· January, 2013

Stories about Media & Journalism from January, 2013

North Korea Broadcasts Google Exec Schmidt's Visit

  12 January 2013

North Korea Leadership Watch wrote a post (with several screengrabs) on how North Korean state media covered Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt's visit to the country. Members of delegations toured the Korea Computer Center in Pyongyang and learned about North Korea’s internet technology.

Jamaica: Debt Storm Coming?

  12 January 2013

The Jamaican blogosphere has been a bit prickly ever since the Chicago Tribune, in an editorial on January 8, 2013, compared Jamaica’s financial condition to that of Greece, considered by some to be the most precariously perched country in the global economy.

2012: A Year of Revolt and Social Change in Francophone Countries: Part 1 of 2

  11 January 2013

The year 2012 was marked by armed conflicts in Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. There were elections in Senegal, Quebec and France, while demonstrations for change took place in Chad, Madagascar and Togo. Debates raged on issues such as immigration, the economic crisis and equality in marriage laws. This is the first part of a review of the year 2012 in Francophone countries.

Discussing the Caribbean's Rape Culture

  11 January 2013

The disturbing gang-rape - and subsequent death - of a young woman in Delhi, India, has elicited global outrage and discussion about gender-based violence. A handful of Caribbean-based bloggers have been sharing their thoughts, not the least of which is that rape is a men's issue.

Free Online Course on Media and Information Literacy by UNESCO

  11 January 2013

UNESCO has launched a free online course on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue. The course is designed for teachers, policy makers and professionals, and will be offered from February 25 to May 31, 2013 by the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

China's Propaganda Department Threatens to Dissolve Beijing News

  9 January 2013

The impact of the Southern Weekend censorship scandal has spread from Guangdong to Beijing - the capital of China. After the publisher of Beijing News, a sister publication of Southern Weekend, refused to reprint an editorial that accuses "foreign forces" for being behind the Southern Weekend incident, the Beijing Propaganda Department threatened to dissolve the paper.

China Blames “Foreign Forces” for Press Freedom Protests

  8 January 2013

Following protests on press freedom in China triggered by the Southern Weekend censorship incident, China's Central Propaganda Department has issued an urgent notice, blaming the incident on meddling by foreign forces. The word "foreign forces" has triggered a lot of discussion on Sina Weibo.

Ivorian Blogger Questions Government's Response to Abidjan Stampede

  8 January 2013

Ivorian bloggers Mohamed Diaby and Cyriac Gbogou have been released from police custody. Both citizens, helped create a humanitarian platform to assist victims of the January 1, 2013 stampede in Abidjan. But on January 4, 2013, they were arrested after being accused of interfering with official disaster assistance efforts. Mohamed Diaby explains about the events that led to their arrests on his personal blog.

Support Southern Weekend Against Censorship in China

  8 January 2013

Around 1000 Guangzhou citizens gathered outside Southern Weekend office building to express their support for the newspaper against the Propaganda Department's brutal censorship of the New Year Greeting editorial. Below is a youtube video uploaded by Chen Ye showing the protest scene. (via acopy.net)

Censorship Meets Rare Defiance as Journalists Strike in China

  8 January 2013

Southern Weekend, a highly acclaimed newspaper that once lead the wave of media reform in China, has fallen from grace. Soon after the newspaper's official Sina Weibo microblog account issued a statement, which denied the provincial propaganda department's role in the recent censorship and rewriting of its New Year editorial, a legion from the current editorial staff announced a strike, declaring that the official microblog account had been forcefully taken over.

Japan: Digital Backyard in Sapporo

  7 January 2013

The three-day conference “Digital Backyards” initiated by smal.jp and berlinergazette.de will take place in Sapporo on January 10-12, 2013. There will be a barcamp-style networking event on January 10 and 11 for journalists, activists, bloggers, researchers, entrepreneurs, cultural workers and programmers to define problems and come up with solutions. The outcome will be...

Unaware, China's Handan City Consumed Toxic Water for Days

  7 January 2013

The people of China's Handan city have been drinking, bathing and washing in toxic water for five days. The city's main water resource - the Zhanghe river - was contaminated by industrial pollutants from neighboring Shanxi Province on December 31, 2012. The local government’s suppression of the news and ignorance of their serious environmental violation has triggered widespread condemnation.

Vietnam Tech News Websites Need to Cover Local Updates

  6 January 2013

It’s not easy for the layman to get news about new technology companies, new products, or cutting edge trends in Vietnam… Everybody knows about the latest iPhone, nobody knows about Setech Viet. Anh-Minh Do explains why most Vietnamese tech news websites provide more coverage to global technology news updates.

Italy: #iostoconmarco, hunger strike against inhuman jail conditions

  5 January 2013

Marco Pannella, long-standing Radical Party leader, went on hunger-and-thirst strike demanding better living conditions in Italian jails -- with great support and lively discussion on social media. Now the hope is to see these topics included in political parties' programs leading up to February 2013 general elections.

Vladimir Pozner & Russia's Own Political Correctness

RuNet Echo  4 January 2013

Late last month, Vladimir Pozner—one of Russia's best known journalists—spoke out on his television show against the “Dima Yakovlev” law. He criticized the need for such legislation, condemning it as an unnecessary and improper retaliation against the American “Magnitsky Act.” In what caught Russian headlines and sent the RuNet buzzing, Pozner also took an uncharacteristically harsh shot at the federal parliament, quipping that it is a house of fools