三浦龍太郎 Ryutaro Miura’s Post

The highest profile media brand so far that also symbolises the move from Hong Kong to Singapore of many MNCs: "Wall Street Journal moves Asia HQ from Hong Kong to Singapore". The new Chinese Security Law, now in force in Hong Kong, is certainly making many media firms as well as many non-media firms change their location from Hong Kong to Singapore. The powers of the new law are so widespread and indeed deliberately vague that it's very easy to fall foul of them and end up in jail. Understandably therefore large global firms are moving from Hong Kong to the perceived safety of Singapore. This is ironic given that Singapore is not exactly known for its media tolerance! But if you stick to the truth here and can back up what you say and as long as you don't use religion or race derogatorily then you'll be fine. The government in Singapore is not slow in issuing POFMAs and other orders to individuals and organisations that spread fake news. So it's fascinating that the icon of capitalism, the WSJ, has chosen Singapore to move to and say goodbye to Hong Kong while laying off staff there. What do you think of this move? If you have been retrenched we offer a low cost Job Seeker-Personal Branding Service on LinkedIn which now includes a FREE CV to enable you to get a new role, details here :https://lnkd.in/dqWRi6EZ https://lnkd.in/gWFz65yf

Singaporeans need a Straits Times, let alone other media sources, to not be the Government’s mouth piece. We need a community of journalists who will challenge government policies and actions and invite and encourage the academia and the citizenry to write in and offer alternative ideas and suggestions to serve the needs of Singaporeans. This will enhance transparency and offer checks and balances and ensure the safety, survival and longevity of the tiny Red Dot. That’s the best way to mark 180 years of journalism and to tell the Singapore story in a more open and transparent manner. That’s what will make ST more appealing to readers.

Excerpt, Kanis Leung, Associated Press (APNews): //Four years into a crackdown on dissent that's swept up democracy-leaning journalists, activists, and politicians in this autonomously governed Chinese city, many people are tuning out the news. It's a striking sign of change in a city that used to pulse with talk, from morning conversations over newspapers in bustling dim sum restaurants to lively debates on social media throughout the day to evening discussions at dinner tables. #Pressfreedom has narrowed since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. Francis Lee, a professor of #journalism and #communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the city's politics is a significant factor in news avoidance. In early 2023, a survey conducted by Lee's team at the Center for Communication and Public Opinion Survey found that about 4 in 10 Cantonese-speaking adults in Hong Kong agreed or strongly agreed that they sometimes want to avoid news about the changing social or political environment in Hong Kong. Lee said people who don't trust the government are likelier to tune out the news, such as #democracy supporters who tend to view the city's recent changes negatively. When people perceive the outlets as unable to perform, they are more inclined to avoid the news. "It doesn't matter if you read the news every day or catch up ten days later because you don't have a choice or a voice anyway," Iris Ng said. A public increasingly checking out means the city's remaining #civilsociety is finding it more challenging to amplify the impact of their work.// It is understandable for ordinary citizens to disconnect and disengage from local politics as they discern that their voices are no longer impactful or to impose self-censorship to remain anonymous. Critical public opinions are crucial in shaping #policies and #communities. Appeasement only encourages complacency. #censorship #geopolitics

How powerful is lobbying in Brussels? Lobbyists hold immense power over EU policy-making, influencing the lives of millions. Big corporations like Amazon and major industry groups spend hundreds of millions of euros yearly to sway EU decisions in their favor. More than 25,000 lobbyists in Brussels, mostly representing corporations, spend an estimated €1.5 billion annually. A report by Corporate Europe Observatory reveals that the banking sector alone outspends NGOs and trade unions in financial debates by 30:1. This leads to excessive industry influence and corporate capture of decision-making. Corporate lobbyists dominate EU Commission advisory groups, with 75% of meetings involving big business reps, rising to 80% in finance and trade policy. The ‘revolving door’ phenomenon, where officials move between public office and lobbying jobs, further exacerbates the issue. Top spenders, focusing heavily on digital policy, include Meta (€8M), Apple (€7M), Bayer, Google, Shell, and Microsoft. Stricter rules are needed to curb this influence. Read more, a story by Henrique Tizzot 🔗

Love deep, surgical, China-influence unraveling stories like this one from Bertie Lyhne-Gold and David Bandurski (班志远) at Lingua Sinica (on Substack), and it's entertaining, too! "The brothers Liu . . . " 😂 Lingua Sinica [excerpt]: In 2006, the two men established #Alibaba Business TV (阿里巴巴商务卫视), which focused on product sales across the #MiddleEast. The #investment made sense given the growing trade relationship between #China and the region, even though the two had, by their own admission, a “limited understanding” of the #media industry beyond their online listings venture. The company had no relationship with China’s Alibaba Group. By this time also, Liu Haitao’s younger brother, Liu Haijiang (刘海江), had followed him to #Dubai. At this early stage, Chinese state media showed an interest in Liu and Wang’s network only insofar as it could showcase China’s growing economic ties with the #UAE. But that changed in 2013, as #XiJinping outlined in August that year a bold new vision for foreign #propaganda work that would urge Chinese media and official entities across the country to join in “telling China’s story well” on the global stage. This was followed closely by the launch of Xi’s massive signature infrastructure development project, the Belt and Road Initiative (#BRI). Both initiatives sharpened China’s focus on partnerships in the #GlobalSouth, including the Middle East. For Liu Haitao, who now had five years’ experience operating a TV station in Dubai, this must have seemed a moment of near-perfect alignment between his #business interests and China’s #international goals. Right Place, Right Time On July 20, 2014, less than a month after Xi Jinping’s announcement that China would deepen cooperation with Arab states in oil and gas, infrastructure, trade and investment, and other areas under BRI, the Liu brothers enlisted Sheik Majid, an Emirati royal, to found China-Arab TV. The network was registered under the economic license of Arab Business TV FZ-LLC. From the outset, they described their network as positioned at the intersection of state and commercial interests. In an interview with Home Voice (鄉音), a Chinese diaspora outlet based in New Zealand, Liu Haijiang stressed that overseas Chinese media like CATV must seek business success by serving the BRI and following Beijing’s latest directives. “The development of overseas Chinese media,” said Liu, “is inseparable from China itself.” Was there more direct involvement at this early stage from the Chinese government? This is unclear. But a terse post in Chinese to CATV’s website, dated to late 2014 and preserved in online archives, offers a tantalizing clue. According to the post, the network was registered in Dubai "under the support of the Chinese and UAE governments." #news #journalism #geopolitics Credit to Bill Bishop of Sinocism for sharing on Substack.

🇱🇺 Is Luxembourg's €10 million press funding system serving journalism or propping up failing businesses? An accurate analysis reveals troubling facts: - 19 out of 20 publications reported losses in 2022, offset by public funds - 75% of funding goes to just 3 dominant media groups - Lack of transparency in decision-making processes Taxpayers and policymakers should be asking hard questions.  We need a transparent review to ensure funding truly supports quality journalism and diverse voices. Key concerns: - Distortion of market competition - Barriers for emerging voices - Potential scrutiny at EU level While 2023 data is incomplete for some major publishers, the trend is clear:  we're subsidizing unsustainable business models rather than fostering innovation in journalism. 🤔 Is it time to reform Luxembourg's press funding system? #LuxembourgMedia #PressFreedom #MediaPluralism

It’s been a bleak five years for legislative processes and transparency in Indonesia and that’s unlikely to change, write Eryanto Nugroho, Melbourne Law School; Rizky Argama and Fajri Nursyamsi, Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK); and Choris Satun Nikmah, Indonesian Parliamentary Center. #democracy #Asia #OpenParliament, Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel).

It’s been a bleak five years for legislative processes and transparency in Indonesia and that’s unlikely to change, write Eryanto Nugroho, Melbourne Law School; Rizky Argama and Fajri Nursyamsi, Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK); and Choris Satun Nikmah, Indonesian Parliamentary Center. #democracy #Asia #OpenParliament, Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel).

Global Media and China is a peer-reviewed, open access journal, which provides a dedicated, interdisciplinary forum for research. The journal welcomes articles on all aspects of international research in the field of communication and media studies and has a particular interest in how global media are impacting on, and are in turn being transformed by China, specifically Chinese institutions, industries and audiences. Research on digital platforms, social media and related policy is welcome. Please see the Aims and Scopes tab for further information. IAMCR's International Communication Section collaborates with Global Media and China, a peer reviewed, open access, scholarly journal that provides a dedicated, interdisciplinary forum for international research on communication and media with a focus on China. It covers both Chinese communication and media from a global perspective, and global communication and media from a Chinese perspective. Global Media and China is a peer reviewed, open access, scholarly journal that provides a dedicated, interdisciplinary forum for international research on all aspects of communication and media. Media in China is strictly controlled and censored by the CCP, with the main agency that oversees the nation's media being the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP. Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: /ˌʃɪnˈhwɑː/), or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a State Council's ministry-level institution, and was founded in 1931. It is the largest media organ in China. Chinese social media platforms are similar to their western counterparts. Although there are major platforms like Weibo, WeChat, Baidu and Taobao that have the largest volume of users, the overall landscape of Chinese social media is relatively fragmented. Due to the “Great Firewall” of China, as the Chinese government's internet censorship project is commonly called, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other leading international social media players, are all blocked in the country. However, the Chinese social media market is not incomparable with its western counterparts.29 Feb 2024 #snsinstitutions #snsdesigntginkers #designthinking

I consider myself a realist when it comes to #China. This situation seems like business as usual for the PRC. If the NYT wants to put pressure on the US to lean on China for human rights violations, there is plenty of material for them. Why is Mr. Dong getting so much attention from The New York Times? Because Mr. Dong went to Harvard University and met a NYT journalist. Meanwhile, there are over 200 US citizens detained in China. Why hasn't the NYT run individual articles on all of them? Because they didn't go to Harvard? Because they don't have friends at the NYT? Because the U.S. Department of State doesn't stick up for US citizens the way it is sticking up for a Chinese citizen? Mr. Dong seems to me to be a Chinese patriot. Given that he had already served a harsh sentence for participating in Tiananmen Square, he must have known the risk he ran by remaining in China. Can the same be said for all the Americans held by the PRC? Fair warning to anyone who travels to China-- for any reason. You can be detained. You can be denied an exit visa. You can be arrested. You are taking a risk when you travel there. It's China--let's be realistic.