Stories about Media & Journalism from November, 2009
Russia: Forbes Website
Profy writes about the newly-launched ForbesRussia.ru website and “their obvious lack of interest in anything local and specific to the Russian market, in particular in the field of social media and social networking.”
Slovenia, Russia: Thoughts on Blogging
Dr. Filomena and Profy are musing on what it means to be a blogger.
Impact of ICT on Indigenous Cultures: Rejuvenation or Colonization?
Can ICT truly preserve and protect distinct identities and culture? The cultural debate surrounding deployment of ICT in the field of indigenous/ knowledge and culture simply refuses to die down.
Iran: Art in Protest
The artistic creativity of the ‘green' protest movement since the June 12 presidential election has perhaps been unique in Iran's history.
Barbados: Police Officer Found Dead
“it is most regrettable when an officer or former officer of the law becomes a crime victim”: Keltruth Corp. is saddned to learn of the death of Barbados’ oldest surviving police officer.
Japan: In a World with Automatic Translation
In a post titled "I especially want to read 'trivial information", Japanese blogger Chikirin gives a fresh perspective on what's important or not and why in automated translation of the Web.
Russia: Luzhkov vs NYTimes; “Destruction of Old Moscow”
IZO posts a translation of an open letter to president Medvedev “about the destruction of old Moscow under Mayor Luzhkov,” written by urbanism scholar Yuri Bocharov. Russia! reports on the defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, filed and won by the Moscow mayor.
Egypt vs. Algeria: The Twitter Match
In much of the world, nothing is more unifying - or in some instances, more polarizing - than a football match. Egyptian and Algerian fans battled it off on Twitter as their national teams faced off for a place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Georgia: Reaction to lack of media attention on Azerbaijan bloggers’ trial
Following last week's sentence on two video bloggers in Azerbaijan, some blogs in neighboring Georgia have posted critical entries condemning the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. This also extends to the lack of coverage in the local media.
China's Perspective on Xinjiang
TrueXinjiang.com is a Web site that appeals instantly to the western eye. The site, designed specifically to disseminate a Han-Chinese version of life in the remote autonomous region of Xinjiang, China, is free of many of the displeasing characteristics, such as clutter and endless pop-up ads, found on Chinese Web...
Brazil: Was the blackout caused by hackers or UFOs?
See the many conspiracy theories about the 2009 blackout in Brazil: everything from the president, his possible successor, UFOs and hackers have been blamed from one blog to another.
Jordan: Letter to MBC
Jordanian Ola Eliwat, from Cinnamon Zone, pens an open letter to MBC television group. In it, she writes: “And please consider shutting down 90% of your channels, I think it would be a HUGE favor for the Arab nation!”
Singapore: Diminishing power of mainstream media
flaneurose notes that cable TV and the internet are now viable alternatives to mainstream media. The blogger ponders the impact of the diminishing power of mainstream media in Singapore.
Singapore: Monitoring New Media
It has been reported in Singapore that “government ministries and agencies have been seeking social media intelligence services for monitoring online sentiments related to their scope of work.”
Cambodia: Journalist charged with defamation
Ros Sokhet, a journalist well known in Cambodia for his contribution to the English language media, was arrested on October 30th and charged with defamation. The arrest generated a debate on alleged corruption in the media industry
Egypt: Celebrities sans Diplomacy
Bikya Masr reported two stories a couple of days apart about celebrity blunders and lack of tact. Beyonce was targeted in the first and Salma Hayek spoke out in the second. Marwa Rahka has the story.
Trinidad & Tobago: Art or Ego?
“One thing that seems to me to distinguish good governance from bad is an understanding that cities and countries are built on communities, not on buildings”: Club Soda and Salt comments on Trinidad and Tobago's “latest white elephant”.
Liberia: Photography workshop in Monrovia
Ruthie writes about photography workshop in Monrovia, Liberia, which trained Liberian journalists on editing, picture taking skills, and street photography.
Qatar: No one is above the law – really?
Doha bloggers bemused, incredulous and wistful by official remarks that no one in Qatar is above the law. A debate over the merits of that statement quickly evolves into a discussion on press freedom, as more clamor for a new law press law, free from any imprisonment penalties against journalists.
Africa: Obaasema: lifestyle magazine for the African women
Check out a video about Obaasema magazine, a premier lifestyle magazine for the modern African woman.
Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version
After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader...
