Stories about Media & Journalism from December, 2012
Copa Sudamericana Final Ends in Violence
The heated final match of the Copa Sudamericana on the 12th December 2012 at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, between Brazilian team São Paulo FC and Club Atletico Tigre, from Argentina, ended unexpectedly. And violently, too. A fight between the players spilled over to the changing rooms, where the Argentinian team claims to have suffered aggression from the Military Police and São Paulo security staff.
Israel Media Ratings War Spills into Conflict Coverage
The financial troubles of Israeli news media is affecting the diversity and independence of reporters, who are less willing to challenge the wishes of editors or managers who answer to the tycoons who own the media outlets. Increasingly, citizen journalist and bloggers fill in the void of Israeli mainstream media coverage.
Independent Turkmen Website Hacked
Chronicles of Turkmenistan (www.chrono-tm.org), the website run by Turkmen human rights activists in exile, has been hacked [ru] for the third time this year and remains down. Catherine Fitzpatrick on Different Stans blog suggests that the “way too important” website was hacked by “Turkmen Secret Police”. She also lists alternative social media where the...
People's Daily: The Internet is Not Outside the Law
On Dec 18, China's state media, People's Daily published a piece titled “The Internet is Not Outside the Law,” which serves as a reminder of government control over internet and social media in China. China Media Project translated the whole piece.
Increasing Risks of Humanitarian Disaster in Masisi Territory of DR of Congo
Much suggests Masisi territory being the neuralgic point, both in terms of politico-military contest and its humanitarian consequences.Any extension of the M23 conflict farther into Masisi territory contains immense potential of escalation. Christophe Ethuin reports that there is much reason for concerns in Masisi Territory as the conflict with M23...
China's Media Mute on Local School Tragedy
On Dec 14, 2012, 20 children were killed in a gun shooting in Connecticut, US. The sad news was immediately all over China’s CCTV and made the headlines of major newspapers in China. On the same day, another school tragedy took place in central China: a man stabbed and injured 22 children. However, there was not a single mention of the domestic tragedy in Chinese mainstream media. The only news was through Weibo, China’s twitter.
Chinese Youth Association of France Sues Magazine for Racial Defamation
We are flabbergasted that the (French magazine) Le Point would stigmatize in such manner a category of the French population in the article “The intriguing success of Chinese people in France” [..] No, not all Chinese Frenchmen are criminals. No, not all Chinese Frenchwomen are prostitutes. They are french citizens like any other citizens. The Chinese Youth...
Sri Lanka needs a National Media Commission
Shenali Waduge opines that Sri Lanka needs a National Media Commission to steer Journalistic Ethics. The blogger adds: “in the absence of self-regulation by mass media and communication channels there is a need for content analysis by a competent and unbiased team”.
Korea: Tracking North Korean Satellite
North Korea Tech blog wrote a detailed post on the North Korean satellite which many news reports claim to have been put into space successfully. The blogger explains how to verify such claims by tracking the satellite and concludes that it is likely that something went wrong.
Election Laws Hinder Japan's Political Online Activity
While Japanese citizens enjoy considerable Internet freedom, in times of election, things are little different due to Public Offices Election Act that restricts publication of political messages.
Power of Rumor in Turkmenistan
In Turkmenistan, where it is almost impossible to access any news other than those reported by state-run media, rumors have unusual power. A recent Facebook post [tr] about an ‘imminent’ collapse of the US dollar has created panic among the country's Internet users, with some people rushing to exchange their dollars for local...
Campaign Against Pro-China Media Monopoly in Taiwan Turns Global
The Taiwanese government's lack of response to the street protests against the monopoly of a pro-China media group in the country, has triggered a series of online protests across the world.
Brazilian Journalist Assaulted by Police while Covering Demonstration
Brazilian journalist Mariana Alvanesi (@morrodovidigal) was assaulted by the police while covering a demonstration by dwellers of the Vidigal neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, on December 13, 2012. The dwellers were trying to impede the demolition of a sports court. Dulcilene Guiri recorded the moment in video.
Plástica Magazine Shines Spotlight on Independent Spanish-Language Music
Plástica is an international journal specializing in the independent Spanish-language music scene. More than just a magazine, Plástica is a project that focuses on high quality, creative music. Its main goal now is to expand its readership beyond a digital audience, which is why they will launch the first paper edition of the magazine in 2013.
Hashtag Criticising Mass Media Trending in Tokyo
Former Sankei Newspaper journalist Sumio Yamagiwa, organized an online campaign to tweet #マスコミ断罪 [ja], a hashtag criticising Japanese mass media for its biased reporting. The hashtag was a trending topic amongst Japanese twitter users, roughly around 9 PM to 11 PM on December 12, 2012
Presenting the Balkan Minorities
Fifteen young journalists from six different countries have produced a series of personal stories about representatives of the minorities (in a broad sense) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, and Macedonia. The stories are available in English, German, and French on the Face the Balkans website.
Boycott of Puerto Rico's Popular TV Show “La Comay”
The gruesome death of a publicist in a remote sector outside the island’s metropolitan area last month has led to an ongoing saga in which the Puerto Rican public has turned from alarm to shock, anger, and finally to the internet in a bout of activism that now threatens to overthrow one of the top rated TV programs on the island after its host hinted that the victim "got what he was looking for."
Radio Okapi Interfered with by Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo
The website journaldekin.com, commenting on the interference on the national Radio Okapi, a station which has been sponsored by the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo since December 1, recalls [fr] that: Radio Okapi, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, is born from a partnership between the Swiss...
Reporters Stand By as Biswajit Das is Brutally Murdered in Bangladesh
On 9th December, 2012, during an 8-hour road blockade programme called by the opposition, 24yr old Biswajit Das was brutally murdered in the open before the eyes of the public and a large number of media personnel who were busy taking photographs and video footage of the incident and did nothing to try and save the young man from his horrific end. Shock and outrage poured in via social media.
Trinidad & Tobago: Reporting Standards
Trinidad and Tobago’s news media has a serious credibility problem. Catherine Young, blogging at Outlish, explains.
