Stories about Media & Journalism from July, 2011
Sri Lanka: Northern Local Government Elections
Groundviews is providing news and updates on the local government elections in the North of Sri Lanka as well as Twitter lists to follow.
Norway: The Online Traces of a Mass Murderer
Bloggers and journalists in Norway and abroad continue to look for any online traces of murder suspect Anders Behring Breivik in hopes that it could help explain his actions on Friday, 22 July 2011.
Zambia: Facebook Group Leads 2011 Poll Debate
Can a Facebook group, 'Zambian People’s Pact', tip the Zambian elections due in the next few months against the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), which has been in power for 20 years now? Gershom Ndhlovu investigates.
Jamaica: Suspect Charged in BMW Murder
Active Voice is disappointed with the Jamaican media's lack of information about Patrick Powell in the wake of his being charged in the “X6″ murder; she provides an update on the case, here.
Ecuador: President Correa Wins Libel Case
Jim Wyss, in Inside South America, explains the latest developments in a libel case involving President Rafael Correa and newspaper El Univero. Monica Medel also reports on the case at the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog: “Ecuador sentences newspaper directors to jail and millions in fines in president's...
Grenada: Justice Isaac Dies in Canada
The Caribbean Camera acknowledges the passing of “the honorable Julius A. Isaac, Canada’s first black Chief Justice”, who “ironically…died on the eve of one of the festivals he helped formulate – Caribana.”
Cuba: Activists Under Pressure
Cuban bloggers report on several arrests and attempts at intimidating independent journalists and activists, here, here and here.
Jamaica: BMW Owner Charged
Active Voice reports that the man who owns the BMW involved in a teen's killing has finally been charged by police, adding: “This case will go down in history as the one that completely exposed the fecklessness of Jamaican media.”
Malaysia: The Economist print edition censored
uppercaise reports that the latest print edition of The Economist was censored by Malaysian authorities. The government said it only ‘blackened’ the ‘false and misleading’ parts of the story on the Bersih protest.
Pakistan: Demanding Justice For Saleem Shahzad
Many suspect that Pakistan's intelligence agency was behind the May 2011 abduction and murder of Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, bureau chief of Asia Online. The judicial commission set up to investigate the murder is struggling from lack of help, and many fear that justice will be denied.
Murdoch Hails Singapore Model But Local Netizens Disagree
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has told British members of parliament that the Singapore model of paying high salaries to politicians should be emulated to curb corruption. Here is the reaction from Singapore netizens.
Barbados: Murdoch Madness
“Who say recession not hitting dem big multi-millionaire/billionaire fellas an dem ain't tightening dem belt like de small man? Even a media mogul like Murdoch cut back and now he wife doubling as bodyguard. See that is how the rich duz stay rich, ‘im have the woman multitasking”: Diaspora blogger...
China: Investigative reporter team dismantled
Zhan Jiang from China Media Project comments on the dismantling of an investigative reporter team at China Economic Times led by prominent journalist Wang Keqin from the. Zhan believes that the incident is a problem of incompetent management bureaucrat in the news organization. .
Cuba: BloggersCuba is back
The digital project BloggersCuba [es] has made a come back: “BC returns for those inside and outside the digital network, inside and outside Cuba, for those who are part of the island and want to live it with us. BloggersCuba has reborn, again, deeply spontaneous and free.”
Cuba: Freedom of Press
Rogelio Díaz Moreno offers a profound analysis on recente debates [es] on access to information and freedom of press in Cuba.
Haiti: Student Murdered in DR
BELTIFI INC. republishes a news release about the murder of a Haitian student in the Dominican Republic, saying: “Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Lindor family.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Photography in Media
Mark Lyndersay considers the future of photography in local mainstream media: “Why would a young photographer have shown up in a newsroom looking for work two decades ago? You either wanted to learn the craft or get published. In 2011, neither of these reasons is enough…”
Cuba: Stowaway Dies
“There is no thermometer that measures human despair and each person has his own threshold of resistance”: Yoani Sanchez and Babalu blog about the sad fate of some who try to escape Cuba.
No Typos or Errors in North Korean Newspapers
Hanguk Story wrote about North Korean newspaper's strict proof-reading system and the government's harsh punishment for those who made errors. When made a mistake regarding a story about its leader, Kim Jong-il, one would be sent to a labor camp.
Russia/Belarus: Two More ‘Revolutionary’ Initiatives Appear Online
Ukraine-based Looo.ch launches [ru] street-art initiative called “Belarus Front of Street Art,” which idea is to spray word “Скоро” (“Soon”) on the streets of Belarus thus inspiring people to oppose the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. In Russia, the community “Crayon Revolution” [ru] calls people to draw “This government should resign”...
Macedonia: Media Allegations Against George Soros
Filip Stojanovski of Razvigor reports on disinformation in Macedonian media allegations that American businessman and philantropist, George Soros, would have sponsored the Albanian side during the Kosovo war to exploit new business opportunities.