Mediaboss Marketing

The landscape of media freedom in Southeast Asia shows a mix of government regimes and media systems. To provide a regional perspective is therefore a complex task.

The Freedom House Index ranks countries according to state of political and civic liberties available to citizens, along with a ranking of press freedom. The classifications are three: Free, Partly Free and Not Free states. Of the ten states in the ASEAN, no country is currently classified as Free. Only three make it as Partly Free: East Timor, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Freedom House continues to classify Burma as Not Free, despite the dramatic changes that have been initiated by government to open up society. As such, it is not doing any worse than other countries, and perhaps trailing behind only three.

One obvious view is to see Myanmar still very much in tune with the rest of the region which has long favored authoritatrian control, the curbing of human rights, and governments for politicians rather than for the people.

One can quarrel with the system of measurements of Freedom House, but that is another discussion.. In fact, Southeast Asia boasts of three de-facto three press systems for some time, but the situation even in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, joined later by Timor Leste, reflects the global decline of press freedom all around the world. This downward trend in the quality of media freedom are measured by setbacks, such as the political turmoil in Thailand which has enhanced the application of lese majeste laws, and the impact of a younger generation distaste for the mainstream media.

Even in free systems such as India and the Philippines, where the free press tradition has had the longest histories in Asia, there are other pressures restraining media freedom, including religious and social traditions, the interlocking economic and political interests of owners, media corruption, commercialism and outmoded news conventions that focus on personality, color and conflict, which leave many significant stories un-reported and prevents a news agenda more responsive to public needs.

Anything we say about Myanmar from around the three ASEAN countries, cannot be said with condescension that comes from superior ranking of freedom. The Philippines may be proud to claim the most libertarian Constitution with clear provisions for protecting press freedom from government interference. But Filipino journalists continue to be vulnerable to violent attacks, to be subject to imprisonment for defamation under the criminal libel law. Along with Not Free countries in ASEAN, we do not have a Freedom of Information Act. Sadly, the region has not set a very good example for Myanmar to follow.

Initiatives and gains

But the political initiatives taken by Myanmar in 2011 seem to secure certain gains. The national mood has lifted, breaking the long-standing malaise of repression with visible and audible hope in a radically new future.

Personally, I remain optimistic about official intentions. Surely, officials know that once released, the freedom genie cannot be summoned back to the bottle. As an exile journalist returning to his country put it: The process may be slow, it may be even stalled. But it will be very difficult to stop.

Read the original post:
Myanmar media: In sweet spot of transition

AFP Syria army recaptures rebel bastion Yabrud

Yabrud (Syria) (AFP) - Syria's army and Lebanon's Hezbollah seized full control of rebel bastion Yabrud on Sunday, dealing the opposition a strategic blow in the Qalamoun region along the Lebanese border.

An AFP reporter entered the town after the army declared it had captured the opposition stronghold north of Damascus, in a symbolic victory a day after the third anniversary of the outbreak of Syria's conflict.

Exhausted Syrian soldiers sat in the streets after seizing the town in fierce clashes with the support of battle-hardened fighters from Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah and pro-regime militiamen.

"It was a very difficult battle, possibly the most difficult we have faced," a soldier who identified himself as Abu Mohammed told AFP in Yabrud's central square between puffs from a water-pipe.

Earlier, the army announced it had "returned security and stability" to the town and its surroundings.

"This new success... is an important step towards securing the border area with Lebanon, and cutting off the roads and tightening the noose around the remaining terrorist cells in Damascus province," the military added, using the regime's term for rebels.

While scores of soldiers and fighters wearing different kinds of uniforms were seen in Yabrud, not one civilian could be spotted anywhere.

Graffiti in the colours of the pro-revolt flag still adorned the heavily damaged town's walls, while fighter jets were heard overhead.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group relying on a network of contacts inside Syria, said Hezbollah had led the operation and that fighting was ongoing on the outskirts of the town.

Read more from the original source:
Syria army in full control of rebel town Yabrud: state TV

The Missing Malaysia Aircraft Challenges CCP Censorship
Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews During the annual Communist party co...

By: ChinaForbiddenNews

Read more:
The Missing Malaysia Aircraft Challenges CCP Censorship - Video

During the last generation of consoles, I preferred to watch movies on my PlayStation 3 thanks to its awesome first-party Bluetooth remote control. When I disconnected my PS3 and 360 after buying my new consoles, I was disappointed to have to return to controller-based navigation. As soon as I heard Microsoft would be putting out a relatively inexpensive ($25) official media remote, I put my pre-order in. It arrived today, and I had a chance to test it out a bit this afternoon.

I flipped through the brief manual at first to see if there were any sync instructions for the device, but found none. Thinking there might be a sync button on the remote itself, I looked there to no result. I assumed that Id need to go through some of the device settings on the Xbox One itself, so I headed into the conference room to turn it on.

Out of habit, I pressed the guide button on the remote despite not doing anything to sync it. To my surprise, it immediately worked and turned on the Xbox One and the television. Navigating around the dashboard worked as youd expect with the circular direction buttons, and I started a Blu-Ray movie (Bruce Almighty, which we had in the vault for some dumb reason).

I expected all of the media controls to work for the Xbox Ones built-in Blu-Ray player, and it functioned as advertised. You have to make sure youre pointing the remote at the console, but its quick and easy to pause, play, and go through various fast-forward and rewind speeds.

My question was whether or not the controls would cross over to third-party apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Thankfully, it functioned exactly the same as it did for the Blu-Ray player. Personally, Im hoping its the same case when the WWE Network app launches later this year on Xbox One.

The remote itself is lightweight, small, and automatically lights up the buttons when you pick it up. I really like the feel and function of it, and Im looking forward to not having to drain my game controllers battery when Im just watching Hulu or Netflix. From my brief time with the Xbox One Media Remote today, Id recommend it to anyone that wants a dedicated device for media control.

Read the rest here:
Testing The New Xbox One Media Remote

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will visit the agency's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., on the afternoon of Monday, March 17, for demonstrations of and briefings on select aeronautics and space research activities performed at the center.

Media are invited to attend Boldens tour of the laboratory used for research on volleyball-sized free-flying satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES, which are currently aboard the International Space Station. SPHERES are used on the space station to conduct experiments in space robotics, as well as spacecraft guidance navigation, control and docking. The satellites provide opportunities to affordably test a wide range of hardware and software.

Interested media may also attend Boldens tour of the center's high-fidelity airport control tower simulator, dubbed Future Flight Central, where the administrator will be briefed on research underway in support of next-generation air traffic management. NASA is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration and industry partners to develop several advanced automation tools that provide air traffic controllers, pilots, and other airspace users with more accurate real-time information about the nations air traffic flow, weather and routing.

Following the tours and briefings, Bolden will be available for a question-and-answer session with attending media. News media interested in attending should contact Sharon Lozano atsharon.k.lozano@nasa.govor 650-604-4789 by 9 a.m. PDT Monday, March 17, to register.

Registered news media may arrive as early as 11:45 a.m. March 17 at the Visitor Badging Office located at the main gate. Government-issued photo ID is required to obtain a visitor badge. News media will be escorted to and from the event Media arriving early will have an opportunity to interview SPHERES experts before Boldens arrival. All media must be at the main gate by 12:30 p.m.

For more information about Ames, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ames

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

Read more:
Media Invited to Tour Ames Research Center with NASA Administrator