Stories about Media & Journalism from February, 2013
Gay Korean Actor Reveals Coming Out Struggles
After Hong Suk-chun, the first openly gay actor in South Korea, discussed the struggles he has faced since coming out as a gay man in 2000 in a recent talk show, net users discussed the country's changing attitudes toward homosexuality and reflected on the reality that sexual minorities confront in South Korea.
Ecuador: Central Bank President Resigns Amid Forged Degree Scandal
Pedro Delgado, President Rafael Correa Delgado's cousin, resigns as the President of Ecuador's Central Bank after the scandal broke that he had forged his economics degree. The forgery was made public by opposition politician Enrique Herrería before the State Attorney General.
Solidarity Rises from Southern Brazil's Sunday Flames
One day after the tragic fire in the Kiss nightclub, in Santa Maria, which wiped away the lives of more than 230 young people, a siren went off at Vila Liberdade, in the north of Porto Alegre. 90 of the 150 houses were consumed by flames and around 800 people became homeless. The main social networking sites were used as a tool for the gathering of information about the incident, as well as a way of asking for help for the victims.
Death Knell for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival?
As Trinidad and Tobago gears up for its 2013 Carnival celebrations, bloggers discuss whether this is the beginning of the end of the national festival.
Jamaica: Superpower!
Don’t mind the IMF. Thanks to Volkswagen of America, Inc., we’ve been reminded yet again that Jamaica is a cultural superpower. Jamaica Woman Tongue reminds us that “the Jamaican presence at the Super Bowl wasn’t just the VW ad. It was Beyoncé doing the dutty wine, to the invigorating beat...
Future of Media Censorship in China
At ChinaFile, former Southern Weekend editor Chang Ping talks about the Southern Weekend incident from an insider's perspective, including its effect on the prospects for media freedom in China.
Japan's Press Freedom Ranking Drops
Japan has dropped from the 22nd spot to 53rd, recording the biggest drop of any Asian country, on the 2013 Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The report highlights lack of transparency and access to information on subjects related to Fukushima: …The continued existence of the discriminatory system of “kisha clubs”, exclusive press clubs...
An Online Campaign Demands Quality Journalism from La Vanguardia
The Catalan Association for Scientific Communication, the Spanish Association of Scientific Communication and the Society for the Progression of Critical Thinking have started an Internet campaign via online petition platform Change.org asking for scientific accuracy in La Vanguardia, one of the widest circulated Catalan newspapers and part of the Grupo...
“Firsthand” Reporting on Huffington Post
Firsthand is a new distributed reporting project from The Huffington Post that calls on U.S. readers every month to submit text, photos and videos describing how an issue like immigration or the housing crisis affects them.
Brunei has Freest Press in Southeast Asia?
According to the press freedom index for 2013 released by Reporters Without Borders, Brunei ranked highest in Southeast Asia (122). It was followed by Thailand (135), Indonesia (139), and Cambodia (143). Some journalists in the region were surprised with the results, in particular, the high ranking given to Brunei.
Taiwan: Who Misled Noam Chomsky?
Noam Chomsky's support for an anti-media monopoly campaign in Taiwan has recently been spun into a story of the intentional distortion of Chomsky's position by activists because the placard has a Chinese slogan that criticizes China's manipulation of Taiwanese media.
Russia's Internet Censorship “Experiment”
A Russian federal region is about to embark on an "experimental" project aimed at censoring the internet. A joint effort by the Kostroma regional government and an NGO called the League of Safe Internet, it is similar in spirit to Russia's new internet blacklist.
News from the Iranian Journalists in Prison
Mezrab continues to report about the detained journalists in Iran. The post includes a very personal story about a an Iranian woman who shares her prison experience.
China: Police Pressure Whistleblower to Expose Source
The whistleblower of the sex tapes scandal in Chongqing, Zhu Ruifeng, is being pressured by the Chongqing police to surrender the original tapes of the 7 sex videos implicating eleven government officials.