With the slogan ‘Changing Perspectives’ and a goal of presenting Pakistan to the rest of the world as a vibrant, modern Islamic state, state-owned Pakistan Television Network at the end of January launched a 24-hour English-language news channel called PTV World. Amid the fanfare in the launch, there was no mention that PTV World is the fourth such broadcasting attempt in Pakistan  – or that the previous three, all failed financially. The earlier failures may not offer much guidance on how well the state’s service will perform, though. Each was an attempt by a private broadcaster to build an advertising base that would...

When the New York Times revealed in late January that Chinese hackers had infiltrated its digital network, including reporters’ email accounts, reaction exploded on Twitter and other social media sites. People speculated that this was yet another example of China’s rising power in the world. But then there was this tweet from writer and reporter Charlie Custer, who manages the translation website ChinaGeeks.com. On the one hand, NYT hacking is a big story. On the other hand, is it? Isn’t this happening to most foreign correspondents constantly? — Charlie Custer (@ChinaGeeks) February 1, 2013 That reminded Howard French, the...

At 2 a.m. on February 9, the Indian government declared a curfew in Indian-controlled Kashmir.A few hours later, Kashmiri residents understood why: New Delhi had decided to execute Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri convicted in a 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. Guru’s hanging was the final act of a controversial case that India knew could spark street protests by many Kashmiris, who claimed charges against Guru were weak, and that he was used as a scapegoat. So once news of the hanging and the strict curfew—which forbade residents from even stepping out of their homes—was delivered by radio, television, and the Internet, New Delhi cut off...

More than a year after Myanmar’s authoritarian regime began enacting broad political reforms – including easing harsh restrictions on media — early euphoria is beginning to give way to caution and skepticism. Among the high-profile changes that have won praise from western governments was the announcement that a new media law would be drafted by a press council, made up of 28 non-government experts. Although the law would need approval in the national parliament, allowing civilian experts to propose how they should be governed was unprecedented in Myanmar, which was ruled for decades by military dictators..  It’s one of the...

In February, China Central Television launched CCTV America, an hour-long daily program broadcast from brand new studios in Washington, D.C. CCTV America says that it is trying to provide American audiences with news from an Asian perspective. However, some critics are skeptical that the network will be able to distance itself from the propaganda broadcast by its Chinese relative. Milos Balac, Annie Claire Bergeron-Oliver and Lesley Dong report.

When U.S. Navy Seals slipped through the dark into Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound one year ago, the killing of America’s most wanted man on Pakistani soil set off a tidal wave of media coverage in both countries that helped shape public opinion and complicated already frayed relations between Washington and Islamabad The killing of Osama bin Laden became a media moment in both countries, though one with sharply differing narratives. U.S. media coverage featured triumphant fist pumping outside the White House, recreations of how the Navy Seals found their target, and TV commentators – especially those on the right of the...

China and the United States share a history muddled by mistrust. This is especially true today with respect to each country’s economic and political ambitions. The news media in one is influenced by its nation’s politics, culture and history in reporting on the other. Yet, despite these restrictions and sometimes-tense national relationship, the way that the Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television and the South China Morning Post covered the U.S. Republican primaries showed remarkable variety in their attitude towards American politics. This is an analysis of Chinese media coverage of this year’s Republican Primaries, from January...

When opposition leader and activist Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s National Democratic League swept parliamentary elections in Myanmar early last month, it sent a message abroad: Myanmar is changing. The American and Chinese media, like their governments, appear to agree that those changes are for the good — but with different national frames. Only days before the landmark election, the Association of Southeast Nations applauded reforms in the country and urged Western nations to lift sanctions “immediately.” China, too, supported immediate action on the part of Western nations. The U.S. has responded by easing some sanctions, and leaving...

It started with the peculiar death of an English businessman in a hotel room in the city of Chongqing. It has descended into an epochal political crisis that threatens the stability of a country on the brink of its once-in-a-decade leadership transition. Bo Xilai, one of the most prominent politicians in China and previously considered a likely candidate to join the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, was removed from his post as the Chongqing party chief. His wife, Gu Kailai, is under investigation for the murder of the businessman, Neil Heywood. Emerging details of the death are becoming increasingly salacious, with Boxun, a...