Rapping the biased views appearing on social media, Ramana said: “Ill-informed and agenda-driven debates on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be detrimental to the health of democracy.”..reports Asian Lite News
Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Saturday hit out at electronic and social media ‘trials’, saying that media run ‘kangaroo courts’ at times on issues and even experienced judges find it difficult to decide.
Speaking at the inaugural ‘Justice S. B. Sinha Memorial Lecture’ on “Life of a Judge” organised by National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi, the Chief Justice stressed the need to ensure proper judicial infrastructure, the problems created by media trial in judicial administration, future challenges of the judiciary and the importance of judicial review in protection of the Constitution.
Asserting that we are living in a complex society, Ramana said that the role of a person holding a position in the judiciary or governance becomes extremely crucial as their decisions at critical junctures influence the growth and progress of humanity.
“Doing justice is not an easy responsibility. It is becoming increasingly challenging with each passing day,” he said, pointing out the increasing number of media trials.
“New media tools have the enormous amplifying ability but appear to be incapable of distinguishing between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad and the real and the fake. Media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases,” he said in the speech.
Rapping the biased views appearing on social media, he said: “Ill-informed and agenda-driven debates on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be detrimental to the health of democracy.”
He said further that biased views propagated by media are affecting people, weakening democracy, and harming the system.
In the process, justice delivery gets adversely affected. “By overstepping and breaching your responsibility, you are taking our democracy two steps backward,” he blasted.
The conference agenda includes 30 dialogue sessions focusing on 3 blocs that highlight digital technologies, artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and innovation…reports Asian Lite News
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and Emirates News Agency (WAM) will be organising the first edition of the conference accompanying the Global Media Congress on 15-17 November 2022, which will be held under the theme “Shaping the Future of the Media Industry”. The event is gathering significant local, regional, and international interest, with four countries already confirming they will be participating in the event with national pavilions, and many more in the pipeline.
The three-day conference in parallel with the Congress is the first of its kind in the Middle East. Set to take place in Abu Dhabi at ADNEC, the Congress will provide an ideal platform to bring together prominent leaders, decision-makers, experts, and journalists from the region and around the world to discuss a number of topics, concepts, and solutions that will play a pivotal role in defining the future of global media. The Congress will also provide a platform discuss analyse and review the current position of mass media in the Middle East in order to highlight innovative visions for driving further advancement.
The conference is set to attract more than 200 CEOs and more than 1,200 participants and includes 40 dialogue sessions with the participation of 30 prominent international speakers. Focusing on innovation in the media sector, it will see the participation of top leaders, prominent media professionals, representatives of international media, and major social media companies.
His Excellency Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Director General of the Emirates News Agency “WAM”, said: “The media is an important partner in the UAE’s development process. Organising the first edition of the Global Media Congress reflects our strategy for enhancing joint cooperation and building partnerships on the regional and international levels, which will contribute towards progress and excellence in this sector.
“The slogan of the conference accompanying the Global Media Congress reflects the vision and goals of this prominent international event in terms of foreseeing the future of the media sector in the region, and raising the level of benefitting from advanced technology such as digital technology and artificial intelligence to achieve a leap in this sector to support its role as the main contributor to sustainable development in all fields,” His Excellency added.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) said: “ADNEC’s and Abu Dhabi’s media expertise and infrastructure makes it the ideal choice for hosting and organising the Global Media Congress. Hosting this event aligns perfectly with our vision for attracting international expertise in all fields and supporting the transfer and localisation of knowledge , It will provide fantastic opportunities that will help relay global knowledge in the media sector to the UAE and the wider region, by creating a global platform for discussing the impact of direct digital broadcast. – as well as helping Emirati youth keep pace with the rapid development of the media sector, expanding the horizons of students in this field.”
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The conference will be hosted as an integral part of the Global Media Congress, featuring pioneers in the media industry and global specialists and influencers, in addition to academic figures, youths, and university students. The Congress will tackle a number of critical themes related to digital communication, AI, advanced technology, and creativity in media, in addition to sessions on journalism, radio, television, the internet, social media, and global influencers, as well as offering the ideal platform for international companies wishing to enter the regional media space.
The Global Media Congress is an important platform for reviewing the state of mass media in the region and the world and helping shape the vision for the future of the sector, which has become a primary driver of sustainable societal development.
The event started with Canadian national anthem and a moment of silence for journalists who laid down their lives in the line of their duty globally….reports Asian Lite News
Members of Punjabi Press Club of British Columbia (PPCBC) have come out to hold a rally against growing repression of journalists and shrinking press freedom.
Held at the Holland Park in Surrey on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday, the rally was attended by the Mayor Dough McCallum and city councillor Mandeep Nagra, besides BC Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Sussanne Skidmore. The three of them addressed the gathering and strongly condemned the attack on press freedom.
Special messages of solidarity with the media from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and two MPs — Sukh Dhaliwal and Parm Bains — were also read out by the organisers.
The event started with Canadian national anthem and a moment of silence for journalists who laid down their lives in the line of their duty globally.
Many of the rally participants believe India is becoming unsafe for journalists.
The speakers were unanimous in their demand for the release of jailed journalists in India, and halting physical and mental harassment of mediapersons by authorities and their supporters.
They agreed that the female journalists remain more vulnerable. Slogans in support of press freedom were also raised by the participants.
Those who spoke on the occasion were PPCBC president Baljinder Kaur, former presidents Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal and Jarnail Singh Artist, cofounder of the club Gurpreet Singh Sahota, secretary Khuspal Gill and a veteran member Kuldeep Singh. Gurpreet Singh, the publisher of Radical Desi, an online magazine also spoke.
The AAG told the court there is a timeline for presenting it before the parliament. It has to be placed before the parliament within this timeline. The executive has to adopt them till the rules are there….reports Asian Lite News
Qasim Wadood, Additional Attorney General (AAG), representing the Pakistan government in the Islamabad High Court, said that the government has put the PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act) ordinance on the back-burner, media report.
He further added that the government can take back the ordinance as the Islamabad High Court while hearing miscellaneous applications against PECA Amendment Ordinance on Wednesday called the failure to place the ordinance before the parliament, an ill intention of the Executive, the News International reported.
The hearing was before a single bench, headed by Chief Justice (CJ) IHC Athar Minallah.
The court inquired from the AAG on what date this ordinance was promulgated. The AAG told the court the ordinance was promulgated on February 18 and was notified in the gazette on February 19. The court remarked failure to place the ordinance before parliament proves ill-intent of the executive, News International reported.
The AAG told the court there is a timeline for presenting it before the parliament. It has to be placed before the parliament within this timeline. The executive has to adopt them till the rules are there.
Adil Aziz Qazi from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Usman Warraich and others appeared before the court.
AAG further told the court that the different aspects of the promulgation of the ordinance are seen. The powers about the promulgation of the ordinance under Article 89 are given up to what extent. While responding to the court regarding the date of ordinance promulgation, he said that the ordinance was promulgated on February 18 and Gazette was notified on February 19, News International reported.
The court remarked the government has to present the ordinance in the Pakistan National Assembly and the Senate session and said, “It cannot be so that it is presented where there is the majority. You have to tell if the executive does not discharge its constitutional obligations; it has its effects. You have to tell this ordinance was placed when and before which house. National Assembly or Senate can reject the ordinance at any time. The constitution makes it binding that an ordinance will be presented before both of the houses of parliament. If the ordinance is not presented today in parliament, then as to why the court should not declare it ill-intent of the executive.”
The court further observed, “Ordinance has to be presented before both houses of parliament. The executive cannot do this that it presents the ordinance before the house wherein it enjoys a majority. If the Executive has violated its duty, then what will be its consequences? Can the Executive prevent parliament from using its powers for approving or rejecting the ordinance?”
“The Constitution says the ordinance will be presented before both the houses of parliament after it is promulgated. Parliament is supreme. It can reject the ordinance. The executive has no power to defy the Constitution. If any House of the parliament does not reject the ordinance, then it will be presented a bill. The Executive is keeping deprived the parliament of its right to review the ordinance. If one house of parliament rejects the ordinance, then it will stand abolished. The court cannot put this case on the back burner,” the court added.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case till April 04.
On February 20, the government had issued a Presidential Ordinance amending the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) under which the exemption granted to PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) licensed TV channels has been abolished.
Criticism has become a crime under the ordinance and the crime will be non-bailable, the police will arrest and hand over the case and the case will be decided in 6 months, according to local news. (ANI)
Experts say that Taliban will not tolerate any independent media outlets that expose their atrocities and reveal the truth to the Afghans and the world….reports Asian Lite News
Several media outlets have been shut down due to economic problems post the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Payk Media, an Afghanistan based media outlet, reported that a private radio station called Khyber Innovation, in Laghman province has been shut down due to economic problems.
It further added that since the beginning of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan dozens of audio and video media outlets have been shut down due to economic problems.
Notably, the Taliban led a major offensive in Afghanistan during the withdrawal of US troops from the country and took over power in August 2021, establishing an interim government.
Since then, the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises.
A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged the country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis.
Experts say that Taliban will not tolerate any independent media outlets that expose their atrocities and reveal the truth to the Afghans and the world.
Experts added that the Taliban had manipulated the media in Afghanistan and would not allow the publication of facts.
In the latest incident, Taliban has removed the logo of Zawia News, a digital media space to empower Afghans, from the Kabul-Jalalabad highway.
The information was shared by the media space on its Twitter handle.
Taking to Twitter, the media outlet said, “The Taliban have removed the Zawia Media logo on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway. Media experts say the Taliban will not tolerate any independent media outlets that expose their atrocities and the truth. They added that the Taliban had manipulated the media in Afghanistan and would not allow the publication of facts.”
In a recent controversy, the Taliban, as part of its home search operations have detained several civilians close to the former security forces in recent days in Daykundi province and are asking for weapons.
According to sources of Reporterly, Afghanistan’s online portal, these people are detained and tortured in prison after a search of their homes.
Taliban is using force and witnesses say that it is looking for weapons, military vehicles, equipment and former government officials. (ANI)
Leading UAE newspaper “The National” Trains Young Arab Media Leaders on Professional Interview Skills…reports Asian Lite News
The fourth edition of the Young Arab Media Leaders Program, with the participation of 50 Arab media talents from 17 Arab countries, hosted Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief of “The National” newspaper, in a special session to provide tips to future media professionals on the arts of conducting press interviews, dealing with guests, asking questions and obtaining information in a professional manner.
Al-Oraibi spoke with the participants about her experience in field work and press interviews, which spanned for more than 15 years covering Middle East, European and American news. Along with Joe Jenks, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The National, she presented a workshop that included a practical simulation of field interviews.
The National trains young Arab Media Leaders on professional interview skills
Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National newspaper, said, “I am always pleased to be at the Young Arab Media Leaders Program, and to talk to this generation of young media professionals about the most prominent challenges and ideas that occupy their minds while practicing their media work.” She presented realistic examples about the importance of highlighting the human side in daily journalistic work, especially when dealing with difficult and complex cases, the importance of preparing for interviews and being prepared to obtain valuable information that contributes to creating useful news for the public. She also presented a set of challenges facing journalist’s work and the tools available to overcome them by continuing to develop skills and adhere to professional standards.
The National trains young Arab Media Leaders on professional interview skills
Launched earlier this week, the program will continue over the coming days to benefit from the youth pavilion at the Expo, as it provides participants with the opportunity to communicate with more than 190 countries from diverse backgrounds and cultures to acquire skills that open up more opportunities for them in the labor market and also to contribute to enhancing their career paths in their current positions.
Members of the Afghanistan National Journalists Union said that the Islamic Emirate instructed them to not hold the conference until they receive permission….reports Asian Lite News
The Taliban government in Afghanistan prevented media outlets from holding a press conference in Kabul over concerns about the status of media in the country, reported media organisations.
The conference was supposed to be held on Wednesday in Kabul, reported TOLO News.
The Afghanistan Journalist Center in a statement said the conference was to be attended by 11 representatives from different media organisations.
“All national and international media outlets were covering it, however, unfortunately, due to the verbal order of the officials of the Islamic Emirate, the conference was cancelled,” said Ali Asghar Akbarzada, head of the Afghanistan National Journalists’ Union.
Members of the Afghanistan National Journalists Union said that the Islamic Emirate instructed them to not hold the conference until they receive permission.
“We call on the Islamic Emirate to finalise their decision in the future. They should make the decision as soon as possible and give us a permit so we can hold our conference based on it,” Akbarzada said.
The Taliban government did not comment over whether it prohibited the conference of the media outlets or not but said that it remains supportive of the media, based on Islamic regulations.
Over 43 per cent of media activities have been halted and over 60 per cent of media employees have become jobless since the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan, say media reports.
The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Inamullah Samangani, has overruled the statement and any interference into media affairs….reports Asian Lite News
The Taliban on Tuesday denied reports of interfering with media and said that it believed in media freedom after the Free Speech Hub expressed concerns over restrictions on the media.
The Free Speech Hub, a media-supporting organization in Afghanistan, expressed concerns over media freedom and said that the media in Afghanistan has not been completely free since the fall of the republican government, and journalists face systematic censorship, reported Tolo News.
The Free Speech Hub statement said that the media faced restrictions besides the economic problems that have greatly increased since the collapse of the former government, and forces affiliated with the Islamic Emirate’s intelligence body are putting pressure on the media and journalists.
“Afghanistan media and journalists are under pressure by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Emirate and they are trying to compel media and journalists to censor themselves,” the Free Media Hub said, reported Tolo News.
The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Inamullah Samangani, has overruled the statement and any interference into media affairs.
“We are making efforts to create good coordination with the media and (give) good opportunities for them to survive and continue their activities. The presence of a free media is necessary for a good and accountable society,” said Samangani.
At the same time, officials at media-supporting organizations urged the Islamic Emirate to respect media freedom, reported Tolo News.
“Any kind of interference with media activities and affairs is a step toward violating media’s independence and freedom, and this is a source of concern for the Afghanistan National Journalists Union,” said Masror Lotfi, head of Afghanistan’s National Journalists’ Union (ANJU).
“As the free Speech Hub reported–and expressed concerns–these problems truly exist and there are some efforts to impose restrictions on media and journalists by some organizations,” said Hujatullah Mujadid, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA).
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, media and journalists have lost their independence in the crisis-torn country. (ANI)
“During the 1990s, issues of sexuality rather than gender became the focus of discourse and debate…reports Asian Lite News.
Stereotyping and objectification of women in the media narrative is a universal truth that needs to be addressed, questioned and reversed as the media in general, especially advertising, has failed to a large extent to understand and assimilate a definite social shift and the changing status of women in the society per se, says industry expert Jaishri Jethwaney in a new book that examines how objectification, sexualisation and patriarchy loom large in advertising across societies.
“Clients, especially the large advertisers who are the ultimate decision-makers on what would the final ad narrative on their brands would be, have to own the responsibility for ensuring gender-sensitive narrative,” Jethwaney, an ICSSR Research Fellow and former Professor and Programme Director (Advertising and PR) at IIMC, says of “The Beauty Paradigm: Gender Discourse in Indian Advertising (SAGE Response)”.
“The content analysis of more than 1,100 campaigns across three decades from the 1990s until now has proved beyond doubt the blatant stereotyping of women in ads across brand categories,” she says.
The findings are not any different from the ASCI’s Gender Next Report, 2021 that reflects that women are stereotyped and projected sensually, with the “average ads featuring an unrealistic and unobtainable standard of beauty… There emerges a gap between the intent to create more positive depictions of women and the current reality of depictions”, the report says.
Going back into time, Jethwaney writes that the feminist thought in the 1960s in retrospect, drew attention to the representation of women in media and called for a systematic investigation into the area of female role stereotypes in popular media.
“Particularly, it was suggested that advertising in popular media was a primary means for introducing and promoting female role stereotypes and sexism, calling attention to a systematic investigation into this area. Scholars believe that whereas the 1960s and 1970s largely experienced the development of the feminist perspective, the 1980s and 1990s coincided with the emergence of a viewpoint that gradually weakened the arguments of feminist thought.
“During the 1990s, issues of sexuality rather than gender became the focus of discourse and debate. During this period, sexual imagery of women was viewed as radical and cutting-edge rather than unfair and exploitative,” Jethwaney writes.
The research in different countries and at various points of time is reflective of the exclusive and gender insensitive nature of societies. Critics believe that it is inevitable because, in general, social thoughts like philosophy, history, science, even theory are also gender insensitive, which has a concomitant impact on the policies as well as on governance and justice.
Media, a part of the social milieu too remains largely gender insensitive in its approach and narrative. Advertising, as a marketing tool, draws its references from various persuasive theories that look for appeals and symbols that largely cater to men and male gaze, she writes.
“Advertising is criticised for voyeurism, misogyny, objectification of women’s body and for following a patriarchal approach in its discourse.
“Objectification is a notion central to the feminist theory. It posits treating a person, usually a woman as an object, the focus being primarily on sexual objectification. Critics believe that the feminist literature of 20th century and later was hugely influenced by Immanuel Kant’s work on sexuality and objectification,” Jethwaney writes.
Objectification, for Kant, involved the lowering of a person, i.e. a being with inhumanity, to the status of an object. He argued that when a woman was seen as an object of enjoyment in sexual relations, the object was of no use once that enjoyment was over. In this way, the loved person tends to lose what was special to her as a human being-her humanity, and is reduced to a thing, a mere sexual instrument. Kant’s notion of objectification, therefore, focused largely on instrumentality: the treatment of a person as a mere tool for the lover’s purposes, the author states.
How, then, does one break out of the shackles?
“Social transformation accompanied with implementation of laws shall be the key to address women related issues in India. The feminist literature and movements bear testimony to the fact that feminism is very much home grown and organic in India and not a copy of the West as generally alleged. The feminist movement is not against men but about fighting the power structures that are so well embedded in the familial, social, political and economic spheres,” Jethwaney maintains.
Zhao was sentenced to a suspended death sentence in September 2020 for rape and other offences….reports Asian Lite News
Social media users in China have criticised the state-owned media, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), over its failure to report on a jailed Shanghai citizen who raped women and held them captive in a brothel for the rich people.
The person, identified as Zhao Fuqiang started out forcing rural women to work in low-cost brothels disguised as hair salons in Shanghai, before he expanded to offer higher-end clients, Radio Free Asia reported.
Zhao was sentenced to a suspended death sentence in September 2020 for rape and other offences.
“You didn’t dare to report on the Red Mansion story in Shanghai … instead you just keep banging on about the US and the UK, the whole time,” one user wrote under a story posted by the CCP’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily.
“This country is getting more and more like North Korea; you really take us for fools,” another user agreed to the comment.
As reported by Radio Free Asia, another user wondered if the media really is on the side of victims, and the least powerful in society.
“The media, in the final analysis, is a part of the system that rules over us, and represents the will of the powers that be,” the user wrote. “I really feel that we have a long, long way to go to being civilized, democratic and equal.”
“The media has lost its voice, and the platforms are pulling hot search topics, all about a huge crime story that everyone already knows about, because it breaks the relevant regulations,” the user added.
The Chinese media is heavily controlled by the CCP under Xi Jinping’s leadership.
A recent report from the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has also revealed how journalists are being forced to become the CCP’s mouthpiece.
As per the report, in order to receive and renew their press cards, journalists will soon have to undergo a 90-hour annual training partly focusing on Xi Jinping’s “Thought”.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has also unveiled a series of plans that are seen to further consolidate the CCP’s control over the media. (ANI)
