N3Con 2017
THE RISE OF ALIBABA'S MEDIA EMPIRE
MAY 19-21 ISSUE 2
Broadcast boot camp for on-air talent HOW SOUTH KOREAN MEDIA STAMPEDED A PRESIDENT
Google tools for journalists
The official magazine for
NEW • NOW• NEXT
THE BATTLE OVER TRUTH AND FAIRNESS
SOCIAL DISRUPTION Navigating the New Journalism
AND
SPREADING LIES
Fake news threatens to undermine what journalists have strived for. Ethical media must work to clear its name
SCHEDULE MENG WAH COMPLEX THEATER 2 (MAIN HALL)
MENG WAH COMPLEX THEATER 1
MENG WAH COMPLEX THEATER 3
Create your schedule online at
MENG WAH COMPLEX THEATER 4
FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 8:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Meet the recruiters (Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau) Registration
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Opening remarks
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
The battle over truth and fairness
2:00 - 2:15 p.m. 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Break The fintech dichotomy
A refresher: Very basic statistics for journalists
3:15 - 3:30 p.m. 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Finding the signal in the noise
Best practices of livestreaming platforms
Women in media: Is equality a myth?
Google tools for journalists
Break Reporting the news in digital short form
How to negotiate your salary
4:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Break
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Hong Kong handover 20th anniversary
6:00 - 6:10 p.m.
Break
6:10 - 6:40 p.m.
Lightning talks
6:40 - 7:00 p.m.
Closing
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
VIP opening reception (Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau, invitation only)
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Registration
9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Coffee and pastries
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Entrepreneurship and the future of media in Asia
10:30 - 10:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Break The millennial experience
Where to start with 360-degree video (group lecture) Where to start with 360-degree video (hands-on
Lunch
training, limited to 15 participants)
The art of networking Mentoring hour (Eliot Hall Shum Room, to 1 pm)
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Asia’s not-so-free press
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Challenges of expat reporting
Follow the money
Covering the North Korean crisis
Broadcast bootcamp for on-air talent
4:15 - 4:30 p.m. 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Independent filmmaking in the age of disruption
How to nail your next TED Talk
Innovative brand storytelling in Asia-Pacific
Break
5:30 - 5:45 p.m.
Break
5:45 - 6:00 p.m.
Closing
From 7:00 p.m.
Gala dinner (Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong, 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central)
SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 BLOOMBERG HONG KONG BUREAU (25th Floor, Cheung Kong Center, 2 Queen’s Road Central) 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Mindful leadership through communication mastery, hosted by Arthur Joseph (limited to 20 participants)
11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Lunch
11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Influence and leadership, hosted by Dr. Ron Brown (limited to 20 participants) Plenary
Panel
Workshop
VENUE MAP
MENG WAH COMPLEX
Chong Yuet Ming Amenities Centre
TRANSPORTATION TO HKU BY BUS
Take either No. 23, 40, 40M from Admiralty outside Pacific Place or No. 4, 7, 91 from Exchange Square at Central. Get off in front Run Run Shaw Building
of the East Gate on Bonham Road or the West Gate in front of Haking Wong Building on Pokfulam Road. BY MTR
HKU Station Exit A2 Elevator Lobby East Gate Bonham Road Entrance
Walk from HKU Station (Exit A2) and take the elevator to the Upper Level of University Street. BY TAXI
Library Building
From Admiralty or Central to Cotton Tree
West Gate Pukfulam Road Entrance
Drive to Robinson Road to Kotewall Road. Turn right onto University Drive.
New.Now.Next Media Conference 2017 is presented by
Angie Lau, AAJA-Asia president
Kinzie, N3Con executive producer EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Oanh Ha, chair Zela Chin
Angie Lau
Taehoon Lee Billy Wong
PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
Mike Raomanachai, co-chair Wendy Tang, co-chair Jay Hartwell
Jenny Hsu Eunji Kim
Elaine Ramirez, N3 Magazine editor-in-chief
Marian Liu
Haruka Nuga
Carina Lee
Eunji Kim
Yuri Nagano
Mike Raomanachai
Archith Seshadri
SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE
Chelsea Phua
Angie Lau, chair
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Eunice Kim, chair
Carina Lee, web administration co-chair
Taehoon Lee, web administration co-chair
Sean Lim, fellowship director Oanh Ha
LOGISTICS AND SOCIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE
Zela Chin, membership director Billy Wong, awards chair
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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President’s letter
RISING ABOVE FAKE NEWS, EXCESS INFORMATION AND SOCIAL DISRUPTION ‘Navigating the New Journalism’ seeks a path for an industry under attack As we gather journalists from across Asia and the U.S. for AAJA-Asia’s seventh annual
New.Now.Next Media Conference, we face an issue that is undermining the foundations of our profession: What is journalism?
Answers are being demanded from those in the industry and the very people we seek
to inform — our audience. How did we get here? This question didn’t appear overnight, nor can blame be placed on one person or one movement.
Make no mistake: Journalism is under attack. How we respond will determine how we
are regarded in the future.
Here in Asia, the Fourth Estate is populated by state players. For the media consumer,
it is a reminder that the written or spoken word can be delivered through the blurred
bias of the messenger. Even now, the story of Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui, who is facing
arrest after Interpol issued a red notice on him — alerting law enforcement to arrest him pending extradition — for alleged corruption, has been purged from social media on the mainland. But projects like Hong Kong University’s Weiboscope, which tracks censorship on Weibo, pierce the veil.
As journalism defends itself in the debate over what is fake and what is truth, AAJA-
Asia continues to support the professionalism of journalists in the Asia-Pacific region. We must reflect on our journalism individually and as an industry, while continuing to cover and uncover the stories of our day.
That is why this year we tackle “Social Disruption: Navigating the New Journalism.”
We discuss the challenges of leadership and the rise of artificial intelligence in our
business. We continue to build the skills our journalists need to tell stories across multiple platforms. We look at social media and our role in it.
Now more than ever, the journalist’s role in society is being challenged. We must rise
above the chaos by harnessing our strengths, sharpening our skills and remembering our mission as a service to all. In AAJA-Asia spirit,
Angie Lau President
Asia chapter
Asian American Journalists Association
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N3Con 2017 MAY 19-21 ISSUE 2
The official magazine for
NEW • NOW• NEXT
CONTENTS N3CON 2017
FOCUS
PERSPECTIVE
i Conference schedule 1 Venue map 2 President’s letter
25 Asia
44 Murdered with impunity
Rising above fake news, excess information and social disruption
5 Social Disruption: Navigating the New Journalism ‘Navigating the New Journalism’ seeks a path for an industry under attack by misinformation, government stifling and distrust
6 Panels
Journalists struggle with truth and fairness in the digital era, where millennials, fintech and indie filmmakers grow in importance
11 Events
Network and mentoring sessions offer channels to advance your career
12 Interview: Ellana Lee, CNN International Asia Pacific
Social media is exciting, but reporters must use it carefully and preserve the truth
14 Workshops
Tips on today’s digital media, and back-to-the-basics on topics from statistics to networking
17 Gala dinner with Joshua Wong
N3Con 2017 closes with a gala dinner featuring guest speaker Joshua Wong, Hong Kong activist and secretary general of Demosistō
Triumph and turbulence define a year in review
26 China The rise of Alibaba’s media empire
28 Philippines
Fact-checkers can’t keep up with Philippines’ Duterte
29 Malaysia
Fighting the battle for relevance in a digital world
30 China
For journalism in China, a millennial shift
32 India
U.S. media’s Trump challenge delivers a lesson for India
33 South Korea
Korean press still struggles against deep roots of corruption
34 Japan
The sinking of Japan’s bold foray into watchdog journalism
36 Vietnam
Young Vietnamese see an ally in Facebook
37 Thailand
The death of Big Sister Yu and rise of singalong journalism
38 South Korea
The Committee to Protect Journalists is fighting a war that will never be won
46 Shoot, post, repeat
Asia-Pacific readers are hungry for mobile news, and social media is the hook
48 Social echo chamber
No balance necessary when retweeting posts that affirm your beliefs
50 Mid-career crossroads
Journalists facing career disruption have choices to make
52 Interview: Yvonne Leow, AAJA National President Yvonne Leow strives to cultivate a culture of media entrepreneurship
53 Who we are
How AAJA and its Asia chapter have grown into a global force
54 Voice for Korea’s millennials Dotface grows its audience by posting on issues ignored by legacy news
55 Don’t make my mistake
Early bloopers provide key advice for journalism’s next generation
How South Korean media stampeded a president
40 Cambodia
Government looks to Trump in threatening foreign news outlets
41 Hong Kong
COVER STORY 18 Sowing discord and spreading lies
Fake news provides critics with an all-purpose slogan to disparage legitimate journalism
Beijing’s creeping control over Hong Kong media
42 Nepal
Community radio provides penetration that internet cannot
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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Magazine The official magazine for
NEW • NOW• NEXT Media Conference
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Elaine Ramirez SPONSORSHIP DIRECTORS
Oanh Ha
Angie Lau DESIGN DIRECTORS
Edmund Ip
Adrian Leung EDITORS
Frances Fernandes Jay Hartwell WRITERS
CONNECT
Arjun Giri
AAJA-Asia
Eunice Kim Eunji Kim
Scott Harris Jane Jia
Jane Kim
Cindy Koh
Carina Lee
Nicole Pabello Peter Sabine
E: aajaasia@gmail.com
W: aaja.org/chapters/asia F: fb.com/aajaasia T: @aajaasia N3Con
W: n3con.com
F: fb.com/n3conference
Andrew Salmon Jess Turner
Shen Yiqian Jane Zhang
ILLUSTRATORS
Hannah Dormido Gavin Huang Sujin Kim
COPY EDITOR
Aya Lowe SUPPORT ISSUE 2
Kinzie
Zela Chin
Billy Wong
Sowing discord and spreading lies Cover design by Edmund Ip and Adrian Leung
SOCIAL DISRUPTION: NAVIGATING THE NEW JOURNALISM Stories by Gavin Huang, Jay Hartwell, Cindy Koh, Elaine Ramirez and Peter Sabine Edited by Elaine Ramirez The free press is beset by enemies from government pressure to corruption. Social media is a double-edged sword that gives voice to the voiceless but, unrestrained, allows “fake news” to proliferate.
Historic struggles over truth and fairness are cast in a new light as information from
the internet avalanches into our phones and covers the line between ethical journalism and lies. Investigative reporting is presented side-by-side with propaganda, forcing the
public to question whom they can trust. Controversial leaders such as Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte criticize media’s watchdog role, threatening the public’s access to truth. Media worldwide are undergoing overhauls as continuing digital revolutions,
populism and social media force the industry to reinvent their identities.
“Social disruption: Navigating the new journalism,” the seventh installment of the
New.Now.Next Media Conference, begins a conversation about the direction of the fourth estate in this environment and how individual journalists should prepare themselves to compete and prevail.
“The battle over truth and fairness” discusses how to strike a balance in providing
readers with clarity without fear or favor, while Asia’s not-so-free press zeroes in on the challenges of reporting in the region.
Digital adaptation, a pillar of N3Con, offers workshops and panels with tips on
livestreaming, fintech reporting and 360-degree video.
In addition, a range of sessions from networking and mentoring to communications
coaching will enable journalists to plan the next steps for their careers.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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Panels FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
The battle over truth and fairness
The fintech dichotomy
Untruth. Post-truth. Fake news. Misinformation. Alternative facts. Fact-free. These words are now concepts journalists must grapple with daily. Fact-checking is more critical than ever in filtering the rhetoric of emotions and personal beliefs from the plethora of information saturating the media landscape. Journalism’s first obligation, which Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel identify in “The Elements of Journalism,” is to the truth. How do we strike a balance in providing readers with clarity without fear or favor? Top Asian editors discuss issues and solutions to help newsrooms raise the bar on editorial and operating standards, and protect journalists who continue to honor truth and fairness in reporting.
Here’s a riddle: If a financial institution stores money like a bank, lends like a bank and invests like a bank, but only exists online, is it still a bank? The advent of such services as digital currencies, internet-only banks and robot investment advisers is blurring the line between finance and technology. Nowadays, most financial institutions need smart programmers to compete, creating a conundrum for journalists and government regulators. Financial technology, or fintech, may be finance or technology, creating a dichotomy for journalist who must understand the intricacies of financial instruments and their computer software. Governments must determine which agency should regulate these new industries. Business reporters and fintech entrepreneurs discuss how to navigate this undefined terrain and how media coverage addresses the new technologies encroaching on financial institutions’ domain. Pa n e l i s t s
Pa n e l i s t s
Ted Anthony
Ellana Lee
Asia Pacific news director, Associated Press, Bangkok
Senior vice president and managing editor, CNN International Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
Jase Leung CEO, Bitcoinnect, Hong Kong
Mike Steven Fang Raomanachai Executive director Tech anchor, Voice TV, Bangkok
and CEO, CapBridge, Singapore
Moderator
David Merritt
Senior executive producer, Bloomberg News, Hong Kong
Angie Lau 6
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Phil Pan
Asia editor, The New York Times, Hong Kong
Moderator
| Anchor, Bloomberg TV, Hong Kong
Issue 2
Melissa Gecolea
“Money Magazine” supervising producer and anchor, TVB Pearl, Hong Kong
Eunice Kim
Freelance reporter, Arirang TV, Seoul
Chelsea Phua
Associate partner, Bell Pottinger, Singapore
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Meng Wah Complex Theater 1
Reporting the news in digital short form
Follow the money
When Facebook announced last year’s first-quarter earnings, one number stuck with industry observers — not its $1.5 billion profit nor record 1.65 billion monthly active users, but 50 minutes. That’s the average time people spend daily on Facebook’s social media platforms. In the time it takes to watch “60 Minutes,” one may read several Facebook news bites, “like” some Instagram photos and schedule dinner with a friend on Messenger. Traditional news organizations now post videos on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, but what worked on television may not work online, where patience is lacking and the medium may be a smartphone. Broadcast reporters and editors discuss how to develop social media content and tailor on-camera presentation for viewers on-the-go.
You don’t need a finance degree to write a business story. Sometimes the most compelling angles are those every reader can relate to. From South Korea’s coffee wars to Chinese mobile payment apps, interesting stories can be told through the lens of business, money and finance. How people spend their money can reflect hot consumer trends, tech innovations, economic conditions and trade partnerships. And many readers find top business moguls’ family feuds as entertaining as celebrity gossip. Good reporters know that getting to the heart of any business story means following the money — sometimes to top corporate offices. Veteran business journalists share strategies for covering companies and their executives, and finding hidden narratives behind the numbers. Pa n e l i s t s
Pa n e l i s t s
Moderator
Zela Chin
Archith Seshadri
Anchor, WION, New Delhi
Principal reporter and producer, CNN Digital Asia director, TVB Pearl, Hong Kong CNN International, Hong Kong
Marc Lourdes
Enda Curran Youkyung Lee David Webb
Senior reporter, Technology reporter, Bloomberg, Hong Kong The Associated Press, Seoul
Activist investor, Webb-site Reports, Hong Kong
Moderator
Sherisse Pham
Tech and business reporter, CNNMoney, Hong Kong
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Hong Kong handover 20th anniversary The handover of Hong Kong from the U.K. to China was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, replete with visual, cultural and historical spectacle: British representatives Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gov. Chris Patten stood alongside China’s President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and incoming Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in an atmosphere charged with pomp as the city returned to Chinese sovereignty. Foreign correspondents discuss covering the historic day of July 1, 1997, the legacy of 150 years of conflict, colonialism and the Opium Wars, the new legal framework of the Basic Law and One Country Two Systems and the impact of the 1989 Tienanmen Square massacre that helped create a legacy of fears that persists today.
Moderator
Keith Richburg
Director, Journalism and Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Panels SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 10:45 a.m - 12:00 p.m
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Covering the North Korean crisis
The millennial experience
Tension is rising as North Korea dominates the headlines with speculated intention to fire missiles on countries that dare to interfere with its closedoff, centralized political regime. While the country insists its space programs aim to advance peace, critics argue that they serve to advance military ballistic missile programs, reflecting the high level of mistrust worldwide for this country of some 25 million. Veteran news leaders discuss the challenges and strategies of covering a country that speaks through official pronouncements issued through state-run media, and where access to information is severely restricted and people cannot speak freely.
Millennials are making plenty of noise in the media world, and not just for leading consumption trends. They also make up a large proportion of the newsroom. These journalists in their 20s and 30s are tech-savvy, and while they may be out of sync with traditional media production, are setting ever higher standards for content production while driving new-media consumption. Leading digital media executives from across Asia discuss how to recruit, engage and retain millennials. Pa n e l i s t s
Richard Lai
Editor-in-chief for Chinese, Engadget, Hong Kong
Pa n e l i s t s
Carina Lee
Sales coordinator, Discovery Network, Seoul
Haruka Nuga
TV news producer, Thomson Reuters, Tokyo
Moderator
Mike Raomanachai
| tech anchor, Voice TV, Bangkok
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Mike Chinoy
Author and senior fellow, USC U.S.-China Institute, Los Angeles
Giles Hewitt
Asia editor-in-chief, AFP, Hong Kong
Moderator
Ken Moritsugu
Martyn Williams
Japan and Korea news director, The Associated Press, Tokyo
The challenges of expat reporting The life of a correspondent is full of challenges: handling faraway editors who lack the same perspective, learning how to report objectively from a birthplace or mother country and assimilating to a new location. On a personal level, expat reporters must navigate family loyalties and beliefs when reporting reveals other views, while living and working among other domestic and expat journalists, both competitors and allies. Reporters from the U.S. or Canada share why they call Asia “home.� Pa n e l i s t s
Senior correspondent, IDG News Service, San Francisco
Catherine K.Oanh Ha Asia consumer Lai
Reporter, Hong Kong Free Press, Hong Kong
team leader, Bloomberg, Hong Kong
Yuri Nagano
Senior reporter, Mergermarket Group, Tokyo
Wilfred Chan Journalist, Hong Kong
Moderator
Richard C. Paddock
Southeast Asia reporter, The New York Times, Bangkok
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SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 1:30 - 2:45 p.m
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Media entrepreneurship in Asia It’s tough to be a traditional media journalist. Falling revenue, cutbacks and layoffs have hammered the industry. Companies are expected to keep up with media innovations and storytelling despite shrinking budgets. Journalists experiencing their own Jerry Maguire moments may be tempted to jump ship to outlets dealing with so-called new media or join the “dark side,” aka marketing and public relations. A growing option is to create a startup in journalism or corporate communications. Three media entrepreneurs bid farewell to traditional media, strike out on their own, and share lessons learned from creating a new company or forecasting Asian media trends. Pa n e l i s t s
Asia’s not-sofree press Social media is hugely affecting Asia. Digital access opens up freedom of communication to Asian societies once subject to draconian print and broadcast media controls. As governments fear their loosening grip on their message, a backlash against journalists has begun with potentially severe consequences. Leading Asian news figures live daily with these challenges. Ching-Ching Ni, editor-in-chief for The New York Times Chinese in Beijing, Annalisa Burgos, managing editor for ABS-CBN in Manila, Ken Moritsugu, AP Japan and Korea news director, and Giles Hewitt, Asia editor-inchief for the AFP in Hong Kong — all working on the battle lines between government and free press — will discuss how reporters, broadcasters and online journalists navigate the challenges Asia poses: access to information, interviews, censorship and avoiding legal action that threatens defamation suits or imprisonment. Pa n e l i s t s
Toshi Maeda
CEO, Pacific Bridge Media Consulting, Tokyo
Chan Yi Wen
Cofounder, Content.co, Singapore
Moderator
Ching-Ching Ni Editor-in-chief, The New York Times Chinese, Beijing
Annalisa Burgos
Managing editor, ABS-CBN, Manila
Wendy Tang
Nina Xiang
Editor and cofounder, China Money Network, Hong Kong
Independent tech writer, Beijing
Mark Angeles
Journalist, Global New Light of Myanmar, Yangon
Giles Hewitt
Asia editor-in-chief, AFP, Hong Kong
Moderator
K. Oanh Ha
Asia consumer team leader, Bloomberg News, Hong Kong
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Panels SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 10:45 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 4
Independent filmmaking in the age of disruption While a rogue filmmaker’s backpack may contain a DSLR camera or two, a DIY rig fashioned from plastic rods and duct tape, independent filmmakers’ kits are changing, along with funding and distribution models. Movies stream on smartphones, money is raised on crowdfunding sites and visual content is no longer limited to twodimensional screens. Cameras made for virtual reality can shoot 360 degrees to tell old stories in new ways. Video streaming websites and social media platforms give content creators a direct channel to audiences. Asian and U.S. documentary filmmakers discuss how to navigate this new cinematic landscape and use digital tools to seek funding, produce innovative work and distribute independently. Danny Kim will show clips from his latest documentary “Still Waters” on the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea. Speakers
Danny Kim
“Still Waters” official poster.
Tens of thousands of people convene in the central square of downtown Seoul to protest for impeachment of President Park Geun-hye in December 2016.
Jonna Bowers Taehoon Lee
Documentary filmmaker, “Still Waters,” Seoul
Film producer, Documentary producer, Cheeky Monkey The Korea Observer Productions Asia Limited, and CNN, Seoul Hong Kong
Yang Oak-ja tears up as she sends a video message to her son Hur Jae-kang.
A tent is set up by the Sewol families to monitor the salvage operation.
Moderator
Mathew Scott
| Freelance journalist, Hong Kong
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 6:10 - 6:40 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 2
Lightning talks From learning how to release the power of your voice to discovering the sneaky tricks that PR pros teach their clients, seven panelists will share industry tips with lively, rapid-fire presentations of up to five minutes each.
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Speakers
Don’t make my mistake
Jay Hartwell, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Why facts don’t matter: A reflection of the stories we tell each other and ourselves
Crisis Comms 101: Firefighting with the media
Chelsea Phua and Sam Turvey, Bell Pottinger, Singapore and Hong Kong
Story in a frame
Yvonne Leow, AAJA, San Francisco
Daylon Soh, Singapore
Super sneaky tricks that PR pros teach clients
Voice is power: How to be heard loud and clear
Erik Cornelius, G3 Partners, Seoul
Arthur Joseph, Vocal Awareness Institute, Los Angeles
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 3
Pa n e l i s t s
Women in media: Is equality a myth? Commentators are claiming society has entered an area of gender parity. Yet as recently as 2015, the Global Media Monitoring Project, the world’s largest research initiative for equality, found women made up only 24 percent of people heard from in newspaper, television and radio news globally. Leading female media executives Mariko Sanchanta of APAC Fidelity International, AAJA president Yvonne Leow, Reuters Hong Kong Bureau Chief Anne Marie Roantree, and Yunhee Kim of The Wall Street Journal discuss career progression, work-life balance and overcoming the hurdles of inequality.
Mariko Sanchanta
Head of corporate communications, Asia Pacific, Fidelity International, Hong Kong
Yvonne Leow President, AAJA, San Francisco
Moderator
Yuri Nagano
Anne Marie Roantree
Bureau chief, Reuters, Hong Kong
Yun-Hee Kim
senior editor, The Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong
Senior reporter, Mergermarket Group, Tokyo
Events
Meet the recruiters
May 19, 8:00 - 11:30 a.m. | Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau Bloomberg Hong Kong opens its doors for an insider view of how the newsroom functions locally while impacting the world, offering insights into its vision and mission. The tour will offer an opportunity to meet recruiters and editors who can answer questions on the news organization’s hiring trends.
VIP opening reception May 19, 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. | Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau N3Con participants can mingle with new and familiar faces over food and drinks on the first day of the conference, while soaking up the Hong Kong skyline at Bloomberg’s Hong Kong Bureau. It will be an opportunity to network and share ideas with movers and shakers in the journalism industry who are attending from all over the world. This is an invite-only event.
Mentoring hour May 20, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Eliot Hall Shum Room Experienced journalists and media professionals will offer oneon-one advice and guidance in 15-minute blocks to conference delegates. Bring your resume, videos or questions and be matched with a mentor closest to your preference. Spots are limited, and time slots are designated after signup closes. New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Perspective
CNN FACES OFF AGAINST FAKE NEWS
Journalists find social media extremely exciting, but we must use it carefully.
As an undergraduate, Ellana Lee was intrigued by media’s role during key moments in history. Twenty years later, the CNN International Asia Pacific senior vice president and managing editor is broadening the broadcaster’s reach and documenting history as it happens. Lee sees CNN’s new Eco Solutions as an opportunity to shine a light on environmental issues affecting the planet and track innovative solutions as they emerge.
Fake news is increasingly making the headlines. Is this solely a EuroAmerican phenomenon?
of newsgathering when working through a third-party news organization?
Lee: Fake news is an issue that impacts us
Before CNN enters any partnership, we
misinformation, a lot of fake news. Good
of values and core principles. We enter
globally. There is a lot of information and journalism requires looking at as many
sources as possible to get as full a picture as possible. And that’s where the skill, training
and professionalism of CNN’s editorial team comes in.
The biggest part of our job is to check,
check and check again, as we verify and
corroborate the snippets of information,
pictures, videos, claims and counterclaims. There is enormous interest in the current
news cycle – whether it’s Trump, Brexit or North Korea.
partnerships in growing markets with a growing need for first-class journalism.
These media partners retain full editorial
control, but they receive ongoing training in all aspects of newsgathering, feature programming, technical support and
digital content. As with CNN worldwide, a
standards and practices department operates locally to ensure that all standards are
upheld. A joint editorial board also discusses issues of ethics and editorial standards as required.
What advice can you give to today’s would-be journalists?
Social media plays a part in spreading fake
successes but also for your failures. I’m
and it’s instant. Journalists find social
media extremely exciting, but we must use it carefully. People often say that they hear or see something on social media, and go
Apart from making the most of your
education, working hard and securing
internships, be grateful not only for your grateful for the mistakes I’ve made because I learned from them and grew. I became more optimistic, able to problem-solve and create solutions with each valuable lesson.
Think of it as failing forward. The
to CNN to see if it’s true – that’s something
ability to recover quickly from setbacks
take for granted. This all boils down to
the roadmap to success is paved with
we must work hard to preserve, and never first-class journalism and trust, a news organization’s most vital commodity.
CNN has created a half-dozen partnerships with local newschannels worldwide, including in the Philippines and India. How do you ensure the quality
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do due diligence to ensure an alignment
Fake news isn’t a new phenomenon. We can trace it back to government misinformation during the Vietnam War. How does this phenomenon differ today? news. It’s at the tip of everyone’s fingers
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Interview by Frances Fernandes Photo courtesy of CNN Edited by Jay Hartwell
is essential. Whether you like it or not, lessons learned from your mistakes.
The reality is we live in a competitive
world, so you must learn to fail fast and fail forward while you are young.
And finally, remember these
key words: dignity, empathy and
compassion. These are the qualities I look for when hiring.
Frances Fernandes can be reached at frances.fernandes@ucr.edu.
Ellana Lee, senior vice president and managing editor, CNN International Asia Pacific
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Workshops
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 4
Google tools for journalists
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 1
How to negotiate your salary Salary negotiation is key to ensuring healthy income growth as your career progresses. With intense pressure on media budgets, achieving a fair offer can be difficult. Ron Brown, president of the management consulting firm Banks Brown, will discuss presentation and quantifying value to employers. Whether an employee is hunting for a new job or negotiating for a raise, having these essential skills makes the difference between success and failure, while positively impacting earning power. Host
Ron Brown
President, Banks Brown, San Francisco
Data are the cornerstone of journalism, yet many in the industry are unsure how to use data for reporting. Even though many journalists find data complex and inaccessible, it’s easy to put them to work to strengthen reporting and glean story ideas. Google’s toolbox of solutions, such as Trends and Analytics, can help develop compelling story ideas, while charts and features can be generated to visually reinforce articles. Host
Irene Jay Liu
APAC News Lab lead, Google, Hong Kong
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 10:45 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 3
The art of networking
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 3
Finding the signal in the noise Mining accurate news, separating disinformation and presenting a balanced view of issues is paramount in the age of fake news. Storyful’s Asia Editor Iain Martin shares his experience in interpreting social media and developing AI to verify facts and stories. This interactive workshop will teach participants to sift through the noise and learn how to find the facts themselves. Host
Iain Martin
Asia editor, Storyful, Hong Kong
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Some of us think networking is unnecessary for journalists. Well, think again. Archith Seshadri of Wion (World Is One News), Forbes Asia’s digital director Paul Armstrong and ABS-CBN managing editor Annalisa Burgos will share on the art of building professional relationships and lay out successful strategies for a skill that is crucial for journalists in this hands-on workshop. Hosts
Archith Seshadri Anchor, WION, New Delhi
Paul Armstrong
Digital director, Forbes Asia, Hong Kong
Annalisa Burgos
Managing editor, ABS-CBN, Manila
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 4
Meng Wah Complex Theater 3
Innovative brand storytelling in Asia-Pacific Branding in Asia requires a tricky balance of localization, lean content and leveraging experts to tell stories effectively. Be it written, visual, video or interactive content, the format is merely a tool to tell the more important story. Content.co’s Chan Yi Wen invites participants to brainstorm content marketing strategies to achieve their company’s objectives in this interactive session. Host
Chan Yi Wen
Head of content strategy, Content.co, Singapore
How to nail your next TED Talk Public speaking can be a daunting experience. With the proliferation of live media experiences, journalists are increasingly sought out to share their insights with an audience. The ability to own the stage, write an impactful speech, pace a performance and engage the crowd is indispensable to career development. TV anchor, speaking coach and TEDx Talk Hong Kong veteran Angie Lau shares tips on how to approach speaking opportunities. Host
Angie Lau
Anchor, Bloomberg TV, Hong Kong
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 10:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 1
Meng Wah Complex Theater 4
Where to start with 360-degree video Even though virtual reality news production is in its infancy, 360-degree video has hit the mainstream — providing immersive video experiences for mass market audiences. Paul Cheung, director of visual journalism for NBC News, explains how 360-degree video transports viewers into the middle of the action. His lecture and workshop will show participants how to begin developing their own 360 videos and reach audiences with engaging content for today’s video-driven generation. *The second-half workshop from 12:00 p.m. is limited to 15 participants. Hosts
Paul Cheung
Director of visual journalism, NBC News, New York
KC Lai
Best practices of live-streaming Facebook Live Video is another solution for reaching out to existing audiences, diversifying content presentation and expanding user bases. Since its inception a year ago, Facebook LV has become a leading tool in the live-streaming world. The New York Times Chinese website editor-in-chief Ching-Ching Ni and University of Hawaii student media adviser Jay Hartwell cover camera positioning, getting clean audio and other essentials to create the optimal user experience. Hosts
Jay Hartwell
Faculty, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Ching-Ching Ni
Editor-in-chief, The New York Times Chinese, Beijing
Founder and CEO, iZugar, Hong Kong
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Workshops SUNDAY, MAY 21 | 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau
Meng Wah Complex Theater 1
Mindful leadership through communication mastery Arthur Samuel Joseph is known globally as one of the world’s top broadcast trainers and an authority on how to develop the human voice for effective and authoritative presentation. His vocal awareness program teaches participants to master communication, enhance leadership skills and amplify personal presence through body-language techniques, vocal warm-ups and storytelling skills. Joseph has used his methods with actors, singers, politicians, broadcasters and business leaders during his 50-year career.
Broadcast boot camp for on-air talent Many top broadcast journalists around the world learn from one man: legendary vocal coach Arthur Samuel Joseph. The president of the Vocal Awareness Institute helps broadcasters to maximize the character and integrity of both voice and persona while presenting on air. While useful for broadcast and online journalists, writers will also find this workshop essential. As news organizations push for more video content, a powerful voice is a strong weapon. Host
Arthur Samuel Joseph
Founder, Vocal Awareness Institute, Los Angeles
Host
Arthur Samuel Joseph
Founder, Vocal Awareness Institute, Los Angeles
FRIDAY, MAY 19 | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Meng Wah Complex Theater 1
A refresher: Very basic statistics for journalists
SUNDAY, MAY 21 | 11:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Bloomberg Hong Kong Bureau
Ron Brown’s influence and leadership workshop Influencing people is a key tenet of career development. Dr. Ron Brown, president of Banks Brown and one of the top career coaches in the U.S., offers his insights into gaining influence to progress through the ranks of an organization. A psychologist who has consulted for major Fortune 100 corporations for more than 30 years, Brown will help participants develop the critical mindsets and skills necessary to seize new leadership opportunities and progress in their careers. *Space is limited to 20 participants. Host
Ron Brown
President, Banks Brown, San Francisco
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News professionals often find it difficult to report accurate figures. Interpreting surveys, health research and social science studies are challenging as information can be spun, be presented unclearly or be intended to misinform. Lecturer Anne Kruger and Assistant Professor Masato Kajimoto of The University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre apply their reporting and research experience to demonstrate how to cut through the distortions and present a balanced view of issues that matter. Hosts
Anne Kruger
Cyber News Verification Lab principal investigator, Journalism and Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong
Masato Kajimoto
Assistant professor, Journalism and Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong
SATURDAY, MAY 20 | FROM 7:00 P.M.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong
FAKE NEWS AND THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW Story by Zela Chin | Photo courtesy of Joshua Wong Edited by Elaine Ramirez
Joshua Wong, Hong Kong activist and secretary-general of Demosistō, speaks on political struggle and press freedom at N3Con’s closing gala dinner. as the secretary-general. His party has no plans for the next few
by-elections, but will support representatives from the pro-democracy camp to gain a seat in the legislative council.
“I hope to get the new generation to care more about social
justice and to get back our rights to decide our future instead of allowing the upper or ruling-class elites to decide,” he said.
Wong’s activism career began early. At age 13, he demon-
strated against plans to build a high-speed rail link between Hong
Kong and mainland China, although it was ultimately approved by pro-government lawmakers.
The authorities have not appreciated Wong’s activism. Last
The 79-day protests in 2014 calling for more democratic elections
year, he was convicted of one count of unlawful assembly over the
streets and paralyzed parts of the financial district. At the frontline
Movement protests began, and sentenced to 80 hours of communi-
in Hong Kong drew international attention as crowds blockaded
was Joshua Wong, then a teenager, who held a prominent role in what became known as the Umbrella Movement.
The protesters were not able to achieve universal suffrage and
storming of government headquarters just before the Umbrella
ty service. In October 2016, he was barred from entering Thailand, reportedly at the request of the Chinese government.
Wong said he has been affected by fake news, including
democracy for Hong Kong during the movement, but Wong hardly
accusations of him being a CIA agent trained by the U.S. Marines
in Hong Kong, and drew attention from foreign media to increase
he said.
regards this as a failure. Rather, it was a step toward democracy pressure on the government.
The protests, he said, highlighted how Hong Kong media
would lean conservative and oppose their movement, in contrast with the current global dynamics in which international media supports democracy.
“We realized how Hong Kong media is dominated by racke-
teers who mainly stand on the side of the pro-China camps or just follow the propaganda of the Hong Kong government,” he said in an interview with N3 Magazine.
Wong, 20, has since continued to fight for democracy and
and of holding an American Green Card — none of which are true, “I believe ‘fake news’ is undeniably a major challenge to
journalism around the world today as it hinders the public’s right to know. While the internet has enabled the free flow of true
information, which is a major advantage our generation enjoys, it has also significantly lowered the barrier for disseminating false information,” he said.
Wong will speak on political struggle and press freedom at
N3Con’s gala dinner at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong on May 20.
“I hope, through this meeting and my sharing, to let more
civil disobedience. While attending the Open University for politics
people realize we need to preserve the core values in Hong Kong,
party pushing for an autonomous Hong Kong, for which he serves
fight for press freedom,” he said.
and public administration, he has cofounded Demosistō, a political
especially human rights and freedom. It’s necessary for us to first
AAJA-ASIA THANKS OUR SPONSORS FOR THE N3CON CLOSING GALA DINNER
and
SPREADING LIES Fake news threatens to undermine what journalists have strived for. Ethical media must work to clear its name.
Story by Scott Duke Harris Additional reporting by Eunji Kim, Carina Lee, Nicole Pabello, Yiqian Shen and Jane Zhang Edited by Elaine Ramirez
South Korean consumers are known
tragedy that killed 304 people.
cosmetic surgery and K-pop. They are also
mentioned in the Chosun Ilbo and Sankei,
for indulging in fashion, tech gadgets,
hungry for “hadeora” — or so it is said.
That’s the translation of hadeora: “It
is said that.” The term, tacked onto the end of a sentence, is like the rhetorical
tic Citizen Donald Trump used to spread gossip en route to becoming President Donald Trump: “…people are sayin’.”
Hadeora, also sometimes “kadeora,”
provides the speaker with a dash of
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Issue 2
social platforms, namely Kakao, Daum
and Naver, according to Se-woong Koo, publisher of Korea Expose. “But I first
heard it from my mother, who in turn had heard it from her friends, before media reported it,” he wrote.
Koo’s essay was titled “In Rumor We
example: the unsubstantiated claim that
could serve as a template — just substitute
with her lover during the Sewol ferry
Magazine
after it had spread on popular Korean
Trust: The Proliferation of Fake News in
former President Park Geun-hye had met
|
South Korean and Japanese newspapers,
deniability while he or she fertilizes a
discussion with dubious information. One
18
That allegation was eventually
South Korea.” These days, that headline the country. Fake news is a multifaceted
problem that has mutated from stubborn
virus to global pandemic, propelled by
social media and adapting to every culture, country and purpose.
The pen may be mightier than the
sword, but fake news is both poison pen and double-edged sword. On one hand,
the fabrications that are purveyed as news deliberately misinform the public and
undermine the credibility of legitimate journalism. On another, the term “fake news� becomes a slogan for politicians and critics to disparage reportage and
commentary that cause them discomfort. Russian propagandists even used the
Twitter hashtag #fakenews to discredit video of Aleppo atrocities.
The deluge of fake news poses two
threats. The first is from the bogus reports designed to deceive news consumers
with misinformation. The second is the way politicians and governments have
adopted the phrase to discredit legitimate journalism.
Bad money
The authoritarian Chinese government, which has jailed more than 40 Chinese
journalists, recently denounced as fake
news the reports in Western media that
a Chinese human rights advocate said he
had been tortured. In Singapore, the rise in
Illustrations by Shutterstockcom
bogus news has been deemed such a threat
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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to “community values” that the minister
N3 Magazine. “People become cynical
parliament that the nation’s Broadcasting
reputable news sources when they stop
for communications and information told Act should be updated.
In Vietnam, authorities express similar
concerns as they ponder ways to police
Facebook and use it to spread their version.
believing anything, or begin to believe
only news stories that confirm existing opinions or bias.
“This is aside from the possible
In the Philippines, legislation seeks to
damage from the content of the fake news
to make it harder for them to create fake
correspondent in Asia for two decades.
require social media firms to register users news sites, while Indonesia has announced the creation of a new “cyber agency”
to fight fake news. And in Cambodia, a government spokesman suggested a solution to address allegedly false
stories,” added Butler, who worked as a
“Government reaction can compound the
problem, as governments create new levers of control over free expression that can be used to oppress the legitimate press.”
reportage by the Voice of Democracy,
Enemy unknown
“Shut it down. … Expel them.”
headlines before people could even agree
Voice of America and Radio Free Asia: These examples, compiled in part by
Mong Palatino at citizen media outlet Global Voices, illustrate how Asian
governments may further flex their restrictive powers.
The effect has fueled spiraling distrust
in mainstream media and even cast a cloud over the notion of objective truth itself.
“We live in the age of trolls, sowing
discord and spreading lies,” Davan
The crisis over fake news began to sear
on the answer to a key question: What is it, anyway?
“That’s the problem itself, right?
Nobody knows how to define what fake
news really is,” professor Masato Kajimoto of Hong Kong University, a specialist in social media, told N3 Magazine. “But people are using the term and that is where the confusion comes from.”
Kajimoto, formerly a web producer
Maharaj, publisher and editor of the
at CNN, pointed out that the term “fake
in April. So-called “alternative facts,”
thinking skills involved in understanding
Los Angeles Times, declared in a speech he added, “inspire acts of hate and
retribution. Allegations of ‘fake news’ threaten to undermine what we have
fought for. Science itself is under attack. “Such hostility is a threat not just to
journalists and writers and editors like
news, known as “news literacy.” Rather,
such content would fall within the broader category of “problematic information,”
which also could include “advertorials” and government propaganda.
While newspaper references to "fake
news" date to 1890s, the term became
the world.”
fabricated news online, much of it
For journalists committed to
producing quality work, the tsunami of misinformation has an insidious effect.
“Fake news is like bad money. It drives
out the good stuff, debases the currency,” Steven Butler, Asia program director for
the Committee to Protect Journalists, told
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Issue 2
MOST RELIABLE NAME IN NEWS
news” isn’t used in teaching the critical-
us. It is a threat to anyone who trusts us, who turns to us for help in understanding
20
about what we might otherwise consider
popular in 2016 with the profusion of focusing on the U.S. presidential
election. Trump further popularized the term to denounce journalism he deemed unfavorable.
“Fake news” is an elastic
label that can be used by anyone to discredit any
Illustrations by Gavin Huang
SEE MORE
bit information, regardless of its veracity. When journalists use the term, Kajimoto said, fake news can refer to fabrications
with a political or profit motive, or both. The U.S. presidential campaign season was peppered with bogus click-bait
“news,” some of which was produced by entrepreneurs in Macedonia.
“Technology has made it easy for
anybody to create fake news and make
it look genuine,” Kajimoto said. “Memes are a good example. You choose a good
We live in the age of trolls, sowing discord and spreading lies. ‘Alternative facts’ inspire acts of hate and retribution. Allegations of ‘fake news’ threaten to undermine what we have fought for. Davan Maharaj, Los Angeles Times publisher and editor
picture with a nice headline and put it on
Facebook, and it can look like it is coming from a news organization. That definitely has made the situation worse.”
The “fake news” charge also can be
leveled at honest errors. “Journalists do make mistakes,” Kajimoto said.
“For some news readers, that can be considered fake news.”
People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of
large doses of misinformation.
fake news “seriously damages the image of
was demonstrated in the spread of text
authoritative nature of the news media, is
others aboard the ferry Sewol in 2014. The
the Communist Party, claimed then that
news workers, corrodes the credibility and strongly opposed by all sectors of society, and bitterly detested by the people.” WeChat, with about 550 million
Contentious solutions
users, operates a fact-checking center that
the public and private sectors to address
according to the company. Weibo reports
Concerns over fake news have prompted the issue. Google and Facebook, colossal
forces in the digital realm, have introduced
gets about 10,000 complaints per day,
receiving about 2,000 complaints per day. WeChat, a subsidiary of Tencent, told
efforts to label disputed content in hopes
N3 Magazine that its policies penalize
also have emerged in various countries —
once the social media platform verifies
of minimizing sharing. Fact-checking sites
but these, too, often merit skepticism. The government of Malaysia, not considered a bastion of free expression, has created
the online tool Sebenarnya, a Malay term meaning “actually.”
In China, authorities who have jailed
more than 40 journalists are further
asserting their powers over popular social
networking platforms WeChat and Weibo. (Meanwhile, a media studies initiative
The emotional power of social media
messages from doomed teenagers and
political fallout, in retrospect, marked the beginning of the scandalous end of Park’s
leadership. The tragedy also damaged the reputation of South Korean news media as some major outlets were accused of
parroting the government line, ignoring
critical voices and failing in their watchdog roles.
Distrust escalated as the nation’s
accounts “based on severity of the case
focus shifted in recent months to both
and confirms that the information involves
swirling around Park and her confidante
infringement, breach of confidence, fake
news, harassment, spam, etc., which violates
the country’s law, regulations, policies, public order and social moral, according to users’ reports and government authorities.”
To date, WeChat said it had penalized
about 45,000 public accounts “involved in
spreading false information and fake news.” The Korean Peninsula, with its stark
the hadeora and hard facts of corruption Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly leveraged their relationship for financial gain.
According to some reports, elderly South Koreans increasingly turned to social
media and away from conventional news
sources to follow the national drama that pitted pro-Park supporters against those who wanted to end her regime.
The political battle also spawned a
at the University of Hong Kong called
contrasts, illustrates how fake news can
surge of “fake news” in Park’s defense,
reveal censored material.) In 2014, The
North Korea, news is largely government
overarching narrative is quite simple.
Weiboscope pushes back with efforts to Wall Street Journal reported that the
Beijing government aimed to snuff out “a disease” in the news industry that
promoted extortion and fake news. The
thrive regardless of the level of freedom. In propaganda, which may or may not be
true. Meanwhile, South Korea’s rollicking, always-on media culture has given voice
to a multitude of perspectives, as well as
reported Seung Lee in Gizmodo: “The
Every fake news story seems to focus on
how the entire scandal and its subsequent protests are a leftist conspiracy to bring down Park’s conservative regime.”
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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21
Many of the fabrications, Lee reported,
featured three common elements: a
fictional Western media outlet, political
expert or politician speaking out against impeachment; made-up data suggesting
that support for Park was growing, and
“so-called evidence tying the Choi Soonsil scandal and anti-Park protests to North Korea.”
Some of South Korea’s fake news
purveyors have piled it on with a certain verve. Make-believe Western “experts” were given the names Pendragon and
Littner, apparently borrowed from popular anime characters, Lee reported. “One of
the most popular people ‘quoted’ in fake news stories was not a fictional expert but the real President of the United
States.” Some Koreans were led to believe that Trump had told CNN that he was
concerned that Park’s impeachment will
affect the global economy. “I am very sorry that Park Geun-hye [was] impeached,”
Trump supposedly said. “Korea is America’s most influential partner.”
The campaigns for South Korea’s Illustrations by Gavin Huang
FAKE NEWS IN ASIA The term “fake news” is used in a various ways across Asia. Here are a few examples of the phenomenon sweeping the continent: VIETNAM The proliferation of “distortions, defamations and fabrications” on Google and YouTube prompted the Ministry of Information and Communication to ask Google to block and remove 2,200 clips on YouTube. As of April 12, Google was reported to have removed 1,300 such clips.
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CHINA A reputable Japanese newspaper cited sources in its report that Beijing had urged Washington to fire the top U.S. naval commander in the Pacific in return for increased pressure on North Korea. China’s Foreign Ministry labeled the story as “fake news and not worth refuting.”
MALAYSIA The government is warning administrators of WhatsApp groups about spreading fake and defamatory news, which risks prosecution under existing media laws. A 76-year-old man was charged last year for sharing a WhatsApp group photo that insulted Prime Minister Najib Razak.
SOUTH KOREA A doctored video purporting to show former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon violating sacred ritual at ancestors’ grave sites was among the factors that persuaded Ban to withdraw from South Korea’s presidential election.
INDONESIA Muslim clerics, professing alarm about the spread of falsehoods that have spurred protests against Chinese and Christian minorities, have proposed a fatwa against “fake news,” decreeing that the spread of slander and lies is forbidden.
THAILAND A fake news site reported an explosion in the heart of Bangkok last December. That “explosion” report prompted Facebook to activate its safety check tool with a link to the story, which caused FB users in the city to alert friends to guard their well-being, spreading the story further. But the “explosion” was a one-man protest near the prime minister’s office and involved some firecrackers. No one was hurt.
recent election to succeed Park generated
In an editorial, the Korean news site
able to ask for fact-checking on suspicions of fake news.
further rumor and misinformation.
Media Today cited human nature as an
Center at the country’s National Election
proliferates more when people want to
that there is no better way to combat fake
gains strength when media fails to do its
authentic, trustworthy journalism. "Fake
According to the Election Cyber Crime
Commission, more than 31,000 allegations of fake news regarding the upcoming
election had been reported as of April 25
— about four times as much as during the last presidential election in 2012.
Tackling a deluge
But the efforts of Google and Facebook
to curtail dubious content may not have
much of an impact in South Korea, where the global giants are middleweights and
domestic platforms like Naver and Daum
dominate the scene. A study by the Korea Press Foundation determined that the
country’s major digital platforms account for more than half of the circulation of fake news. The foundation’s survey of nearly 1,100 people found 76 percent
experienced fake news on the internet. Mobile messengers like KakaoTalk and
Line accounted for 39.7 percent, followed
by portals including Daum at 27.7 percent and online communities at 24.3 percent. Traditional sources of journalism
suffered from the deluge. A 2016 study by Edelman found that only 47 percent
of Korean internet users “trust traditional media for news and information” — a
enabler for rumors to flower: fake news believe it. But, the article added, fake news work; it loses power when media gains the people’s trust.
Media outlets are seeking ways to
percent responded that they suspect real
outlets to conduct a “fact check-o-meter.”
believed the societal problems deriving from fake news were very severe.
The impact became news after former
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, once considered the favorite to succeed Park,
managed by a fact-checking organization
consisting of up to 11 scholars and media professionals that gives each outlet an accuracy score out of 5.
Social network company Kakao has
misinformation had caused undue stress to
to confirm facts. The broadcaster provided
and passion were damaged by rumors and fake news,” Ban said in February.
real news does its job well.”
The platform, at factcheck.snu.ac.kr, is
also developed a platform called KakaoPlus
him and his family. “My genuine patriotism
declared, "but it will lose its strength when
University has partnered with 14 news
decided to withdraw from consideration with the claim that the onslaught of
news may never disappear," Media Today
Masato Kajimoto, Hong Kong University news literacy professor prove news accuracy. Seoul National
news to be fake, and that 83.7 percent
news than to focus on the production of
Technology has made it easy for anybody to create fake news and make it look genuine. Memes are a good example. You choose a good picture with nice headline and put it on Facebook, and it can look like it is coming from a news organization. That definitely has made the situation worse.
decline from the 58 percent in 2012. The press foundation survey also showed 76
The moral for journalists, many say, is
friend, which JTBC news has been utilizing live fact-checking during presidential
debates and viewers were able to follow it through live messages. Viewers also were
Scott Duke Harris can be reached at toscottharris@gmail.com.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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QUALITY JOURNALISM FIGHTS MISINFORMATION
7
KEY TYPES OF
MISINFORMATION & DISINFORMATION (FROM LEAST TO MOST INTENT TO DECEIVE)
1 | SATIRE OR PARODY No intention to cause harm but has potential to fool.
2 | FALSE CONNECTION
3 | MISLEADING CONTENT
When headlines, visuals or captions
Misleading use of information to
don’t support the content.
frame an issue or individual.
4 | FALSE CONTEXT
5 | IMPOSTER CONTENT
When genuine content is shared
When genuine sources are
with false contextual information.
impersonated.
6 | MANIPULATED CONTENT
7 | FABRICATED CONTENT
When genuine information or imagery
New content is 100% false, designed
is manipulated to deceive.
to deceive and do harm.
CREDIT: CLAIRE WARDLE/FIRST DRAFT
Read more and download journalist guides from First Draft: firstdraftnews.com Learn how to use Google Tools for online verification: newslab.withgoogle.com/training
g.co/newslab
medium.com/google-news-lab
@GoogleNewsLab
YouTube.com/googlenewslab
Focus:
ASIA
Triumph and turbulence define Asian media’s year in review Story by Elaine Ramirez
Media in the past year has seen triumph
Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand, and
for democracy and freedom of the
ing ship and leaving a vacuum.
and turbulence as Asian countries battle press. South Korea’s shining moment
Chinese mid-career reporters are jumpCronyism is crippling efforts to
was the investigative journalism that
free the media in Japan and India, but
impeachment of Park Geun-hye, while
Alibaba’s growing media empire on the
sparked massive protests and led to the other voices in the industry risk political polarization.
Cambodia and India are learning
in China, the results of the influence of country’s media remains to be seen.
But silver linings for Asia’s media
can be found in Nepal’s citizen-led net-
lessons from U.S. media’s relationship
work of 300 community radio stations
pines continues its long, winded battle
both the government and netizens have
with Donald Trump, while the Philip-
against Rodrigo Duterte. Government pressure on the media continues in
and Vietnam’s social media, where
embraced Facebook to reach its inter-
net-savvy population.
SOUTH KOREA
p33 The proliferation of alternative media may lead to greater political polarization
CHINA
p26 Alibaba’s media investments align with its e-commerce operations p30 Many veteran reporters have deserted, leaving inexperience in their wake
p38 Opposition media fueled protesters, the true authors of Park Geun-hye’s downfall
VIETNAM
p36 Both the government and netizens have embraced Facebook to reach the internet-savvy population
NEPAL
p42 Nepal’s earthquake revealed the importance of the country’s 300 radio stations
INDIA
p32 Journalists are taking a lesson from U.S. media’s ‘Trump problem’
JAPAN
p34 The Asahi’s retreat from investigative journalism may mean Japanese media’s days are numbered
HONG KONG
p41 Hong Kong’s media environment will be more like the mainland, with censorship and selfcensorship to follow
CAMBODIA
p40 Both the government and Government looks to Trump as a model against press freedom
PHILIPPINES
p28 Fact-checkers cannot keep pace with Duterte’s unsubstantiated information and falsehoods
THAILAND
p37 Both the government and The death of Thailand’s longest-serving government reporter is a reminder of challenges ahead
MALAYSIA p29 Media struggle against digital changes, censorship and attacks on press freedom
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focus
CHINA
The rise of Alibaba’s media empire
Jack Ma’s money is transforming Chinese journalism — for better and for worse. Story by Yizhen Jia | Illustration by Freepik | Edited by Elaine Ramirez and Jay Hartwell
When Jack Ma bought the South China Morning Post Group and
while users could click the advertisements into Taobao’s system,
e-commerce giant Alibaba was expanding a media investment
companies also announced that their cooperation would bring
which made shopping and payments more convenient. The two
all its assets two years ago, the founder and chair of Chinese
$380 million in marketing and e-commerce revenue for Weibo in
strategy that had begun earlier in Mainland China.
next three years.
Alibaba already had invested heavily in Chinese media, from
printed press to financial media, social media and online video.
In 2015, Alibaba invested in China Business Network (CBN),
Ma told Bloomberg that Alibaba needed media to help promote his
one of the country’s most influential financial media. Alibaba
from the money for operations and data to forecast the economy.
produces professional data reports. It also launched data news
small and medium-size companies, while the media would benefit Ma’s purchase reminded observers that money is a double-
edged sword: an operational necessity but a threat to journalism’s independence. “Still, the journalist is on the weak side in this
balance of power with the capital,” Shirley Yam, vice chairperson
combined its big data and media by establishing CBNData, which projects, such as DTcaijing digging data news of business trends, consumption and technology, and TheRisingLab focusing on city and business data.
Yimei Mao, a data journalist at TheRisingLab, said she used data
of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told N3 Magazine.
derived from public information, government statistics and Taobao
Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, for $586 million. Claiming over
big cities, comparing costs of brands of baby products in different
In April 2013, Alibaba purchased an 18 percent stake in
300 million monthly active users, Sina Weibo is an important
platform for Alibaba to promote e-commerce on social media.
After the investment, people could log in to Weibo directly with
their accounts on Taobao, one of China’s biggest online shopping platforms owned by Alibaba. Sellers could advertise products
data. Mao covered news about the cost of raising a child in China’s
cities, using charts and graphics based on Taobao consumption data. Providing the sources for the data was not meant to be an Alibaba
promotion, Mao said, but a necessity so that readers would know the source of the data to judge its credibility.
Alibaba investments in media-content and distribution businesses
Beijing South China Youth Daily Morning Post Business Review
i.wshang.com
thecover.cn
●
2010
2011
2012
2013 Sina Weibo 590M
Deals with unknown details Deals with known details * Including Economic Weekly, Blogweekly, and Portrait
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2014
2015
Wasu Huayi Media Brothers 1,100M 240M
BOYA Books*
● ●
2016
Youku China Business Tudou 4,500M News 190M Tango Huxiu.com Snapchat 36Kr.com 200M 20M 150M 220M China Enlight Media Vision Media 380M 800M
“Media’s pressure to survive is enormous, and I think Alibaba’s acquisition just conforms to the trend.” Anonymous journalist, South China Morning Post Alibaba’s big data platform made it easier for her team to mine
data, she said. “Nowadays, one big barrier to reporting data news is it’s hard to get original data,” she said. “If internet companies
open more data to media, it will be beneficial for media to analyze
SCMP under Alibaba dropped its paywall to allow free
access to all articles, a benefit for growing its global readership, according to Alibaba and SCMP’s announcement.
The journalist also said Ma was a very friendly businessman
business phenomena.”
to Beijing, and buying SCMP was obviously not for profit, while
business data reports, ranging from analysis of internet insurance
operations. “Media’s pressure to survive is enormous, and I think
Since December 2015, CBNData has released more than 100
to Chinese consumption of imported goods. On its home page, two full screen images slide back and forth with data report headlines. Both screens include the logo of Tmall, another e-commerce platform operated by Alibaba.
Yu Dai, chief data news editor of the Shanghai Observer, said
that opening the big data platform also was good public relations for enterprises. “If there are free platforms open to the media,
then the media’s direct reports can be corporate promotion, and it also reflects the data quality of the companies,” said Dai.
Alibaba’s media sprawl extends past the domestic market. Its
purchase of the SCMP in December 2015 may have been a first step to promote its corporate image overseas.
Joseph Tsai, executive vice chairman of Alibaba Group, said
the media outlet got its much-needed investment to maintain Alibaba’s acquisition just conforms to the trend,” he said
Alibaba is one of several examples of capital “marrying”
media. In 2013, Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Earlier, Warren Buffett spent $344 million on 28 daily newspapers.
“Capital’s influence on media is huge,” said Yam of the Hong
Kong Journalists Association. “Traditional media need capital more than online media need capital.”
Yam also said self-censorship was the key issue for Hong
Kong’s media industry nowadays, as journalists guess what the boss or editor does or does not want, and self-censor before submitting articles.
The market is so small in Hong Kong that media outlets cannot
in an interview with SCMP that this acquisition would combine
survive on their own or have a long-term business model, Yam
excellence, to help the world better understand China as well as
you look at the media in U.S., the market itself will be able to
Alibaba’s digital and technological strength with SCMP’s editorial Alibaba’s business.
The biggest effect of the sale to Alibaba was that SCMP’s
said. “That’s different from the media in bigger markets. When justify the survival of the media.”
“There is no way you can avoid the way capital influences
strategy became “Go Global,” said a SCMP journalist who
media’s independence, because the capital is the dominating voice
SCMP requires us to report with more ‘Internet thinking,’ which
report the facts and try to do so as much as possible.”
requested anonymity. “Our paywall has been removed, and
means pleasing Internet audiences so that they are more willing to share.”
nowadays,” Yam said. “The only thing journalists can do is to
Yizhen Jia is a journalist in Hong Kong. She can be reached at jyzjane@126.com.
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PHILIPPINES
Fact-checkers can’t keep up with Philippines’ Duterte
The most difficult challenge for journalists covering Rodrigo Duterte is making sure they do not let themselves be used to peddle fake information. Story by Ellen T. Tordesillas | Illustration by Shutterstock.com | Edited by Jay Hartwell President Duterte is often loose with facts.
Daily Inquirer, the country’s top two media outfits, for continuing
barangay (village) elections and instead personally appoint village
which he never explained and for “slanting” stories on drug-related,
A month ago, for example, he justified his plan to cancel
leaders by saying 40 percent of the more than 42,000 barangay captains are involved in the drug trade — as either addicts,
to report about his bank accounts containing billions of pesos extra-judicial killing.
His Communications Secretary, Martin Andanar, also
producers or both.
accused Senate beat reporters of taking bribes to cover the press
His spokesperson was no help, and said the president is privy to
Duterte of being behind the Davao Death Squad.
He did not cite any study to back up the alarming number.
confidential information.
A barangay is the smallest unit of government in the
Philippines, ranging in size from 2,000 people in the provinces
to 247,000 in Caloocan City in metropolitan Manila. It’s a crucial
conference of former policeman Arturo Lascañas, who accused
To be sure, Duterte is not the only Philippine leader who has
complained about local media, which are considered among the freest in Asia.
Former President Benigno Aquino III often complained of
component of Philippine society because barangay captains,
reporters not writing about his government’s accomplishments.
the masses.
Arroyo, filed libel suits against more than 40 journalists who wrote
elected by the people every three years, are the ones in touch with Duterte’s plan to appoint them, doing away with elections,
would be a violation of the Constitution and would undermine democracy. It is seen as another step toward authoritarianism. Fact-checkers cannot keep pace, given the frequency with
which Duterte spews unsubstantiated information and oftentimes outright falsehoods.
Given that propagandists believe that a lie becomes truth
if repeated enough, a journalist, by repeatedly reporting and
quoting Duterte’s false claims, inadvertently becomes a peddler of fake information.
Duterte is not an easy public figure to cover. We are not
talking about his cursing or his penchant for talking for hours or
holding midnight press conferences that last until the wee hours
of the morning. What is troubling is the culture of impunity he is perpetuating by his words and actions.
His war on drugs is premised on dubious, unsubstantiated
Former President Gloria Arroyo, through her husband Mike
stories critical of them. Former President Joseph Estrada sued The Manila Times for libel and initiated an advertising boycott against the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
But Duterte is the only president to have been accused of
directly ordering the killing of a journalist — Jun Pala, a vocal critic when Duterte was Davao City mayor.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and other
media organizations slammed Duterte for justifying the killing of
journalists who, he said, are “sons-of-bitches” as he had called Pala.
He once dared journalists: “Kill journalism. Stop journalism
in this country, if you’re worth your salt. If not, you look pathetic and scared.”
A journalist’s job is to hold accountable those who are in
power through truthful, responsible reporting. That becomes more urgent, but more difficult, with President Duterte.
data. His “Kill, Kill” solution to the drug problem shows disdain for due process. His public support for police who have killed without
due process creates an attitude in which they flout the law and get away with it.
Last month, Duterte lambasted ABS-CBN and the Philippine
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Ellen T. Tordesillas is a writer and trustee of VERA Files, a group that produces in-depth reports on current affairs in the Philippines and currently implements the country’s only sustained fact-checking project. She also writes a column for the broadsheet Malaya Malaya Business Insight, the tabloid Abante and ABS-CBN online. She can be reached at ellentordesillas@gmail.com.
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MALAYSIA
Fighting the next battle
Malaysian journalists battle to stay relevant in a digital world while contending with censorship and rising attacks on press freedom. Story by Boo Su-lyn | Illustration by Shutterstock.com | Edited by Jay Hartwell Journalism in Malaysia is in disarray. At a time when we should
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also secretary-
be figuring out how to prevent our profession from becoming
general for the federal opposition party the Democratic Action
here and around the world are competing with non-journalists
Sin Chew Daily over a report on Lim’s political rival, Malaysian
obsolete, some of us seem content to be stenographers. Journalists who have the power to “publish” news themselves on social media that can reach massive audiences.
So, why do we still need journalists when people can get
Party (DAP), issued a legal notice to the Chinese-language paper People’s Movement Party (Gerakan) Penang Chairman Teng Chang Yeow.
The Malaysian Home Ministry recently issued a show-cause
information directly from newsmakers’ Facebook pages? Of course,
letter to Nanyang Siang Pau over the Chinese-language daily’s
rarely go beyond the headline and the first paragraph.
Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) president to enhance Shariah courts’
journalists put things in perspective and context, but readers
And since we have to take time to verify facts, non-journalists
can get news out much faster than journalists. “Fake news” is
frequently shared on Facebook and WhatsApp, popular social
caricature of the RUU355 debacle — a bill moved by the Pan-
punitive powers — that depicted the PAS president, the House of Representatives speaker and other lawmakers as monkeys.
The government decided not to take any action against
media platforms that are more “go-to” news sources in Malaysia
Nanyang since the paper apologized, but the show-cause letter
are on Facebook, and in Southeast Asia they spend the most time
freedom of expression.
than traditional media outlets. More than 18 million Malaysians watching videos on their smartphones.
While we battle to keep ourselves relevant in this ever-
changing age of information and “content,” Malaysian journalists also must contend with censorship and rising attacks on press
freedom. Malaysia ranked 146th out of 180 countries on the 2016
should not have been issued in the interest of press freedom and It’s difficult for the press to be independent in a country where
the government wields control over mainstream media and
where readers refuse to pay for journalism, satisfied instead with free “content.”
Meanwhile, as advertisers shift from newspapers to Facebook
World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without
where they enjoy access to target consumer groups, online
newsrooms, the blocking of news websites, and government
media to be sustainable and independent without the largesse of
Borders, which highlighted police raids against Malaysian lawsuits against media outlets.
The Home Ministry issued a three-month suspension order
advertisements yield paltry revenue. It is hard for Malaysian politically connected investors or owners.
It is also disheartening to see the lack of media solidarity in
against The Edge Financial Daily and The Edge Weekly in 2015
Malaysia on issues like censorship when all journalists, regardless
Development Berhad.
to their work. This is especially pertinent as politicians from both
over their reports of a Malaysian state investment firm, 1Malaysia
of political inclination, should join hands to speak up on dangers sides attack the media.
Yet some of us keep silent when fellow journalists are berated
by opposition politicians at press conferences or lose their jobs
when their company is shut down following state action. There
appears to be a lack of willpower to stand together as the Fourth Estate and to hold people in power accountable.
If the Malaysian media is to progress as a dynamic institution,
we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves, decide if we really want to be journalists, and figure out how to overcome the issues plaguing the industry.
Bu Soo-lyn is an assistant news editor at Malay Mail Online. She can be reached at sulyn@themalaymailonline.com.
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CHINA
For journalism in China, a millennial shift Many of the old reporters have deserted, leaving inexperience in their wake. Story by David Bandurski | Edited by Jay Hartwell Two years ago in Hong Kong, I sat around a conference
table with some of the finest journalists to have worked in
the Chinese media in the past two decades. They had broken
major stories of corruption, malfeasance and cruelty, and who
had, in the process, shaped the contemporary history of Chinese journalism — a history in which, from time to time, a broader
notion of the public interest won out against the narrow interests of the Party-state.
Now, however, all of them were busy with start-ups having
little or nothing to do with journalism. The low point for me came when one seasoned former reporter said with some bitterness: “I no longer think of myself as a journalist at all.”
Over the past few years, much of the experience the
journalism profession in China has gained since the 1990s has
been hollowed out by deeper economic, political and technological shifts in the media industry.
Many factors have driven an exodus of older talent from
China’s media, from poor pay and the digital transformation of the industry — now hitting traditional Chinese media that for many years had seemed protected from the storms buffeting media
elsewhere in the world — to the vagaries of censorship, which can sap the professional spirit. But the net effect of this shift is the progressive loss of professional journalism capacity in China’s media.
That capacity could take many long years to rebuild,
particularly if the stringent controls we’ve seen under President Xi Jinping continue into the next decade.
Falling pay (relative to cost of living) and rising pressure mean
the entire journalism profession is skewing younger in China. A
2016 survey by PR Newswire showed that more than 80 percent of the “front-line journalists” reporting the news in China were
born after 1985, meaning they were 30 years old or younger. By
contrast, a survey of journalists in the U.S., conducted in 2013 by
the School of Journalism at Indiana University, showed the median age had risen from 41 to 47 since 2002.
Just over 80 percent of the Chinese journalists surveyed for the
PR Newswire study — 1,477 in all — reported monthly income
below 10,000 yuan ($1,450). To put these numbers in perspective, this means incomes for Chinese journalists haven’t budged
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from a decade ago, when Chinese media were heading toward the tail end of what had been a “golden decade” of journalism
development, and when housing prices and other costs in major cities were a fraction of what they are today.
Last month, the youthfulness of China’s journalists became a
topic of renewed debate on social media in China after former FT
China editor-in-chief Zhang Lifen said at the Bo’ao Forum for Asia
Annual Conference that while the journalism profession anywhere in the world must rely on cumulative experience, journalists
in China treat the job as a “young rice bowl” profession — in
other words, as something to be endured only for a few years
early in a career before one moves on to a job with real pay and a real future.
Zhang noted how, during coverage of the annual National
People’s Congress that same month, many young Chinese
journalists had become distracted from the story at hand, pulling
delegates (some of whom are celebrities) aside to pose for selfies. “Watching them, old journalists like us thought on the one hand that they were just having fun,” said Zhang, “but on the other hand that this was really not how journalists should behave.” Is Chinese journalism, on top of all of its other problems,
plagued with youth and inexperience?
These questions about journalism in China as a “young rice
bowl” profession have been kicked around for a number of years now. Following the disappearance in March 2014 of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370, a story that drew intense interest in China, many internet users were appalled by the inability of Chinese
journalists to get valuable scoops like those reported by the likes of CNN, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
For many, the failure of Chinese media to compete in reporting
the MH370 incident, a story of core interest to the domestic audience, exposed the callowness and incompetence of the country’s journalists. These were not just days of disaster for the aviation world — they were “days of disaster for Chinese media.”
These “days of disaster” have persisted since 2014, as Chinese
media have remained virtually silent on major breaking stories
of the kind that in years past might have drawn more aggressive coverage. During this period, only the Tianjin explosions in
August 2015 have offered a notable exception to the lull in quality
reporting by China’s domestic media. The explosions were a story
controls, now more stringent and more effective than at any time
area, that coverage was impossible to quell entirely.
of the profession.
of such immense scale, unfolding in a highly populated urban
Some point out that there is also a pre-existing bias toward
in the past two decades, have a constraining effect on all aspects The Chinese Communist Party has no interest, ultimately, in
younger professionals in hiring for media jobs. Many media
more professional reporting. As President Xi Jinping emphasized
prioritizing applicants “under the age of 35.”
“sing the main theme and transmit positive energy.” They must, in
in China, old and new, routinely advertise journalism jobs by Using age as a hiring standard, according to an article on
a WeChat public account, might seem understandable given
in his speech on media policy in February 2016, the media must
other words, be obedient servants of the Party and its objectives. All three of the reasons cited in the recent WeChat article
the fiercely competitive nature of the news profession, which
for journalism becoming a “young rice bowl” profession in
stories, or to get print editions out the door. The pressures of the
prospects — might be resolved if the industry was permitted to
sometimes requires late or unpredictable shifts to cover breaking media workplace can demand a great deal of journalists, and
younger staff are better equipped — or so the argument goes — to handle that pressure.
Even if all of the above were true, energy is no substitute for
experience. If better, more professional reporting is the desired
outcome, young journalists need the benefit of working with older and more seasoned colleagues.
The discussion inside China of the reasons for journalism’s
flagging appeal among older professionals tends not to dwell on censorship, the elephant in the room. But the fact is that media
Taste nature in 40 delicious organic teas
China — poor pay, health and well-being, and murky future
develop with a sense of professional purpose. The article, however, could only hint at this underlying malaise. “Before, we called
journalists the ‘uncrowned kings,’” it said. “Now, they are just the temp workers of journalism.”
David Bandurski is editor of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre, and author of “Dragons in Diamond Village” (Penguin, 2015). This is a revision of an article originally published on Medium on April 25, 2017. Reprinted with permission. Bandurski can be reached at dbandurs@hku.hk.
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INDIA
U.S. media’s Trump challenge delivers a lesson for India
No other democratic society rivals India for neglecting evershrinking press freedoms.
Story by Urmilesh Illustration by Shutterstock.com Edited by Frances Fernandes
U.S. President Donald Trump’s combative attitude toward the
in India. Many private TV
employ the same tactics on Trump that they use when reporting
estate traders, havala (currency)
media prompted the editor of Reuters to urge journalists to on authoritarian regimes and areas of conflict.
In his guidance to reporters, Reuters’ editor-in-chief Steve
Adler said journalists should never be intimidated or pick
channels are funded by real
traders, industrialists, babas (so-called holy men, usually rich and politically ambitious) and politicians with undisclosed assets.
Such investments are stifling the press. Many private news
unnecessary fights, cover what matters in people’s lives and
channels sell tasteless entertainment and packages in the name of
preserve integrity, independence and freedom from bias.
has crept into print media.
provide them with facts to make better decisions, and always Adler was responding to tirades by Trump and his advisers calling
news rather than factual and useful information. This trend also Whereas the U.S. Constitution shields journalists and the
journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth,” “the
press, India provides no such constitutional protection. Only
thrown out of Trump campaign press conferences.
including the press.
opposition party” or “a terrible group of people.” Journalists were
In authoritarian regimes and developing democracies where
journalists lose their jobs and even their lives, Trump’s attitude would be the first step before putting reporters behind bars.
The tussle between the media and this U.S. administration
should concern democracies worldwide. This is happening in a country that — despite intrigue, attacks and plots to overturn
power in developing and underdeveloped nations — claims to be
article 19-1A guarantees freedom of expression for individuals, However, some dedicated journalists still work objectively
and earn public attention, even as others are busy sticking with the system.
The 21-month period (1975-77), when Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi unilaterally declared a state of emergency, was a shameful chapter in India’s history of individual and press freedom.
“When asked to bend, the media crawled during [Gandhi’s]
the world’s most vocal supporter of democracy and human rights.
Emergency,” remarked L.K. Advani, a senior leader of the ruling
whistleblowers, it ranks 41st among 180 countries in the World
the media bows before the administrative and political bosses
Despite the U.S.’s controversial record of punishing
Press Freedom Index. India stands at 133. Indeed, these spats
between Trump and the media are relevant to the Indian press.
India’s mainstream media rarely takes up its pens to protect
freedom of the press. No other democratic society rivals India for neglecting ever-shrinking press freedoms.
Indian media, like those in the U.S., have been corporatized.
Although journalists in the two countries interpret freedom of press differently.
A group of White House journalists cautioned Trump in an
open letter: “You may decide that giving reporters access to your
administration has no upside. We think that would be a mistake on your part. ... We are very good at finding alternative ways to get
information; indeed, some of the best reporting during the campaign came from news organizations that were banned from your rallies.”
Bharatiya Janata Party. Today, even without being asked to bend, rather than serving the people.
In recent years, the government has indicated some support
for press freedom. In May 2013, the information technology
department’s parliamentary standing committee issued a detailed
study on the internal structure of paid news and the media. Since then media outlets in several states have been severely criticized for publishing “paid news.”
Although the parliamentary committee report proposed
several important suggestions about investment in the Indian
media and cross-media ownership, neither the government nor
the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have acted. As
a result, media owners and the government have rendered Indian media powerless.
In India, where media companies, outlets and journalists consider
access to high-level officials necessary for good journalism, media owners tend to use editors and journalists for their commercial advantage. Any editor who balks is shown the door.
Crony capitalism poses a major threat to media and democracy
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Urmilesh is a senior Hindi journalist and presenter of Rajya Sabha TV’s weekly Hindi program “Media Manthan.” This is a revision of an article originally published by The Wire on Feb. 9, 2017. Reprinted with permission. The original article was translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman. Urmilesh can be reached at urmilesh218@gmail.com.
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SOUTH KOREA
Korean press still struggles against deep roots of corruption New media selling points are emotion and opinions rather than facts and analyses. Story by Jane Kim Photo courtesy of Yonhap News via Bloomberg Edited by Frances Fernandes and Elaine Ramirez
Choi Soon-sil, accused of masterminding government decisions during the Park Geun-hye administration, is said to have ordered a defamation indictment against a Japanese journalist for reporting on Park’s clandestine meeting during the Sewol ferry disaster.
Ever since the Park Chung-hee administration of the 1960s and
‘70s, South Korea’s mainstream media has exhibited propagandistic manipulation, ranging from corrupt ties with businesses and politicians to deliberately falsified reporting.
Park funded the newspaper Chosun Ilbo, now the top con-
servative daily, and also instituted laws that enabled government
officials to appoint executives of nationally owned broadcast out-
lets. Today, most mainstream broadcasters and newspapers remain under the conservative political party’s grips.
Decades after the authoritarian regime instilled favoritism and
media control, media-politicking retains a grip on most Korean
media to this day, said Ahn Soo-chan, chief editor of the progressive, opposition weekly newsmagazine Hankyoreh21.
Longstanding media censorship
The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2016 found that 54
percent of Koreans do not think that “the news media of their country is independent from undue political or government influence most of the time.” Korea, the U.S. and Malaysia emerge as the only countries with half or more of the nation distrustful of their media.
The Park Geun-hye scandal exemplified corruption in Korean
mainstream news providers. Choi Soon-sil, accused of master-
minding governmental policy and decision making during Park’s administration, ordered a defamation indictment of Japanese
journalist Tatsuya Kato, Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, for reporting an alleged, secret, seven-hour meeting between
President Park, Chung Yoon-hoi and Choi after the sinking of the
Sewol ferry. Chung, Choi’s ex-husband, is accused of blackmailing a private media outlet to suppress documentation of the apparent intervention in governmental affairs.
In 2012, a group of veteran journalists launched The Korea
Center for Investigative Journalism, the first, online, nonprofit,
investigative reporting organization in South Korea. The center,
which runs the website Newstapa, delved into illicit activity in the Park campaign and Twitter abuse of campaign workers for today’s
presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in. Park affiliates were convicted of spreading libelous Twitter claims and rumors. More recently, Newstapa revealed that Moon’s camp rehired the same people convicted for the Twitter incident four years ago.
Social media for bypassing suppression
The internet is allowing a diversity of independent voices to
thrive. Guk Beom-geun, a student at the progressive SungKongHoe University, started G-Pictures when he was in high school. He is featured on his media channel as a candid political commenta-
tor, garnering 45,000 YouTube followers and more than 73,000 Facebook fans.
Some see a positive in this development. The recent boost in
citizens’ awareness level presents a brighter outlook for the nation, said journalist and author Daniel Tudor: “A positive outcome of the Park scandal is it is creating an opportunity to move on from Park Chung-hee.”
The massive citizen demonstrations over the Park scandal have
caught the attention of politicians, wrote SungKongHoe University political science professor and columnist Kim Dong-choon. He saw the public outcry as a sign that Korea is undergoing an unprecedented, highly critical time in history.
Although Guk admitted to having political biases, he said he
is concerned that the proliferation of alternative media may lead
to greater political polarization. “(It’s) seeing what you want and believing what you want,” he said.
These are inherent problems with the new media, said Ahn of
Hankyoreh21. “Their selling points are emotion and opinionated argument rather than facts and analyses.”
Because of its very accessibility, he said, “there is no filtration
to ensure the reliance of these sources … unlike the research and fact-checking that certified corporations can afford to filter their materials through.”
Chungnam University professor Kim Jae-young, who was
jailed as a student activist during Chun Doo-hwan’s authoritarian regime, doesn’t see much difference between “the repetitive projections for elections” in 2012 and today.
The internet’s impact on politics is a “double-edged sword,
indeed,” said Kim.
Jane Kim can be reached at janekimjiyeon@gmail.com.
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JAPAN
Sinking Japan’s bold foray into watchdog journalism
The Asahi’s decision to punish its own journalists will discourage others from taking the same risks inherent in investigative reporting. Story by Martin Fackler | Photo courtesy of Bloomberg | Edited by Jay Hartwell
It seemed like compelling journalism: a major investigative story
newspaper for his investigative prowess. Yorimitsu taped a sign to
newspaper, about workers fleeing the Fukushima nuclear plant
Pooches Proclamation” — a vow that his reporters would not be
published by The Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s second-largest daily against orders.
It was the work of a newly expanded, special investigative
pets of the press clubs, but journalistic watchdogs.
The Investigative Reporting Section won Japan’s top journalism
section that the newspaper had promoted with fanfare to regain
award two years in a row for its exposure of official coverups and
nuclear power plant in March 2011, when the Asahi and other
crippled when a huge earthquake and tsunami knocked out vital
readers’ trust after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi media were criticized for repeating the official line that the government had everything under control.
The team had been producing award-winning journalism for
three years, but the story on the workers would be the last for
some of its reporters. And its publication in May 2014 would mark the demise of an effort by a major Japanese news organization to embrace more independent journalism.
Asahi’s retreat raised doubts about whether watchdog
journalism — an enterprise that seeks to expose and challenge the powerful — is possible in Japan’s national media, which are tied to the country’s political establishment.
The editors at the Asahi, considered the “quality paper”
shoddy decontamination work around the nuclear plant, which was cooling systems. The section’s journalism hoped to attract younger readers for the 7 million-reader Asahi and Japan’s other national
dailies. These publications, the largest circulation newspapers in the world, face declining sales.
However, two years later, the Asahi retreated from this foray.
In September 2014, the newspaper retracted the story it had
published in May about workers fleeing the Fukushima plant
against orders, punishing reporters and editors responsible for the story, slashing the size of the new section’s staff and forcing the
resignation of the newspaper’s president, an ex-reporter who had supported the investigative push.
A newspaper-appointed committee of outside experts later
favored by intellectuals, knew the culture they were facing, but
declared that the article, which the Asahi had trumpeted as a
nuclear plant disaster as the opportunity to launch an experiment
“an excessive sense of mission that they ‘must monitor authority.’”
they saw the public disillusionment in Japan that followed the to reframe journalism.
No more pooches
In October 2011 the newspaper gathered 30 hand-picked
historic scoop, was flawed because journalists had demonstrated While the section was not closed, its output of investigative
articles dropped as the remaining journalists were barred from writing about Fukushima.
journalists into its still experimental section dedicated to
Emasculating the Asahi
favor ties with officials via press clubs. The clubs are usually
with 2,400 journalists that has been postwar Japan’s liberal media
investigative reporting, rare in a country whose national media restricted to those from major newspapers and broadcasters, who are stationed within government ministries and agencies to keep an eye on authority. In reality, the clubs do the opposite; turning
journalists into uncritical conduits for information and narratives
The abrupt about-face by the Asahi, a 138-year-old newspaper
flagship, was a victory for the administration of Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, which had sought to silence criticism as it moved to
roll back Japan’s postwar pacifism and restart its nuclear industry. “In Japanese journalism, scoops usually just mean learning
from government officials.
from the ministry officials today what they intend to do
Takaaki Yorimitsu, who had been recruited from a smaller regional
section who quit the Asahi a year ago because he felt blocked from
The choice to head the newly augmented section was unusual:
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the newsroom door declaring “Datsu Pochi Sengen,” or “No More
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tomorrow,” said Makoto Watanabe, a former reporter in the
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A major investigative story in The Asahi Shimbun, which revealed workers fleeing the Fukushima nuclear plant against orders, created problems for the paper’s investigative team.
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Media scholars say most reporters in elite national newspapers
did not attend journalism school and spend their entire careers
within the same company. Until recently, a job at a national daily was seen as a safe career bet rather than a calling, as the Asahi and its competitors offered salaries and lifetime jobs similar to banks and automakers.
This result is that many Japanese journalists are unable to
resist pressures that officials put on them via the press clubs. doing investigative reporting. “We came up with different scoops that were unwelcome in the Prime Minister’s Office.”
Abe and his supporters on the nationalistic right seized on the
Asahi’s missteps in its Fukushima coverage to launch a barrage
Journalists who are deemed overly critical can find themselves barred from briefings given to other club members. This
sanction can break a career for missing a scoop that appeared in rival newspapers.
“When the chips were down, they saw themselves as elite
of criticism. The taming of the Asahi set off a series of moves by
company employees, not journalists,” said Yorimitsu, who after
commentators and newscasters.
supplement where he writes entertainment features.
major newspapers and television networks to remove outspoken Political interference in the media was one reason Reporters
the Fukushima article’s retraction was reassigned to a Saturday Media scholars and former section reporters believe the Asahi’s
Without Borders cited in lowering Japan from 11th out of
decision to punish its own journalists will discourage others from
press freedoms.
say the Asahi has lapsed into the access-driven ways of Japan’s
180 nations in 2010 to 72nd in the 2016 ranking of global “Emasculating the Asahi allowed Abe to impose a grim new
conformity on the media world,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor
taking the risks inherent in investigative reporting. Worse, they mainstream journalism.
“The Asahi retreated from its experiment in risky, high-quality
of politics at Sophia University in Tokyo and a critic of the
journalism, back into the safety of the press clubs,” said Tatsuro
once Asahi gave in, they were exposed and could be next. So they
Hanada was so dismayed by the Asahi’s retreat that he led the
administration on press freedom issues. “Other media know that gagged themselves.”
Some Asahi reporters and media scholars say the government
also was able to exploit weaknesses within Japanese journalism,
particularly its lack of professional solidarity and its emphasis on access-driven reporting. At the Asahi’s weakest moment, other
Hanada, a journalism professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.
establishment in 2016 of Japan’s first university-based center
for investigative journalism, The Waseda Chronicle. “It makes me think that the days of Japan’s huge national newspapers may be numbered.”
national newspapers bashed it, while also trying to poach readers to shore up declining circulations.
The knockout blow came from within the Asahi, as reporters in
other sections turned against the investigative journalists. The new
section’s adversarial approach was resented for threatening the access — enjoyed by the Asahi as part of the mainstream media — to the administration and the central ministries that govern Japan.
Martin Fackler is a research fellow at the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, a Tokyo-based think tank, and former Tokyo bureau chief for The New York Times. This is a revision of an article originally published by the Columbia Journalism Review on Oct. 25, 2016. Reprinted with permission. Fackler can be reached at martfack@gmail.com.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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focus
VIETNAM
Young Vietnamese see an ally in Facebook
Both the government and netizens have embraced Facebook to reach the internet-savvy population. Story by Dien Luong | Illustration by Edmund Ip | Edited by Jay Hartwell
In Vietnam, the opposition to dizzying development
boasts around 35 million local users, as a no-
heritages has found an ally: Facebook.
and open discussion has created catharsis online.
at the expense of natural attractions or colonial
In 2014, a Facebook petition garnered almost
“The internet infrastructure developed far
3,500 signatures to save the historical elements of
faster than the [Vietnamese] government’s ability
opened in 1924, before the developer demolished it
a Washington-based analyst who authored a
the Saigon Tax Trade Center, a colonial structure
to make way for a 40-story skyscraper. A year later,
Vietnamese netizens formed a mob on Facebook and thwarted a plan to chop down 6,700 trees in Hanoi. The backlash forced the government to cancel the plan and punish officials.
“Facebook has been nothing short of a revolution
in Vietnam,” said Tim Doling, a British historian
whose Facebook pages show thousands of historical and
current photos of heritage sites in Ho Chi Minh City. “There’s been a complete sea change in how people communicate online.”
Nearly 49 million people in Vietnam use the internet and 60
percent of the total population of nearly 92 million is under 35.
The Vietnamese government has embraced Facebook to reach the internet-savvy population.
“You’ve all got Facebook up on your phones to read
to regulate and control it,” said Zachary Abuza, 2015 paper about the media and civil society
in Vietnam. “There is nothing the government
can do to shut it down. And there are plenty of technical workarounds.”
Unlike China, which has blocked access
to the social network since 2009, “Vietnam is surprisingly different,” Abuza said.
In January, the Vietnamese Ministry of
Information and Communications issued a circular asking
Facebook and similar sites with a Vietnamese user base of over 1 million to “collaborate” with the authorities to block “toxic information.” Under Vietnamese laws, such information
ranges from ads for banned products to anti-state content and state secrets.
Under its new directive, the Vietnamese government gives
information,” then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Dung told his
Facebook up to 48 hours to block information falling under its
accurate information online immediately.”
when information poses a threat, authorities have the right to
cabinet at a 2015 meeting. “We cannot ban it. ... We must publish Since then, top officials from the ruling Communist Party
have warned the press against trailing behind technology,
urging them to capitalize on the internet and social media to spread the party’s messages.
The government has set up its own Facebook page to update
the public on its policies or to livestream cabinet meetings
where decisions on hot-button issues are made. The authorities have also deployed a group known as the “public opinion
shapers” to gauge public sentiment on Facebook and to deal with “online hostile forces.”
Even the police, the target of widespread flak after their staff’s
misconduct was exposed online, utilize the platform. In Danang
and Ho Chi Minh City, the police use Facebook as a venue for the public to report traffic-related information or crimes.
Analysts see Vietnam’s move to embrace Facebook, which
36
nonsense move in a country where space for free
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purview. Failure to do so allows local authorities to act. But block it immediately.
Despite these issues, many Vietnamese have not budged from
using the platform to spread their messages.
Tran Huu Khoa, who initiated the online petition that called
for the preservation of the now-defunct Saigon Tax Trade Center, said he would continue to make the most of Facebook to rally
support for changing attitudes about urban development. He also has joined groups that raise awareness among students about protecting the environment and heritage.
“I’m optimistic that a strong civil movement is growing in
Vietnam,” Khoa said.
This is a revision of an article originally published by VnExpress International on Feb. 2, 2017. Reprinted with permission. Dien Luong can be reached at dnl2117@columbia.edu.
focus
THAILAND
The death of Big Sister Yu and rise of singalong journalism
Yuwadee Tunyasiri’s death gives reason for mourning as well as concern for journalism’s future. Story by Pravit Rojanaphruk | Photo courtesy of Bloomberg | Edited by Jay Hartwell The death of Thailand’s longest-serving government reporter was
a loss to Thai journalism and a reminder of the challenges ahead.
Yuwadee Tunyasiri, Jae Yu or Big Sister Yu, had covered 20 prime
ministers spanning 49 years for the Bangkok Post and the now-
defunct Bangkok World since 1969. She saw prime ministers and
dictators come and go. Her career began covering one dictator, Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn, and ended with another, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha.
In my eyes, Yuwadee, who died March 10 at 71, was a
capable but unexceptional reporter. Yet what made her stand out was that most Government House beat reporters were far less critical of sitting prime ministers, dictators or not.
In Thailand, many Government House beat reporters are
young, inexperienced and chummy with the sitting prime minister.
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha.
the position. During this military regime, one recalls Government
Correspondents’ Club of Thailand and Indochina bureau chief for the
They find themselves bamboozled by the power and prestige of House beat reporters singing along with Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth last year, or dressing up as school kids to greet and
Straits Times — were relocated last year to cover Trump.
In Thailand, it’s common to become a Government House
“surprise” Prayuth on National Children’s Day.
beat reporter after 12 months of experience. New kids at
She made news last May for murmuring behind Prayuth’s back:
fellow beat reporters who have grown into influential figures with
Yuwadee did not dress like a schoolgirl to sing with Prayuth.
“Press freedom is people’s freedom.” This led Prayuth to warn her to “watch out.”
A few months after that, Yuwadee, who worked on a
Government House must toe the line. The pressure comes from
cozy relationships with government officials at the Office of the Prime Minister.
Ask sharp or hard-hitting questions to Prayuth and you
freelance basis after retirement, was unable to continue reporting.
may get away with it if you were Yuwadee, due to decades of
regulation that any reporter working at the PM’s office must have
by senior peers if they try to ask critical questions to the prime
The military-occupied Government House came up with a new a paper verifying that they’re employed by a bona fide media organization. That was on Oct. 31, 2016, four months before Yuwadee succumbed to internal bleeding.
Yuwadee was a recognizable face on television, asking hard-
hitting questions to prime ministers over the years. One now
worries what will become of the quality of coverage of Prayuth with so many sing-along reporters surrounding him.
The majority of Thai media organizations keep young
reporters there because they are cheap and the editors can instruct them on what to ask the prime minister. In contrast, experienced veteran reporters cover America’s White House. Two longtime
Bangkok-based foreign correspondents — Steven Herman of the
Voice of America and Nirmal Ghosh, former President of the Foreign
experience and old age. Young reporters risk becoming ostracized minister, a reporter from Government House — who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from other news
organizations — lamented to me after hearing about Yuwadee’s fatal illness.
Government House is thus a breeding ground for sing-along
journalism and the passing of Yuwadee is not just a reason to
mourn but to be very concerned about what will become of the quality of journalism on that important beat.
Pravit Rojanaphruk is a senior staff writer at Khaosod English. This is a revision of an article originally published by Khaosod English on March 18, 2017. Reprinted with permission. The writer can be reached at pravit@khaosodenglish.com.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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focus
SOUTH KOREA
How South Korean media stampeded a president Opposition media’s herd mentality fueled protesters, the true authors of Park Geun-hye’s downfall. Story by Andrew Salmon | Illustration by Shutterstock.com Photo courtesy of Bloomberg | Edited by Elaine Ramirez
It was a first in South Korean history when the democratically
scenes role of Park’s shadowy confidante, Choi Soon-sil, came
and cronyism, was booted from presidential office. She now
powerful Joongang Media Group, which has familial connections
elected Park Geun-hye, having allegedly spun a web of corruption languishes in a holding cell, disgraced and despised, awaiting trial on criminal charges. (Contrary to popular belief, she has not been found guilty, thus far.)
The authors of her downfall were less the Constitutional Court
judges, and more the millions of protesters whose candles illuminated
to the mighty Samsung Group). JTBC acquired a tablet PC
allegedly owned by Choi, packed with apparently incriminating
evidence. Rarely is one media outlet so gifted with a source. JTBC published. The bomb detonated.
JTBC led the charge. Outlets from across the political spectrum
central Seoul every Saturday for months. The demonstrations were
leapt aboard the bandwagon as it surged onward. A photographer
for their size. A confederation of NGOs and civic groups formed the
hours to capture a photo of a Park ally enjoying a relaxed chat
as remarkable for their nonviolent, festive ambience as they were organizational skeleton for the protests. Who put the flesh on the bones by drawing such colossal numbers?
Many Koreans are wary of their institutions. The office of the
presidency is notoriously corrupt – every single president since
1948 has suffered scandals in office or immediately after leaving office that have led to exile, suicide or jailing of themselves or
family members. Parliamentarians are detested. The judiciary is distrusted. Then there is media.
One reason why online conspiracy theorizing wins such
traction in Korea may be because mainstream media is so
from Korea’s leading daily perched in a virtual sniper’s nest for
with prosecutors — rather than the stern interrogation the public
demanded. Media competed furiously to scoop anything negative on Park. Did she — shock! — have plastic surgery from non-
presidentially approved surgeons? Did she — horror! — demand a dedicated toilet during overseas trips?
Story followed story; allegation followed allegation. “At least the
media have not failed us!” said one pundit, voiding a widespread fear (subsequently disproven) that Korean institutions were too weak, pusillanimous or compromised to overthrow a president.
But where was the opposing voice? Was there no case to make
distrusted. Seoul maintains executive control over terrestrial
on Park’s behalf? Reading media, one would assume her guilty of
emasculated, as conglomerates leverage ad budgets to quash
certain players — some of whom appear to be prejudiced sources
broadcasters, and it is an open secret that business coverage is negative reportage.
Demonstrations were ignited when the allegedly, behind-the-
38
to light. That fuse was lit by cable TV station JTBC (part of the
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all charges. The veracity of some evidence and the motivations of — went unquestioned.
Absent vernacular coverage, it fell largely to foreign writers, in
such outlets as Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic and CNN, to question the virulence of public sentiment, the lack of an opposing voice and the equanimity of the justices. (To be fair: Some of these reports were translated and ran in Korean media.)
Now, the dust is settling. Soon, the judiciary will judge Park.
Later, posterity will judge the judiciary. Meanwhile, in covering the scandal, South Korea’s media have asserted their independence from political control, and some of their investigative reporting practices should be lauded.
However, questions hang over partisanship — even of a herd
mentality — in Korean media. Moreover, the role of the media
in responding to, or perhaps formulating, the all-powerful force of public sentiment needs to be explored as we gain a more
distant vantage point from which to dispassionately assess this extraordinary drama.
Demonstrations for and against then-President Park Geun-hye were ignited by media coverage.
Andrew Salmon, MBE, is the Seoul correspondent for France24’s English service, a columnist and an author. He can be reached at imjin.river@gmail.com.
AAJA-Asia thanks our venue partner
Journalism and Media Studies Centre The University of Hong Kong for hosting the 7th Annual New.Now.Next Media Conference
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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CAMBODIA
Cambodian government looks to Trump in threatening foreign news outlets The White House’s faceoff with U.S. media gives Phnom Penh backing for its attack on ‘anarchy.’ Story by Mike Ives | Illustration by Shutterstock.com | Edited by Jay Hartwell In a sign that President Donald Trump’s criticism of the news media may be having a ripple effect overseas, a government
spokesman in Cambodia has cited the U.S. leader in threatening
to shutter foreign news outlets, including some that receive money from Washington.
The spokesman, Phay Siphan, said that foreign news groups,
including the U.S.-financed Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, should “reconsider” how they broadcast — or risk a government response if their reports spread disinformation or threatened
journalists already face official intimidation, such as Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Rohit Mahajan, the director of public affairs for Radio Free
Asia, said the organization planned to “continue bringing the
people of Cambodia independent, credible and honest journalism.” “The government’s efforts to deter and discourage RFA and our
esteemed media colleagues only further underscore the need for free press in Cambodia,” Mahajan said.
In 2012, Voice of America and Radio Free Asia were
peace and stability.
summoned to a closed-door meeting with Cambodian officials to
including The New York Times, CNN and Politico, from a briefing
Borders. Topics at the meeting included news coverage of the
The White House decision to bar several news outlets,
in February, Phay said in a Facebook post, “is based on the power and mandate of the state.”
The decision, he wrote, “sends a clear message” that Trump
“sees that news broadcast by those media outlets does not reflect the truth, which is the responsibility of professional journalists.”
“Freedom of expression,” he wrote, “is subject to the law and
must respect the state’s power.”
Prime Minister Hun Sen echoed the remarks but stopped short
of threatening to close problematic news outlets, according to a report in The Phnom Penh Post newspaper.
Hun Sen, who has been in office for 32 years, has relied on
brutality and intimidation to stay in power, according to rights
discuss their “professionalism,” according to Reporters Without
2012 killing of Chut Wutty, a Cambodian environmental activist, and the sentencing that year of Mam Sonando, the owner of a
Cambodian radio station that had
criticized Hun Sen, to 20 years in prison on charges of instigating
insurrection and other offenses.
In a speech in Phnom Penh, the
capital, Hun Sen appeared to liken
his views on the news media to those of Trump.
Cambodia respects rights linked
groups. Critics say that his government is now using Trump’s words
to the rule of law “but not the rights
adding that the move could herald a new tactic in efforts to suppress
the Phnom Penh Post. Referring to the
to justify a crackdown on critical news coverage before two elections, free speech by governments in Southeast Asia and beyond.
The Facebook comments “show pretty clearly that as soon as
there are perceptions that the U.S. has wavered on its commitment to press freedom, then countries with authoritarian tendencies are very quick to abandon any pretense of allowing the media
of anarchy,” he said, as quoted by
barring of the U.S. journalists from the
White House briefing, Hun Sen said that “Donald Trump sees them as causing anarchy,” The Post reported.
to operate freely,” said Shawn W. Crispin, the Bangkok-based Southeast Asia representative for the Committee to Protect
Journalists, a nonpartisan advocacy group based in New York.
Crispin said he worried that Phay Siphan’s comments would
“open a can of worms” in Southeast Asian countries where
40
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This is a revision of an article originally published by The New York Times on Feb. 28, 2017. Reprinted with permission. Nara Lon contributed reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
focus
HONG KONG
Beijing’s creeping control over Hong Kong media
More censorship, and more self-censorship, likely to follow. Story by Madeline Earp | Photo courtesy of Bloomberg | Edited by Jay Hartwell British to Chinese rule in 1997. But every year, that protection seems less robust.
Both the purchase of the South China Morning Post and the
Mighty Current cases should be considered “part of the Chinese government’s ongoing war against the media in Hong Kong
that are not under its direct control,” Bao Pu, the founder of
New Century Press, explained by email from Hong Kong. But
the Mighty Current disappearances are a particularly “extreme Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group, with close ties to Beijing, acquired the South China Morning Post in 2015.
Financial and political pressures from mainland China have
gradually eroded Hong Kong’s historically free media over the
past decade, according to Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press report. The trend has grown worse in tandem with deteriorating conditions on the mainland itself, where an already repressive
environment for freedom of expression has become even more
example” of the campaign, he said.
Lokman Tsui, assistant professor of journalism and
communications at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, agreed. “The purchase of the SCMP group is a structural change,” he told
Freedom House via email. “You can argue that those [publishers] are just a few people, and that the SCMP is the major English-
language newspaper in Hong Kong and therefore more important. But SCMP has already been very pro-Beijing. The ‘disappearance’ of the publishers has more serious long-term implications.”
As of April 2016, the investigations against the men associated
restrictive since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013.
with the publishing house were reportedly ongoing.
like the mainland,” Hong Kong-based publisher and political
Tsui said of their treatment. “For the first time, Beijing has
more self-censorship.”
they’re willing to do this in broad daylight, as it were, with the
“In the end, Hong Kong’s media environment will be more
commentator Bao Pu told Freedom House. “More censorship, and Two events illustrated the deterioration in 2015. The Alibaba
Group, a major Chinese e-commerce company with close ties to the
Beijing government, moved into the territory’s information market by purchasing the South China Morning Post newspaper in December. Meanwhile, five people affiliated with an outspoken Hong
Kong publishing house were effectively moved in the other
direction, to mainland China, in a series of disappearances. They
later reemerged, said they were cooperating with Chinese police,
and denied being abducted in statements to the media that many observers believe to have been coerced. Chinese authorities
have detained domestic critics and forced them to participate in
stage-managed, often televised “confessions” since Xi assumed the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. But the past year saw that practice extend far beyond China’s legal jurisdiction.
Hong Kong residents are, in theory, still shielded from the
worst mainland abuses by the “one country, two systems” principle laid down in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which preserves
Hong Kong’s freedoms for a 50-year period after its transfer from
“This is a difference in kind, not just in degree,” Professor
been willing to go outside their borders to control speech, and television ‘confessions.’”
The five men associated with Mighty Current represent the
new targets of CCP repression in 2015, targets with residences,
passports and personal networks outside mainland China. Small
wonder that “the middle class, the professionals, the accountants” of Hong Kong are “freaked out,” as one resident told the
Guardian. The sale of the South China Morning Post illustrates the changing dynamics of the information marketplace, and
augurs more Freedom of the Press declines to come. But the case of the booksellers, by showing the impact of such dynamics on
individuals at work and on vacation, demonstrates what personal
freedoms have already been lost. More censorship, and more selfcensorship, seem likely to follow.
Madeline Earp is the Asia research analyst for Freedom on the Net at Freedom House. This is a revision of an article originally published by Freedom House / Freedom of the Press on April 27, 2016. Reprinted with permission.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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NEPAL
Community radio provides penetration that internet cannot
After the 2015 earthquake Radio Sindhu in Chautara broadcast from the Agricultural Development Office in Chitwan.
Nepal’s earthquake revealed the importance of the country’s 300 stations.
Story by Arjun Giri | Photo courtesy of AMARC Asia-Pacific | Edited by Jay Hartwell High mountains have kept Nepal’s internet penetration and adult
FM stations freedom of speech. However, several political parties
news broadcasts from the country’s 300 community-funded FM
and nongovernmental bodies have threatened journalists not to
literacy rates low — between 45 percent and 65 percent — so radio stations were crucial during the 2015 earthquake that devastated the country.
More than 90 percent of the country’s population owns a
radio, which is “a powerful tool in disaster relief situations,” according to the World Association of Community Radio
Broadcasters. “They are an indispensable way to provide reliable information to a vulnerable population, help the humanitarian relief and ease the fear of the population in tense situations.”
In much of the world, FM radio is primarily an entertainment
medium with songs, but Nepal’s community radio network
broadcast content and news.
According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists, two radio
station owners and three journalists have been killed in this
decade and more than 200 threatened, detained or arrested for delivering news.
The 298 community radio stations and almost the same
number of privately owned stations face challenges because the country and its 29 million people — 35 percent of whom are illiterate — cannot support all of them.
“There is not any help and support policy from the
includes news and information programs for 125 ethnic groups
government for FM radio stations, so in this situation it is really
of the population has electricity. “In this situation, community
president of ACORAB. “Community radio is doing the work that
who speak 123 languages in a country where only 40 percent
radios are the absolute means of the communication,” said Dr.
Ramchandra Lamichhane, the executive director of ACORAB, the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal.
Nepal’s first community station was Radio Sagarmatha,
named after Everest. It began broadcasting awareness programs 20 years ago.
After 1997, more communities raised funds to establish radio
stations. Their news bulletins aided the country’s social change by rooting out malpractices, including child marriage and the dowry system in the community of Madhesh. Community radio stations also raised awareness about caste-based discrimination and violence against women.
“These radios are operated by rural community including
women, minority communities and most marginalized
communities,” said Lamichhane. “After the emergence of
community radio, people are more concerned about their daily needs and their supply chain. They are trying to change the
tough to save all the radio stations,” said Subhash Khatiwada,
should be done by the government, but government is not helping community radio by any means.”
Lamichhane concurs. “The local people needs huge
information about upcoming new [government] policies, acts, rules, regulations and development policies and plans. They
need multiple information in their own language. Due to heavy
illiteracy and poverty, printing and television media partially can fulfill this need, but ... the community radios can inform to the diverse communities in short period of time.”
Community radio stations are established and supported
by local fundraising. Those stations support local dialects and
culture by broadcasting content in the area’s language as well as promoting the region’s goods.
Because of community radio’s popularity and its local focus,
Nepal’s network of stations presents itself as a model to the world despite lacking government support.
“Government must bring forth certain policies regarding
daily lives of their audiences. Community radios are picking
community radio,” said Min Bahadur Shahi, vice president of the
people’s lives.”
soon regarding community radio would help achieve success in
up very grassroots-level issues, which has a direct impact on Prior to the people’s movement in 2006, the king terminated
community radio licenses and confiscated four stations. Now,
the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal allows its community
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and their sister organizations, criminal gangs, governmental
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broadcasters association. “We hope new policies that will come the community in the coming days.”
Arjun Giri is a radio journalist in Nepal. He can be reached at arjungiri98@gmail.com.
Presented by
Sponsored by
AAJA-Asia Digital Journalism Student Award 2017 The AAJA-Asia Google Digital Journalism Student Award 2017 provides a platform for prospective journalists to put new ways of storytelling into practice through digital technology to explain events that matter in the region. Undergraduate students of all disciplines are encouraged to exercise their creativity and showcase their talent in using multiple media including but not limited to text, audio, graphics, videos and social media such as blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Storify, Soundcloud, Twitter, Wordpress and YouTube.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
ENTRY PROCEDURES:
JUDGING & AWARD:
• Undergraduate students of all disciplines
• One entry per student or group
Our three professional journalist judges from
• Online submissions only
AAJA-Asia will review all submissions to
• Provide links to original sources and/or
recommend a winner. AAJA-Asia chapter
WORKS MUST BE: • In English
digital attachments for submission: text,
board members will have final approval of the
• Properly attributed: Use of others’ work
video file, audio file, blog, etc.
winning candidate.
to support the story, including someone
• Attach a one-page summary of why you
else’s Twitter posts, must be indicated
feel the work deserves the award and
PRIZES
provide an open-source outline of how
• The winner will receive $1,000 and a ticket to
• Compiled during the past 18 months, from Jan. 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017
the story was executed and produced.
• Reported from the Asian region
In the outline, explain how professional
• Works from abroad will be considered if
journalists can apply the strategies, apps,
they address Asia-specific issues
the Global Editors Network Summit • The winner and runners-up will receive a one-year student membership to AAJA-Asia
functions in their own reporting • Deadline: June 30, 2017 • Inquiries: aajaasia@gmail.com
PAST WINNER’S WORK 2016 winner: “Street Wonder,” The University of Hong Kong
APPLY HERE
Perspective TOP 10 DEADLIEST COUNTRIES FOR JOURNALISTS
JAILED FOR JOURNALISM, MURDERED WITH IMPUNITY
MEXICO
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Number of deaths: <10
For journalists in troubled parts of the world, these are dangerous times. The peril in war zones is understood. But the number of homicides is also rising.
Consider the case of Wai Yan Heinn. The 27-year-old publisher of
Myanmar newsmagazine Iron Rose was found dead inside his Yangon
office on April 16, his torso bearing 15 stab wounds, according to news
reports. The unsolved murder followed his publication of articles about
the country’s former ruling generals and their business associates and portrayed de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi as a “drone president.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for authorities to swiftly
investigate the crime and bring the killer or killers to justice, but the trend of homicide is accompanied by one of impunity.
“Myanmar is fast emerging as a country where media murders go
unpunished,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. Two other Myanmar media homicides since 2014 are unsolved.
11-25
26-50
26-100 101-150
>151
CPJ’s data suggests that, globally, press freedom is declining and journalists are in greater mortal and political danger. The progress on press freedom seen
around the world has been reversed in many countries. There’s no reason to
expect this trend to end anytime soon
with countries like China, for example, promoting their own brand of control
beyond its border. On the other hand,
there are many targets of opportunity to
make things better, to score small victories that could help in places.
the 76th to be murdered since 1992. Among those, CPJ classifies 68,
You oversee a vast region with dramatic cultural and political contrasts. Which Asian countries are of growing concern?
crimes were never resolved by the justice system.
challenges. Internal controls
of Dec. 1, 2016, CPJ counted 38 reporters incarcerated in China and
have been ratcheted up, and too
The Philippines’ record is particularly bloody. When crime reporter
Joaquin Briones was gunned down on March 13 in the island province of Masbate, he became the third Filipino journalist killed in 2017, and including Briones, as “murdered with impunity,” meaning that the
Meanwhile, authoritarian governments target journalists for jail. As
China, perhaps, offers the greatest over print and online media
eight in Vietnam, a country with about 1/14th the population of China.
many journalists — mainly online
Times and the Christian Science Monitor, and later was foreign editor of
correspondents stationed in China
Steven Butler, who spent two decades covering Asia for the Financial
Knight-Ridder in Washington, D.C., is CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. N3 Magazine interviewed him about the challenges journalists face.
44
60
COLOMBIA
CPJ is fighting a war that will never be won. Story by Scott Duke Harris Edited by Jay Hartwell
ALGERIA
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operators — remain in jail. Foreign face severe restrictions.
RUSSIA
56 IRAQ
179 PHILIPPINES
78 PAKISTAN
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SYRIA
108
SOMALIA
INDIA
62
Moreover, China’s efforts to control
the press are extending beyond its borders, to Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere in the region.
A combination of business and
government pressures have partially tamed the once-freewheeling Indian press. In Pakistan, while journalist
deaths and attacks from the Taliban have moderated, the new fear is of
religious zealotry, of being labeled as
a blasphemer, amid a difficult business environment that sometimes causes journalists to take excessive risks covering stories.
The Thai press still faces severe
restrictions operating under military rule, although an eventual return to elected, constitutional government
may offer some hope. Burma has also
enjoyed progress toward a freer press, although it has been uneven.
In the Philippines, although right-
wing trolling was an issue right after Duterte’s election, we haven’t seen
an uptick in attacks on journalists,
even as extrajudicial killings mount.
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Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
Of course, there’s a huge issue of
researchers in the U.S.
journalists, that remains.
and shame when governments attack
How have the proliferation of the digital news, “citizen journalism” and social media affected CPJ’s work?
protect journalists. Beyond that, we have
impunity, of past unsolved murders of
We’ve had to adopt a more flexible attitude as to who is a journalist.
The first tool is to publicize, to name
journalists or press freedom, or fail to
programs to help journalists in trouble to
pay for legal or medical fees, or sometimes to support relocation (often in partnership with other organizations).
Bloggers in Vietnam and China have
shown great courage and independence
How confident are you that CPJ’s work is having a positive impact?
in reporting aspects of the news, even
as they sometimes adopt social causes.
I have no doubt that CPJ’s work
Thai citizens run the risk of being
has a tangible impact, even if it is
sometimes hard to measure. Our ability
accused of lese-majeste. Deliberately
planted false news stories are a scourge everywhere.
We’ve had to adopt a functional
definition to decide who is a journalist. It’s no longer just an employee of a traditional news organization.
to embarrass governments and put
pressure for change, or, for example, to release imprisoned journalists, varies from country to country.
CPJ is fighting a war that will never
be completely won, but little victories add up and are meaningful.
How would you describe the dayto-day work of CPJ? We monitor daily, press-related developments in Asia, with
correspondents in the region and from
This interview was edited for length. Scott Duke Harris can be reached at toscottharris@gmail.com.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Perspective
A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 FOLLOWERS Asia-Pacific readers are hungry for mobile news, and social media is the hook. Story by Jess Turner | Edited by Jay Hartwell
Take a photo, a video. Post. Repeat. Use of Instagram and Snapchat
has doubled in the last two years in the Asia-Pacific, a region where
smartphone use for accessing news already exceeds that in Western countries. News organizations and content creators are recognizing the potential offered by image capturing and sharing.
Among 70,000 consumers Connected Life surveyed in 2014
across the Asia-Pacific region, 22 percent were on Instagram and 8 percent on Snapchat. Two years later in 2016, the figures were 39 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
On Instagram, which presents images in gallery style, instant
reaction functions such as live stories and share buttons encourage interaction. Its competitor, Snapchat, allows people to share raw videos and pictures with one another. With a Discover page,
Snapchat users access news directly and share it with others
without having to leave the app. Instagram responds to its users’
preferences via its Explore page, which suggests posts for users to view based on their “like” trends and “following” list.
These social media platforms are ripe with potential for news
outlets. “The rise of Instagram and Snapchat highlight how consumers are eagerly adopting visual ways of expressing themselves, as they
embrace the ability to capture and share moments,” Zoe Lawrence, the
Asia-Pacific digital director at Kantar TNS, said in a social media survey report last year. The features of these apps allow news outlets and content creators to have conversations with their audience.
With 91 percent of online consumers sharing photos and updates
about what they are doing, the possible content for breaking news is vast. Users can interact with other users and participate in the
news production process through liking, commenting, sharing and messaging. Brandwatch reported in 2016 that engagement with
content creators on Instagram was 10 times higher than on Facebook. This behavior pushes news organizations to think more visually
and instantly altering their content. Still growing, more news outlets are spending time on creating visual profiles.
Jess Turner is based in Hong Kong. She can be reached at jmturner511@gmail.com.
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hypebeast 16.2k posts
Company
HYPEBEAST
19:33
3.8M
followers
99
following
Follow
Hypebeast started as a sneaker blog in 2005. Now it’s an online destination for editorially driven commerce and news for men. With an 8.4 million social media reach including 3.7 million followers on Instagram, the brand has expanded to Hypebae (reporting on female creative and contemporary culture) and Hypemaker (a creative studio serving a range of industries). Headquartered in Hong Kong, Hypebeast focuses on the up-andcoming trends of the fashion world and related content such as art, music and lifestyle. Its Instagram presence blends with its editorial content, interacting with followers by reposting their images and presenting them with exclusive preview content is part of its Instagram style. On Snapchat, Hypebeast reveals to fans behind-the-scenes clips with celebrities and sourcing for limited edition clothing.
Company
19:33 lifestyleasiahk
2,180 posts
25.2M
followers
612
following
Follow
Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
With curated articles and localized content focusing on luxury, Lifestyle Asia gets 4 million pageviews a month and has 40,000 followers on Instagram. Its editorial and advert content is aimed at the affluent urban population ages 25-45, covering tips on lifestyle, travel, fashion and entertainment. On Instagram, Lifestyle Asia shares snapshots from entertainment events and targets followers’ niche interests by posting local pictures.
rappler Company
11.3k 19:33 239k posts
followers
343
following
Follow
Rappler Starting out as a Facebook page in the Philippines, the tech-forward news site was among the first in the country to use a multitude of visual technology and platforms to distribute content. Rappler’s distinguishing feature is Mood Meter – where readers can react to the article on a range from “amused” to “people are divided.” Rather than posting snippets of articles on Instagram, the outlet favors photos that remind followers of upcoming important events, such as the country’s voter registration deadline. They publish exclusive pictures with important figures like the president and feature breaking news images that other users have taken. Rappler has 238,000 followers on Instagram.
vice Company
19:33
1,938 posts
1.2M
followers
344
following
Follow
vice
Starting in Toronto, Vice Media has pushed into Asia-Pacific by setting up its first Asia branch in 2016 in Indonesia. The brand delivers topical news formatted for a younger audience. Indonesia’s 18- to 34-year-old demographic makes up 50 percent of the country’s population. A large follower base of 1.6 million led Vice to set up several accounts dedicated to different content. @vicenews (374,000 followers) shares snippets of breaking news and its top articles from around the world. Vice has its own Discover page on Snapchat.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Perspective
SOCIAL MEDIA BUILDS SILOS OF IGNORANCE
No balance necessary when retweeting posts that affirm your beliefs. Story by Nicole Pabello Illustration by Gavin Huang Edited by Jay Hartwell and Elaine Ramirez
They are wearing bandanas and goggles as the police advance with pepper spray and shoot inflammatories into the eyes of protesters. The night is lit by the video crews, but we
see no umbrellas — a merely symbolic defense against
the tear gas that dispersed
thousands from the Occupy barricades in Central Hong Kong.
For three months, the
Umbrella Movement was
delivered live through our
mobiles, then captured, edited, posted, shared, tweeted
and retweeted within a few
“The danger of social media is that information availability is very high. Every day we get information from these places. And because they are so accessible, then somehow you increase this vicious cycle.” Janet Hsiao, University of Hong Kong associate professor of psychology
seconds to thousands more,
who retweeted them again. In the first four days of the 2014 Hong Kong protest, these shares reached 1.3 million tweets and posts.
News analysts believe social media helped fuel and sustain the
and faster for users to distribute and redistribute their bias without seeking balance.
Janet Hsiao, an associate
professor of psychology at The University of Hong Kong, says the more people repeatedly
absorb one-sided content, the stronger their confirmation
bias becomes. “You see more; you confirm your bias and it
[the bias] can get stronger and stronger. It’s a vicious cycle,” said Hsiao.
“I think the danger of social
media is that information
availability is very high. Every day we get information from
these places and because the [info is] so accessible … you increase this vicious cycle.”
The effects of this came to the fore worldwide during the
demonstrations. But such social media spirals in Hong Kong and
2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Confirmation bias contributed
Kong between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps who fought
sheltered in divided, social network communities.
around the world have come at a cost, like the clashes in Hong in defense of their ideals.
Since social media enables anyone to release their point of
view, the sharing process allows like-minded people to retweet and affirm their point of view with others in their digital community.
But this cycle of confirmation bias allows people to live in a bubble without being exposed to other opinions.
Academics are concerned this process narrows our perspectives
— whether people choose The New York Times for a perceived
liberal focus or the New York Post and Fox News for conservative
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content. And it is getting easier
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to the surprise over election results and polarized Americans who In Asia, these effects had been seen years earlier during the
Hong Kong protests. After months of circulating Hong Kong news via open channels like Facebook, the protest and pro-democracy
camps then decided to construct closed groups on WhatsApp and
WeChat, so only like-minded peers could continue their discussion about democracy in Hong Kong without resistance.
Occupy Central demonstrated social media’s public
penetration and its impact on political agendas in Hong Kong,
where 84 percent of people consume their news online, including
social media, according to the 2016 Reuters Institute Digital News Report. The protest affected most of the city’s people, the financial
sector, local businesses and the travel industry, while contributing
to regional uncertainty.
With such pervasiveness, social media became the nexus of
the protests because the community supporting Occupy Central’s
ideals used it not only as a tool to document on-the-ground events but also to provide a channel where leaders could organize and
84%
of people consumed their news online, including social media, during the Occupy Central in Hong Kong.
mobilize protesters.
The events in Hong Kong also exposed the way people
who may not even have a strong belief are also affected. In this phenomenon, called availability bias, all the available information is slanted, and thus biases even an onlooker’s
beliefs, explains Hsiao.
During the protest, the big news was the protest itself. All
allowed breaking news to be covered as it happened, said young
eyes were on the pro-democracy camp and its opposition towards
South Korean protester Nova Lee. Using Facebook and Twitter,
covered the events on the ground or published explainers. This
Park abused the people’s right and manipulated the law.
on the protest might have developed a pro-democracy bias that was reinforced by exposure to the movement’s ideals through
public demanded accurate reporting and moved to online outlets
Beijing’s government. Most of the international news outlets
could have resulted in availability bias: People without an opinion
people uploaded whatever information they found that showed The conflict was a political awakening for the media. The
to report information rather than the usual platforms. Korea
social media.
Expose, an English-language news and culture magazine, reported
Park Geun-hye showed social media’s power to bring together like-
organizations as the outlets changed tone from supporting
Exposure in social media got more people to join. The resulting
impeachment.
with both sides claiming 1 million demonstrators. The anti-Park and pro-Park groups used mainly Facebook, Kakao, Ilbe and other
people distrust traditional media outlets, they seek news on
top media organizations support the government. South Korea
views,” he said.
surveyed, as those journalists are considered to have ties with political leaders, the Reuters Institute report also found.
for people to seek news, more can be done to prevent isolated and
More recently, the impeachment of South Korea’s President
minded people, whether pro or anti-Park, who then took action.
protests brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of Seoul,
social media networks because of a perception that South Korea’s
has the most distrusted mainstream media outlets among those
Social media’s instantaneous response and penetration
the pro-Park camp’s discontent and distrust with mainstream the president to exposing the latest events that triggered her
Hong Kong University professor Masato Kajimoto says when
social media. “This distrust in mainstream media actually laid a foundation for fake news, because people want alternative
With social media’s rising domination as the go-to platform
polarized communities. “Education is key to raising awareness
about what availability and confirmation bias are to encourage
people to seek more than one source and different angles for every story,” said Hsiao.
Hsiao supports the delivery of fair and balanced news to
prevent left- or right-leaning news from becoming the only story that reaches social media users. The next challenge for the news industry will be to implement the social media algorithms that
curate news to the user’s preferences. Changing this, she said, will require cooperation by social media platforms, users and media organizations.
Nicole Pabello can be reached at nicolepabello@gmail.com.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Perspective
HOW TO BEAT THE MIDCAREER BLUES With rising pressures on the media industry, journalists facing career disruption have choices to make. Story by Cindy Koh Edited by Elaine Ramirez and Jay Hartwell Today’s journalism — riddled with disruptions — has given mid-career journalists a dilemma: Is it worth the struggle to remain in the industry or should they move on to new
pastures? A large number of veteran journalists have left, yet some remain and find ways to fit into the changing media landscape.
Take retraining upon yourself
Although mid-career journalists represent a low percentage of
journalism program students, J-schools are recognizing the
importance of providing options for those who want to learn
said Columbia’s dean of student affairs Ernest Sotomayor.
“Journalists have to go out and take it upon themselves to seek
new skills.
out courses to stay up to date, very unfortunately,” he said.
have worked an average 18.5 years recognize that changes in the
13 years ago and took a break to study at Northwestern, says that
individualistic and less stable, but they are not particularly pessimistic
evolving industry.
A 2015 Reuters Institute study found that journalists who
media landscape are likely to “make journalism more stressful, about the future of journalism as a professional practice.”
South Korean journalist Kim Yoo-chul, who entered journalism
mid-career grad school is a critical move to keep pace in the rapidly “I think journalists should be marketable,” Kim said. “It’s worth
“Mature students” are enrolling in master’s programs to learn
investing time and money to acquire new skills to remain adaptive
schools at the University of Hong Kong, Northwestern University and
his monthly business plans to the top management, he said. “And
video, digital and data skills that are crucial today. The journalism
Columbia University offer targeted training for mid-career journalists who want to learn new skills to stay competitive.
“People come back for different reasons, as we are always in the
process of learning and growing,” Northwestern University’s Medill
School of Journalism assistant dean Beth Bennett said. “Coming back to school could be satisfying because we get to bring ourselves to a
different level, hence customization is important to allow (journalism
and responsive.” Kim uses data analytic skills when he presents
being in this part of the world gives me the Western perspective and diversifies my thinking.”
Mature voices are crucial to journalism programs.
“We love them — with their experience, they add a lot
to classroom discussion,” said Keith Richburg, director of the
University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre. “We need experienced journalists who have a keen sense of
professionals) to develop in the different areas that they need to.”
history and strong storytelling abilities, as much as we need young
fellowships, part- and full-time programs to meet the needs of these
... and alternative ways to engage audiences.”
Medill and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism offer
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students as news organizations have done a poor job of training staff,
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journalists who might have more facilities with using social media
“We’ll always face new challenges and it’s important to keep learning and reinventing ourselves. The ones with a growth mindset are likely to stay in the game longer.” Wendy Tang
Fail fast, grow faster
Wendy Tang, a tech journalist in Beijing, has endured
setbacks through company downsizing and a failed startup. But she learned to come out stronger.
The startup’s failure taught her the importance of
failing fast and learning quickly. Through the challenges,
Tang stayed calm, reassessed her direction and focused on new goals.
“As we move ahead in our careers, we’ll always face
new challenges and it’s important to keep learning and
reinventing ourselves,” she said. “The ones with a growth mindset are likely to stay in the game longer.”
Find a fellowship
Those who are unable to make the full commitment to
school and believe that part-time courses don’t suffice may
find that a fellowship offers an immersive space to face the realities of the trade.
Subina Shrestha, a social justice video journalist in
Nepal, needed a breather from 17 years of reporting on trafficked women, brothels, HIV-positive patients and abortion.
Be a leader
AAJA’s Executive Leadership Program (ELP)
and programs like it help mid-career journalists explore the responsibilities and challenges of working in media and examine how cultural
values come into play in newsroom dynamics. Lauren Hardie, a U.S. multi-platform
freelance journalist with about 11 years of
experience, struggled with issues a salaried journalist usually doesn’t face, such as
balancing financials, navigating complex
situations independently and negotiating the amounts on paychecks.
Through the ELP, she learned strategies for
negotiating fair rates.
“I think all these made me gain more
confidence,” she said, “and that I am armed with knowledge in asking for more money.”
“While it was an amazing learning experience, the
grueling routine and the lack of time to keep things fresh
made me rethink my approach and whether I was in a good place to carry on,” Shrestha said.
Entering the year-long Nieman Foundation Fellowship
at Harvard University, the traditional-platform journalist got a crash course in digital transformation.
Some of her peers had made significant changes on the
way they deal with news, she said. “However, I am not yet sure how I might adapt my journalism to account for the
ever-changing digital world,” Shrestha said. “It makes me
want to restrain myself and revert to words, the texts and textures of print at times.”
Shrestha finds the break is providing a worthwhile
chance to see the big picture and ponder the possibilities of journalism’s future. Later, she hopes to focus more on longform and documentaries.
“I would see this as a continuation rather than a
disruption,” she said. “It is worth the time off and I would say it’s the best thing that I have done in a long time.”
Cindy Koh can be reached at cindykoh2015@u.northwestern.edu.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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May 19-21, 2017
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Perspective
AAJA EYES THE NEXT FRONTIER President Yvonne Leow strives to cultivate a culture of media entrepreneurship and engage a wider community. Story by Carina Lee Edited by Elaine Ramirez
AAJA is not only a community for journalists with relatable backgrounds and challenges. The association has also evolved into an important voice for the defense of minorities in media coverage, such as its recent challenge to Fox News’ much-criticized Chinatown segment. How have you witnessed AAJA evolve throughout your membership? How do you envision its future role? It’s an incredible honor to witness and be a part of AAJA’s evolution. I’ve been an
AAJA member for a decade now, and even in the past five years, we’ve undergone
a governance restructure. Our Executive
Leadership Program and I-Con initiatives
have been expanded to all journalists, not just Asian-Americans. Our involvement with the Asian American and Pacific
Islander community has grown with 2016’s inaugural AAPI Town Hall.
Whether it’s further engagement with
the AAPI community or expanding our programming abroad, AAJA’s mission
is to serve our members, and promote
diversity and representation. We can only
As AAJA president, what traditions and vision will you carry over from your predecessor, Paul Cheung, and what new initiatives are you introducing? AAJA’s commitment to diversity, and fair
and accurate journalism remains, but we’re excited about pushing forward on three key initiatives:
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Regarding the N3Con 2017 theme “Social Disruption: Navigating the New Journalism,” what do you believe are the biggest challenges facing journalists today? One of the biggest challenges we face
should capture the caliber of creativity,
between journalists and the communities
organization. We’ve redesigned our logo
misinformation online these days, and the
management system this year. Our goal
will be essential in the coming years.
trust. How do we increase the trust
ingenuity and influence that exists in our
we cover? There is a deluge of news and
and website, and upgraded our member
way we help people cut through the noise
is to continue creating an identity that
expresses who we are and the impact we have on our industry.
2. Globalization. It is essential for AAJA to serve and meet our members where they are. Following the success of AAJA’s Asia
chapter, we hope to expand our membership and resources in areas such as Europe and Latin America in the coming years.
be solutions. Our goal is to help cultivate
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media companies.
members, and our brand identity
and staying ahead of trends in a rapidly
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build their own products, brands and
in journalism is preserving the public’s
3. Entrepreneurship. Changing the status
changing media landscape.
journalism and empower people to
1. Branding. We have incredibly talented
accomplish that when we’re focused on
where we want to dedicate our resources
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Yvonne Leow has grown with AAJA over the past decade. As former vice president of journalism programs, she focused on impactful career growth for aspiring journalists. During her two years as national president, starting in January 2017, the San Francisco-based visual journalist aims to encourage media entrepreneurship and expanding the newly rebranded AAJA’s horizons, geographically and in conversations on the media. She joins N3Con this year to weigh in on the panel “Women in media: Is equality a myth?” N3 asked Leow about her vision for AAJA’s new direction.
quo is long and arduous, but there may a culture of media entrepreneurship in
How does the Asia chapter contribute to the national association? The AAJA-Asia chapter has been a
powerhouse in representing and expanding AAJA’s programming abroad. We’re
learning a lot from what’s happening in the region, and AAJA-Asia chapter members have been invaluable to our discussions
about convention programming and our redesign initiatives.
Carina Lee is the AAJA-Asia chapter secretary and Seoul subchapter treasurer. She can be reached at carina.lee713@gmail.com.
AAJA: WHO WE ARE
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AAJA ASIA LEADERS President: Angie Lau
Asia chapter
Secretary: Carina Lee
How the U.S. nonprofit association has grown into a global force.
memberships
Treasurer: Eunice Kim
National board representatives: Oanh Ha, Yuriko Nagano At-large board representatives: Zela Chin, Eunji Kim
Story by Eunice Kim Edited by Elaine Ramirez
of global membership
Seoul also has its own board
Programming directors: Brolley Genster,
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Youkyung Lee, Mark Zastrow
Coordinators: Hayoung Choi, Simone Jeong, Power in numbers and in unity: This was the tenet
Nayoung Kang, Haeyoon Kim, Sunho Kwon,
Association in 1981 in Los Angeles. Since then,
At-large: Gavin Huang, Elaine Ramirez
the coalition of journalists — bound by a shared
(no vice president)
over 1,400 members across oceans to Asia, with goals of greater global reach.
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Likewise, the Asia chapter, founded in 1996 by
Greater Asia
Allen Cheng and Alan Ota, has ballooned in recent
(not a subchapter) Includes Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Myanmar, India and Nepal
years to become AAJA’s second-largest chapter,
reflecting the continent’s emergence on the global stage. Made up of subchapters in Hong Kong,
Next Media Conference, the region’s leading
journalism forum, for the seventh consecutive
THE ASIA CHAPTER HAS 5 SUBCHAPTERS LED BY REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS
year. After two years in Seoul, it returns to Hong
The University of Hong Kong Freelance Bloomberg CNN Korea JoongAng Daily The Associated Press
14 11 10 3 3 3
Full
and support
117 32 20 14 2 4 1
Student
Associate Gold full
Gold associate Platinum full Retired
Annual membership:
(headquarters) Co-vice presidents: Jenny Hsu, Billy Wong
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA Global membership: Over 1,400 Number of chapters: 19
AAJA National president: Yvonne Leow
Dues get used for: • Fellowships, scholarships, stipends organized by AAJA-Asia and AAJA U.S.
headquartered nonprofit diverse programming
7
Southeast Asia
Hong Kong
MEMBERSHIP TYPES
How the San Franciscoassociation finances its
57
Co-vice presidents: Chelsea Phua, Mike Raomanachai
Kong this year — where N3Con began.
ASIA MEMBERS’ MOST POPULAR AFFILIATIONS
Co-vice presidents: Haruka Nuga, Hiromi Tanoue
Mainland China
the newsroom and on the field — has extended to
Asia, the Asia chapter hosts its annual New.Now.
Tokyo
Vice president: Taehoon Lee
9
goal of fairer representation of Asian-Americans in
Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and greater (Southeast)
24
Seoul
Kianna Mckenzie, Jihyoung Son
that launched the Asian American Journalists
MONEY MAP
14%
$25 Student
$750 Platinum
• Networking opportunities region-wide
• Conferences: N3Con, National Convention,
For more info
ICon, Executive Leadership Program
www.aaja.org
• Chapter budgets (30% of membership fees return to chapter)
New. Now. Next Media Conference
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Perspective
MILLENNIAL STARTUP PIONEERS A VOICE FOR ITS GENERATION
In South Korea’s rigid media landscape, Dotface grows its audience by posting on issues ignored by legacy news. Story and photos by Elaine Ramirez Edited by Jay Hartwell
Sodam Cho dropped out of studying for South Korea’s media exam after a teacher beat her younger brother, a high school student. When reporters covered the incident, the tables turned for the aspiring
journalist, who was now the one being interviewed by the press. That was when she experienced what Cho calls the
superficiality of Korea’s traditional news outlets — ask a few questions prodding for emotional quotes by deadline, then
sensationalize the story without getting to know the victim’s situation. Seeking a more intimate connection with subjects is what
fueled Cho, 27, to start Dotface — a new, social-native video outlet for South Korean millennials launched last September.
Dotface has focused its coverage on five areas it deems
important to a younger generation: social justice, LGBTQ issues, feminism, urban ecology and how technological development impacts societies.
Last summer, traditional outlets covered a gay pride parade
near Seoul City Hall as a social conflict story: conservatives versus
liberals, Christians versus LGBTQ, traditional values versus loosening social mores. But Cho focused on the presence of parents of LGBTQ children who were offering free hugs to the crowd.
“I looked at all the reports later that night, and this scene
was not mentioned once. In contrast, we were able to cover this because we had our own subjective standard — that embracing diversity is something to be valued,” Cho said.
Dotface’s video covering that scene went viral, amassing 4.9
million views on Facebook.
Cho believes younger Koreans are thirsting for media content
that goes beyond conglomerate news, dense political coverage and rewrites of government press releases. She said her friends often
share poorly translated articles and videos from U.S.-based online media about everything from job interviews to not wearing bras, just for something new to read.
While 70 percent of Koreans head regularly to major portals
like Naver and Daum for news, Dotface is attracting its audience
through social media. Its niche is on platforms like Facebook and the Korean app Pikicast, where 20-somethings congregate over news of mutual interest and share open comments. Dotface’s
videos get around 6 million views a month, with 42 percent of its Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 24.
“Our goal is not just to become a good media company, but
to provide people with different knowledge,” Cho said. “We want
to become a media outlet that will help the millennial generation
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Sodam Cho, cofounder and CEO of Dotface.
find identity and values that will be needed to prepare for the society of 10 years from now.”
Traditional outlets, like the national broadcaster Seoul
Broadcasting System (SBS), have set up their own social media teams to create Facebook-friendly video clips targeted at younger audiences. Legacy media outlets might be able to create content in these newer formats, but Cho said they can’t change their institutional voice,
bound by the constraints of having to accommodate older generations and pro-government self-censorship.
South Korean distrust in journalists and news organizations is
higher than in the U.S., U.K., and other Asian countries, according to a Reuters Institute report. These issues came to the fore
again when major broadcasters, whose leaders are governmentappointed, were criticized for undercovering the first burst of
protests last year against impeached President Park Geun-hye.
“Traditional media tries to make content to target people in
their 20s, but the audience doesn’t feel like that is their voice,” she said. “It’s not just having media that people listen to, but media that they can actually communicate with.”
Cho is confident that with the launching of more media
startups that fall between legacy media and Facebook-only
verticals, the South Korean media landscape will see a revolution. “Entertainment agencies are trying to become media companies,
and they can actually push aside content from traditional media,”
Cho said. “So in reality, with all the new competition coming in, if it isn’t fun, it’s hard to survive. It’s the same for news.”
This is a revision of an article originally published by Nieman Journalism Lab on April 5, 2017. Republished with permission. Ryu Ji-min contributed to this article. Elaine Ramirez can be reached at elaineramirez@gmail.com.
Perspective
DON’T MAKE MY MISTAKE
Edited by Elaine Ramirez
Read, remember and do not repeat mistakes that helped cubs become professionals
Keep your word
We all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them, but if you had to pick one to prevent another journalist from repeating it, what would it be?
That’s the focus of a Lightning Talk episode — one of several
to take place at 6 p.m., Friday, May 19, at the University of Hong
Kong. Jay Hartwell has rounded up advice that more experienced
In 1986, I covered a hearing about Honolulu’s most heavily used golf course, the Ala Wai. One daughter of a player did not testify but said she would let me paraphrase their concerns about the city’s proposal if I called her before going to print to verify my summary. I did not and got their concerns wrong. She telephoned after and said she would never talk to another reporter again. So my lesson is: No matter who the source is, always keep a promise.
professionals want to pass down to younger journalists to prevent them from making the same mistakes they did.
Jay Hartwell
Former reporter and University of Hawaii student media adviser, Honolulu
Tech glitches You never know when you are going to be taken on air or when your mic is on. … Keep printed copies of your scripts and guest contacts, and a copy of your Twitter on during breaking news, just in case the teleprompter fails and you have to ad lib. Always call your guests ahead of time. Introduce yourself. Tell them who the other panelists are and find out what questions they are comfortable answering.
Archith Seshadri Anchor for WION News, New Delhi
TV reporter Tokyo
Spell check When I was a TV producer in Tokyo many years ago, I was in charge of producing a program for young kids in Japanese. I grew up in the U.S., so Japanese was not my forte. I received a letter one day from an elementary school student, asking if we spelled a certain Chinese character wrong. I should have been more careful when it came to superimposed Japanese text on TV. Suffice to say, I use the dictionary a lot more now, especially when Japanese is involved.
Pregnant pause When I was a student reporter just starting out in broadcast, I had not quite handled the art of juggling yet. As a broadcaster, there are a lot of things going on. Behind the scenes, we have producers talking in our ear telling us about the next commercial break or if the video or soundbite we expected to introduce next was suddenly unavailable. So, there I was, proudly in the broadcast booth, reporting on a story. I tried on my most authoritative broadcast voice to intone: ‘Hundreds of workers at the local auto plant got laid …’ (At that moment, the producer was telling me something urgent, and I stopped to listen and process before resuming my broadcast) ‘... off today.’ Too late. The disaster of the pregnant pause. Sadly for the workers, it was indeed a layoff and they lost their jobs. But it sounded a lot more optimistic with my pause.
New. Now. Next Media Conference
Angie Lau
Bloomberg TV anchor and AAJA-Asia president
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May 19-21, 2017
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MAY 2018 SEE YOU IN HONG KONG
www.n3con.com