Stories about Media & Journalism from May, 2012
Qatar: Shopping and Phones Permitted!
Netizens in Qatar have responded indignantly to an article published on the Sydney Morning Herald website, which claimed that Qatari women were not allowed to go shopping, and did not have easy access to technology.
Cuba: “Mob” Attack Linked to Heart Attack?
Further to this, babalu reports that another elderly lady “suffered a fatal heart attack after her home was violently attacked by a paramilitary mob.”
Barbados: The Jaws of Justice
“Bajans deserve the truth, all the truth and nothing but the truth. It is not enough for the Court of Appeal or the news media to gloss over this story”: Barbados Free Press is curious about a case in which a man who bit a police officer apparently got off...
China: Campaign to Clean ‘Foreign Trash’ Out of Beijing
A campaign to rid Beijing of illegal foreign residents has created controversy in China, with Chinese people expressing widely differing viewpoints on social media. A famous television host has labelled a reporter for Al-Jazeera as 'foreign trash' and invited police to run background checks on the blogger who has criticised his xenophobic remarks.
Puerto Rico: 80 Grados Launches Campaign
The digital magazine 80 Grados -an important space for in-depth and alternative journalism and scholarly essays- has launched a funding campaign [es] to support its continued commitment and sustain its publication.
Trinidad & Tobago: Film Strategy
Mark Lyndersay blogs about some of the issues facing the local film industry, here.
Azerbaijan: Is Eurovision A Rare Opportunity For Change?
With increased media attention on the country during this week's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, former prisoner of conscience Emin Milli argues that the international music competition offers a rare opportunity to raise concerns with human rights abuses and the lack of democratic freedoms in the oil-rich former Soviet...
Africa: Regimes Under Attack From Satire and Cartoons
The use of satirical language and cartoons in the media is relatively new in most African countries. Abdoulaye Bah explores the history behind these comic tools.
United Kingdom: App for Sharing Mobile Videos for Collaboration
The Next Web analyzes how the new UK app Vyclone could have helped get more footage of Arab Spring or the Occupy Movement onto mainstream news channels, and if it could do the same for future newsworthy events.
Zambia: President Sues Citizens and Media for Alleged Defamation
President Sata has sued United Party for National Development leader Hakainde Hichilema, the Daily Nation newspaper, radio station Hot FM and University of Zambia lecturer Cholwe Beyani for defamation of character.
South Korea: Police Question Influential Podcasters for Campaign Violations
One of South Korea's most influential podcasters was summoned for questioning last week over alleged illegal campaign activities, igniting heated debates and discussions online.
Germany: “Rundshow” A New Social TV Format
The Bavarian broadcasting company, Bayerischer Rundfunk, in Germany recently launched a social TV experiment called “Rundshow” [de] (Roundshow). Viewers are actively incorporated into the show through virtual means such as Google Hangout, videos, an app called “Die Macht” (The Power), and Twitter. The concept of blurring the lines between TV...
Israel: Increase in Racism Against African Asylum Seekers
In the past few weeks two cases of rape of Jewish women by Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers have been reported in the Israeli media, prompting a new wave of racism against asylum seekers in Israel.
Africa: Fresh Perspective in Telling African Stories
SautiProject is an African citizen journalism project supported by Al Jazeera Kiswahili and Pawa254 Sauti Project is an African citizen journalist initiative; a fresh perspective into the telling of African stories. It's journalism with a flair, stories with a passion.
North Korea Denies GPS Jamming
North Korea denied that it jammed Global Positioning System (GPS) signals in the border area between North and South Korea which has caused inconvenience to commercial aviation flights. North Korea Tech blog wrote an analysis on the jamming which South Korean media have reported as coming from North Korea.
Bahamas: Bringing Balance to the “Corruption Narrative”
An interesting read on the Bahamas “Corruption Narrative”, here.
Barbados, Cuba: Prisoner's Rights
“Raul is clearly going to be a thorn in the flesh of any government in power unless passage can be found for him somewhere”: Barbados Free Press expresses concern for Cuban-born prisoner Raul Garcia's safety.
Ethiopia: G8 Summit Casts Fresh Light on Ethiopia
Netizens have stepped up their effort to draw attention to Ethiopia’s independent media situation as the G8 Summit approaches. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and three other African heads of state are expected to attend. The upcoming G8 Summit in the United States will be held at Camp David in Maryland from 18-19 May, 2012.
Cuba: Questioning Digital Expression within the Revolution
The recent Encuentro de Blogueros Cubanos en Revolución [Meeting of Cuban Bloggers in Revolution] brought together a group of “official” bloggers—chiefly journalists and communications professionals who are employed by the state and maintain their blogs as part of their work. Since the meeting, bitter controversy has unfolded around this new iteration of a decades-old question: does the expression of criticism automatically put one “outside” the revolution, especially when the criticism is happening online?
Ghana: Will Parliament Pass Right to Information Before 2013?
Cecil Dadzie wonders whether the Ghanaian parliament will pass Right to Information Bill before 2013: “The Rights to Information Bill (RTI), which was laid before Parliament in February, 20I0, has generated controversy, with the RTI Coalition blaming Parliament for feet-dragging in passing the bill into law.”
Russia: State TV Justifies May 6 Police Violence, Cites Spanish Bill Criminalizing Online Protest Organization as Example
In the final segment of the report [ru] on the May 6 protest in Moscow, which ended in clashes with riot police, the Russian state-owned Channel 1 mentioned, among other things, a Spanish draft law [en] criminalizing online organization of public protests, as an example of the “much tougher” treatment...
