East West Media Perspectives
BBC, CNN vs China -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD2gtgtNWX4 -China
Monday, September 1, 2008
Alternative News Media Outlets
Alternative News Media Outlets
As people get more and more distrustful of news media outlets, many turn to the internet, and news agencies like Democracy Now their everyday news.
Democracy Now
- http://www.youtube.com/user/IWantDemocracyNow
-http://www.democracynow.org/
Malaysia Today
As people get more and more distrustful of news media outlets, many turn to the internet, and news agencies like Democracy Now their everyday news.
Democracy Now
- http://www.youtube.com/user/IWantDemocracyNow
-http://www.democracynow.org/
Malaysia Today
News Insurgencies Around the World
Malaysia
How an opposition insurgency fueled by the internet and non traditional news outlets, bypassing state run medias and changing Malaysian politics forever.
The Internet and Malaysian Politics
The internet is profoundly revolutionizing politics and the way elections are held, and there are few countries where this is more evident than in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a multiracial country of 24 million in South East Asia consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other indigenous peoples. Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule and since its independence in 1957 it has been governed by the same party, the ruling Barisan National (BN). Although a democratic country, opposition groups have been largely marginalized by a state run media. But the government was caught by surprise when it suffered its biggest ever election defeat on March 8, losing its two third majority to the opposition party PKR, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and powered by an internet driven movement.
Blogs are unusually powerful in Malaysian politics. According to a USINFO state report by Stephen Kaufman released today, “Weblogs (blogs), text messages and copies of
Internet-streamed videos became the most influential information
sources for voters ahead of Malaysia’s March 8 parliamentary elections.” On March 25, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the BN’s strategy of ignoring blogs and online media was responsible for his party’s losses in this election. He states the BN “certainly lost the Internet war” and that is was “a serious misjudgment” to rely only on government controlled newspapers and television to communicate their campaign message. Dr. Abu Hassan Hasbullah, a University of Malay Media Studies Lecturer, reports 70% of voters were influenced by blogs, claiming that the main stream media does not report on pertinent government corruption or on religious and racial tensions. Hasbullah claims that the BN had two websites and one blog in 2004, while the opposition had thousands of blogs. Voice of America reports readership of the country’s independent blogs surpasses that of print media.
War on the Internet
Since the March 8 election defeat, there have been a few instances of the ruling government taking unprecedented steps to censoring the internet and clamping down on bloggers. In August, access to a popular political news website Malaysia Today was blocked. The government defended the move, saying it had ignored warnings against publishing "slanderous" articles. Two weeks later, the websites owner, a prominent anti-government internet campaigner was arrested amid a crackdown on dissent. Raja Petra Kamarudin was held under the majority Muslim country's controversial Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
The latest moves by the government have put bloggers on edge. But many Malaysians are outraged, and with the internet they have found unique and creative ways for changing the country, and it may result in change that even the government could be powerless to stop.
How an opposition insurgency fueled by the internet and non traditional news outlets, bypassing state run medias and changing Malaysian politics forever.
The Internet and Malaysian Politics
The internet is profoundly revolutionizing politics and the way elections are held, and there are few countries where this is more evident than in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a multiracial country of 24 million in South East Asia consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other indigenous peoples. Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule and since its independence in 1957 it has been governed by the same party, the ruling Barisan National (BN). Although a democratic country, opposition groups have been largely marginalized by a state run media. But the government was caught by surprise when it suffered its biggest ever election defeat on March 8, losing its two third majority to the opposition party PKR, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and powered by an internet driven movement.
Blogs are unusually powerful in Malaysian politics. According to a USINFO state report by Stephen Kaufman released today, “Weblogs (blogs), text messages and copies of
Internet-streamed videos became the most influential information
sources for voters ahead of Malaysia’s March 8 parliamentary elections.” On March 25, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the BN’s strategy of ignoring blogs and online media was responsible for his party’s losses in this election. He states the BN “certainly lost the Internet war” and that is was “a serious misjudgment” to rely only on government controlled newspapers and television to communicate their campaign message. Dr. Abu Hassan Hasbullah, a University of Malay Media Studies Lecturer, reports 70% of voters were influenced by blogs, claiming that the main stream media does not report on pertinent government corruption or on religious and racial tensions. Hasbullah claims that the BN had two websites and one blog in 2004, while the opposition had thousands of blogs. Voice of America reports readership of the country’s independent blogs surpasses that of print media.
War on the Internet
Since the March 8 election defeat, there have been a few instances of the ruling government taking unprecedented steps to censoring the internet and clamping down on bloggers. In August, access to a popular political news website Malaysia Today was blocked. The government defended the move, saying it had ignored warnings against publishing "slanderous" articles. Two weeks later, the websites owner, a prominent anti-government internet campaigner was arrested amid a crackdown on dissent. Raja Petra Kamarudin was held under the majority Muslim country's controversial Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
The latest moves by the government have put bloggers on edge. But many Malaysians are outraged, and with the internet they have found unique and creative ways for changing the country, and it may result in change that even the government could be powerless to stop.
Cable News
Cable News has played an important role in the modern era in helping the spread of news and information globally with their unrivaled coverage and accessability. But once regarded as a primary and credible source of news for the millions who subscribe to cable news -indeed a 2006 survey showed many countries trust cable news more than their own governments- countless new surveys have shown a steady decrease in the public's trust towards Cable News Media like CNN and Fox News. We examine some of the reasons for the widening of the credibility gap.
The Medias Role in the Iraq War
Fox News
A big cause of the growing distrust towards the mainstream news media is their alleged role in the buildup to the Iraq war, an issue that is still debated today. Many felt that the major mainstream outlets, CNN, Fox News (which is shown on New Zealand local television), failed to ask the tough questions and thoroughly investigate the Bush administration’s justification for invading Iraq. Some even felt that the mainstream media, caught up in wave of patriotism, led the drumbeat to war, and sometimes deliberately spreading misinformation.
A study conducted by the Program on International Policy (PIPA) at the University of Maryland and Knowledge Networks, reveals that a big majority, more than half of Americans have had significant misperceptions about the war. The study also reveals that the frequency of these misperceptions varies significantly according to individuals’ primary source of news. Those who primarily watch Fox News are significantly more likely to have misperceptions, while those who primarily watch PBS are significantly less likely. Strong majorities of CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN viewers were also misinformed.
News outlets ideologically allied with Bush have been happy to assist in confusing the public about who had attacked us on 9/11 and in morphing our enemy from Al-Qaeda to Iraq. The Fox News Channel runs its "War on Terror" banner whether discussing Afghanistan or Iraq. Other outlets promoted the Saddam/911 confusion less out of ideology than ineptitude -- during a live, pre-war news conference at which the chief of Homeland Security described new terrorist threats from Al-Qaeda, MSNBC ran its banner: "Showdown with Saddam." That half or more Americans think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attack -- perhaps the most media-covered event in history -- stands as a horrific indictment of U.S. media today.
References
Misperceptions, the media and the Iraq war. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from World Public Opinion Web site: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/102.php
The Medias Role in the Iraq War
Fox News
A big cause of the growing distrust towards the mainstream news media is their alleged role in the buildup to the Iraq war, an issue that is still debated today. Many felt that the major mainstream outlets, CNN, Fox News (which is shown on New Zealand local television), failed to ask the tough questions and thoroughly investigate the Bush administration’s justification for invading Iraq. Some even felt that the mainstream media, caught up in wave of patriotism, led the drumbeat to war, and sometimes deliberately spreading misinformation.
A study conducted by the Program on International Policy (PIPA) at the University of Maryland and Knowledge Networks, reveals that a big majority, more than half of Americans have had significant misperceptions about the war. The study also reveals that the frequency of these misperceptions varies significantly according to individuals’ primary source of news. Those who primarily watch Fox News are significantly more likely to have misperceptions, while those who primarily watch PBS are significantly less likely. Strong majorities of CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN viewers were also misinformed.
News outlets ideologically allied with Bush have been happy to assist in confusing the public about who had attacked us on 9/11 and in morphing our enemy from Al-Qaeda to Iraq. The Fox News Channel runs its "War on Terror" banner whether discussing Afghanistan or Iraq. Other outlets promoted the Saddam/911 confusion less out of ideology than ineptitude -- during a live, pre-war news conference at which the chief of Homeland Security described new terrorist threats from Al-Qaeda, MSNBC ran its banner: "Showdown with Saddam." That half or more Americans think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attack -- perhaps the most media-covered event in history -- stands as a horrific indictment of U.S. media today.
References
Misperceptions, the media and the Iraq war. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from World Public Opinion Web site: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/102.php
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At a time when countless surveys worldwide have shown that people are increasingly skeptical of the news media, many have started to turn to the internet for an alternative, or sometimes their primary source of news and information. This blog aims to analyse the traditional news media outlets like CNN and BBC, the accuracy of their reporting and their respective agendas. This blog also aims to highlight how non traditional news media outlets like internet news sites are helping shape and change societies and governments around the world, sometimes in extremely profound ways.
US Surveys on Cable News Believability
A good reason to read my blog-Politics is good for your brain!
US Surveys on Cable News Believability
A good reason to read my blog-Politics is good for your brain!
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