2005-2014

HONG KONG -- At first glance, it looked like a spirited online discussion about an essay written 80 years ago by modern China's greatest author. But then again, the exchange on a popular Chinese bulletin board site seemed a bit emotional given the subject. Lu Hsun's "In Memory of Ms. Liu Hezhen," which he wrote in 1926 after warlord forces opened fire on protesters in Beijing and killed one of his...

The managing director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in a meeting with a number of reporters and officials in charge of the Russian television networks here Saturday called for expansion of media cooperation between Iran and Russia. Ahmad Khademolmelleh added that to change the unilateral flow of information from west to developing countries into a bilateral and fair process, he is...

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has been shot dead, according to Wikipedia, the online, up-to-the-minute encyclopedia. Apparently, the assassin was a "friend" of the victim of a recent controversy which ironically, smeared former Robert F Kennedy aid John Seigenthaler as a suspect in the assassination of both Kennedy brothers. That claim, which the site carried for several months, along with the...

In a bid to curtail vandalism and malicious entries in the free online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the publication’s editors have today officially implemented a semi-protection policy for certain articles. Essentially, the measure prevents newly registered users and all unregistered users from editing pages. However, the Wikipedia editors said that semi-protection is only to be applied if a page is...

While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper's news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left. These are just...

Djibouti (HAN) December 17, 2005 - A few glimmers of hope that Somalia may one day be re-invented. To Move cash the few score miles between Mogadishu, Somalia's lawless official capital, and Jowhar, the seat of its transitional government, a local money-vendor has to pay $6,000. For that he gets an armoured lorry, 30 gunmen and three "technicals"–jeeps with heavy machineguns. What he doesn't get...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has produced an influenza pandemic handbook for journalists to help demystify the science behind avian and pandemic influenza. It is an introduction to everything one needs to know about influenza, including about avian influenza and the potential for a pandemic. The contents include: The influenza basics Avian influenza and pandemic influenza - what's the...

The Times and its journalists won three major prizes at the What The Papers Say awards today, where it was named newspaper of the year. Individual honours went to Richard Lloyd-Parry, Asia Editor, who was named foreign correspondent of the year, and Peter Brookes, who was named cartoonist of the year. Martin Samuel, a Times columnist, was named sports writer of the year for his articles in the...

Coverage of Wikipedia in the popular press veers between two extremes. It's either the admirable heroics of plucky amateurs - it's Neasden FC winning the FA Cup - or it's the latest net threat to civilization. This week a survey by Nature gave sympathetic news editors the chance to revisit the first view. Accuracy of Wikipedia matches Britannica, review shows, boasts CBC. Wikipedia as accurate as...

Authorities in Tajikistan have released a journalist whose detention had been condemned by international media-rights groups, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. Jumaboy Tolibov was freed December 16, two months after the Tajik Supreme Court initially ordered his release. Speaking to RFE/RL, Tolibov thanked rights groups that had voiced concern about his prison term. Tolibov was jailed for two years