In light of Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary elections, Egyptian officials have imposed new media restrictions that will effectively put all live broadcasts, including independent television talk shows and news bulletins, under the control of state television.
NPR this morning had a great spot on a new music Web site that showcases underground music from across the Middle East. The site, Mideast Tunes, is in English, and offers a gateway into jazz from Palestine, punk rock from Saudi Arabia, hip-hop from Lebanon and metal from Iran. Check it out here.
New York-based dj Nikodemus of Turntables on the Hudson, along with a host of other key players in the global dance music scene, have teamed up with NextAid for what has been dubbed the Earthchild Project. Proceeds from the 6-songs, available as an $8.99 download here, go to Lovelife’s Go-getters program, which is working to […]
Various sources report that dozens of Turkish journalists are jailed, and hundreds are facing trial. Chief among the reasons for so many to be jailed and facing legal action is their criticism of the government. Over 40 journalists are in jail, and over 700 more are facing lawsuits with the threat of imprisonment, according to […]
This documentary tackles an issue most dare not consider: what if nuclear material got into the hands of terrorists? Writer and director Ben Goddard does an excellent job of mixing new interviews with archive clips of everyone from John F. Kennedy to John McCain. Their common message? Eliminate nuclear weapons. The film revolves around the […]
Hezbollah’s leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has openly stated that he expects some members of his political party will be indicted, but he vows not to hand them over to be prosecuted. Pro-Syrian Christian politician Suleiman Franjieh recently stated in a television interview on September 23 that if Hezbollah members are indicted “there will be war in Lebanon.”
In the wake of journalists recently murdered in Mexico, the country’s president, Felipe Calderon met with two international press organizations last week for recommendations on how to stop the violence. The meeting with the Inter-American Press Association and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reportedly had a positive tone and Calderon promised to do what […]
The European Union summit on September 16 was a disappointment to those who had hoped at last to learn how the royal heads of Europe view the EU’s role in the world – and thus, presumably, their own future global influence and status. Sadly, it turned out that some of the top names in media […]
Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras’s ‘The Oath’ will air on PBS tonight. According to PBS: Filmed in Yemen and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, The Oath interweaves the stories of Abu Jandal, Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, and Salim Hamdan, a prisoner at Guantánamo facing war crimes charges. Directed by Laura Poitras (Flag Wars, POV 2003; the Oscar®-nominated […]
This film deserves the Oscar it received for best foreign language film. It is the story of a young Jewish family that flees Nazi Germany in the late 1930s to Kenya. Walter Redlich, who had been a lawyer in Germany, is left to manage a farm in a deserted region. His wife, Jettel, and daughter, […]
The making of this film is more interesting than the film itself. The makers solicited many non actors to star in this movie about the realities facing the people of Ajami, a neighborhood in Jaffa which is home to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The film is very much like a documentary in part because of […]
They live in the margins of society, the children of prostitutes in Calcutta, India. They are given time and space to discuss their lives with New York-based photographer Zana Briski. Briski, who co-directed the film with Ross Kauffman, started a photography class with several of these children. She gave them cameras and let them choose […]
After weeks of criticizing government flood relief efforts, some Pakistani media have begun to cautiously praise Islamabad’s response while warning that if the public’s “urgent” needs are not met, Pakistan will become a “failed state.” English- and Urdu-language media continue to carry varying amounts of praise for U.S. flood relief efforts. Some media have reported allegations that floodwaters were diverted to […]
Following reports that the editor of Indian magazine Naveena Netrikkan has been arrested and tortured, press freedom organizations are calling for his release. Mr. A.S. Mani was reportedly arrested, imprisoned and tortured after reporting on police corruption in the Indian state of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. Reporters Without Borders issued the transcript of an interview […]
Following a hostage crisis in the Philippines, the country’s president, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, wants the media to cooperate with the government on guidelines in future crises. According to reports, Aquino wants to put his “agenda” for media coverage during crises on the table. He is contending that the press played a role in the […]