Stories about Media & Journalism from December, 2018
Censored in 2018: Protest videos, court verdicts, real news — and Peppa Pig
From blocked websites to revoked media licenses to account shutdowns, censorship comes in many forms. Here are a few we saw in 2018.
Why Chinese netizens believe a commodity index can predict global affairs
According to the myth, the Yiwu commodity index predicted the outcome of the US 2016 presidential election and is set to do the same for Europe's "yellow vest" protests.
To cast their votes on December 30, Bangladeshis will need to overcome many obstacles
Among the difficulties faced by voters are a ban on all unauthorized motorized public and private transportation and a complete shutdown of mobile Internet service.
A ‘no-confidence’ vote finds Guyana politics in uncharted territory
After a surprising "no-confidence" vote, Guyana's president and members of the cabinet must resign, according to the constitution — a first for the country's politics.
Report says hackers detected online protest-sniffing software in Kazakhstan
The software was allegedly developed with help from Russia's security services.
In Cardinal George Pell's sexual abuse trial, Australian court fails to suppress the ‘nation's worst kept secret’
"The alleged suppression order on #georgepell is allowing fake news and hearsay and speculation take the place of reputable news sources."
Anti-violence protests continue in Belgrade, after journalist survives assassination attempt
Protests are estimated to have doubled in size after Serbian president vows "never" to meet demonstrators' demands.
Russian reporter who faked his own murder named a ‘person of the year’ by TIME magazine
TIME ignored the murder of three journalists while including a staged one. Why couldn’t both be included?
Women entrepreneurs break barriers in Kashmir
"...I get negative comments on social media, even by women, but I think these comments given to me have helped me grow from a better person to a better designer"
Serbian internet users ridicule disinformation broadcast by pro-government media
Local media misinformed the public about the scale and scope of the protest, sparking a cascade of online criticism.
Singapore government threatens critics and independent media with defamation claims
"How can a prime minister be offended by someone sharing a Facebook post?"
Lebanese journalist goes on trial for covering migrant worker abuse allegations
Lebanon's Cybercrimes Bureau also asked him to sign a pledge to not speak about the case again, but he refused.
Japan Times backtracks on editorial policy redefining ‘comfort women’ and ‘forced labor’
"We can discuss nuance all day long, but at the end of the day, it was Japan that invaded Korea and used slave labor."
Major drug bust highlights the no-nonsense style of Trinidad & Tobago's top cop
"As much as we may wish it to be otherwise, Gary Griffith is not the answer to our prayers but the symptom of our failure."
Netizen Report: Who else is being silenced in Saudi Arabia?
Jamal Khashoggi's murder forces light on other abuses in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh blocks Skype and China goes after Twitter users.
Macedonia's former ruling party organized a trolling apparatus for spreading hate speech, threats
In a TV interview, a former Macedonian government official revealed that the former party created and is still actively running online "troll farms".
Remembering LGBT activist Zak Kostopoulos: killed by a lynch mob, slandered by Greek media
Zak's death unleashed both demands for justice from LGBTQI communities from across the country as well as hate speech against such communities and Zak himself.
