Stories about Media & Journalism from June, 2020
Students arrested for demanding internet facilities in Balochistan
A number of students were manhandled, baton-charged and arrested in Quetta, Balochistan, for protesting against non-availability of internet after their classes shifted online due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Kyrgyzstan's journalists fear yet another hurdle to freedom of speech
Kyrgyzstan's parliament has passed a law against "manipulating information." Given their recent experiences, it's no surprise that the country's journalists worry what it might mean for freedom of speech.
Nationalists in North Macedonia use border closures to sow confusion and mistrust
Local media and politicians have distorted reopening policies in neighbouring countries for political gain.
Afro-Czechs on visibility, racism and life in the Czech Republic (Part I)
The Czech society started discussing ethnic discrimination and diversity after the fall of Communism, which had erroneously claimed to have eradicated racism.
Sri Lanka prepares for twice-delayed poll amid militarized COVID-19 response
"The government will not hesitate to arrest opposition activists and voters for violating this or that anti-virus rule while giving a free pass to its own supporters."
The Kano COVID-19 deaths: Stories untold (Part I)
Our research reconstructed the failure of authorities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Kano, which resulted in hundreds of deaths despite persistent mass media and social media documentation.
As election looms, Serbia's leading party wants to defend citizens from dinosaurs
"When you can't pay the rent, the only thing left for you to do is build a time machine, go back in time and vote."
Americans, your fantasies about Canada enable Canadians’ complacent sense of white superiority
When it comes to racism, the United States is far more advanced than Canada. At least Americans can talk about race. Canadians can't.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: When diaries become citizen reports
"As time passes, diaries are like caterpillars transforming into butterflies."
Information warfare: COVID-19’s other battleground in the Middle East
As leaders vie to frame narratives and control public opinion on COVID-19, social media is a battlefield where influencers, trolls, bots, and commenter armies fight for influence and power.
Black Lives Matter in Jamaica, too
"Some of you outraged at the people in America demonizing victims of police brutality and don't realise you do the same thing here."
Internet shutdowns in Sudan: The story behind the numbers and statistics
In the last several years, Sudan experienced two major internet shutdowns that seriously prohibited basic communication and exchange during politically charged periods, causing exponential losses and risks.
The future of protest in Uganda
There are parallels between police brutality in the US and Uganda, a country still haunted by the ghosts of its violent past.
Families struggle to retrieve victim's bodies after Pakistan International Airline crash
Families of the victims of PIA Flight PK8303 were asked to give DNA to identify bodies.
Silicon Valley tech giants race to build Africa's internet infrastructure. Should Africa worry?
Google and Facebook are building undersea internet cables for Africans with access to high-speed internet — but 33 nations in Africa still don't have comprehensive data privacy laws.
As COVID-19 accelerates digital transformation, is the internet safe for women in the Middle East?
Women activists and journalists experience are particularly targeted online in attempts to intimidate, sow disinformation and discredit their work.
