.
Creating a Media of Empathy One Letter at a Time
How can we, as media makers, help create more empathy through our reporting? How can we stop punishing people by our failure to make their stories relevant to everyone?
Ecuadorian President Threatens Internet Satirists
On television, Correa recently mentioned CrudoEcuador, claiming it's part of a network "paid by the opposition to discredit the government." Correa even threatened to expose the identity of CrudoEcuador's writers.
Ukrainian MP Pushes for Carbon Copy Of Russian Blogger Law, Meets Resistance
A member of the Ukrainian parliament suggested bloggers in Ukraine should be required to verify information in their posts and disclose their personal data to the authorities.
Greeks See Reason for Hope After Anti-Austerity Syriza's Election
The debt crisis hit Greece hard, and the country has limped along under unpopular austerity measures. For many Greeks, Syriza's electoral win has given them a reason to hope again.
Were Taiwanese Media Too Quick to Deem Doomed TransAsia Pilots Heroes?
Some netizens thought Taiwanese media coverage of the TransAsia plane crash, which killed at least 40 people, was too sensational.
Japan Needs Apartheid, Says Influential Conservative Author
Noted Japanese author and conservative political activist Ayako Sono advocated in a newspaper column that immigrants to Japan be separated by race and forced to live in special zones.
