How Free Is Media in Your Country, Really?

Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Amman, Jordan: some of the places I mention in my episode

I start my episode by revealing to you how irresponsibly I would go on motorbike rides when I was living in Thailand.

Why do I do that?

To juxtapose it with a certain strict law Thailand has regarding its media.

Media freedom is the topic of this week’s episode.

But in addition to lèse-majesté (laws prohibiting criticism of the Royal family, and something I cannot pronounce correctly) and other types of censorship structures, we have to talk about something else. Something that is easier to miss.

That is media plurality.

What’s the difference between internal plurality and external plurality?

A quick answer: that difference is huge, and it has to deal with media ownership consolidation levels.

Listen to this episode to learn more about it.

References:

• Media freedom in Thailand
• A woman sentenced to jail for insulting the King of Jordan
• Media ownership landscape in the U.S.
• Media ownership landscape in the U.K.
• Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) by Reporters Without Borders
• My own article on media silence
• My podcast episode on the media silence surrounding the military occupation in Palestine
• The Intercept, an independent media news outlet (Jeremy Scahill is one of its co-founders).

Explore my most recent pieces:

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• #JusticeForShireen, A Year Later
  Exactly a year ago, Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered by an Israeli sniper. What happened in a year in Palestine? And what lenses can help us understand what’s been happening in Palestine for decades, as seen through Shireen’s painful example?
• Ramadan in Palestine: Disregarding Human Rights is Democracy; Criticising Those Same Abuses Is Antisemitism
  The Palestinian town of Huwara was just violently attacked by a big mob of Israeli settlers. This is not an incident – it’s is all part of what a brutal system of military occupation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid entails.
• What Are Political Prisoners And Why Should We Care About Them?
  Why can it seem problematic at first sight to even define the concept of ‘political prisoner’? What can help us to do so? And, most importantly, why should we care? In short, we should care about our political prisoners if we care about human rights and our humanity. In my episode, I talk about the broader implication of it, I give examples of political prisoners we’ve had historically, and the ones we have now. I also invite you to take action!
• The Brutality and The Illegality of The War in Iraq, 20 Years Later
  If you’re an empire, you can destroy another nation and continue preaching about international law and human rights. Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the country remains struggling and the war criminals unpunished.
• International Women’s Day: Flowers Are Great, But What About End of Oppression?
  What’s better than flowers on International Women’s Day? In short, a lot. That’s what I talk about in my episode.
• An Explosion of Settler Violence in Huwara and What It Means
  The Palestinian town of Huwara was just violently attacked by a big mob of Israeli settlers. This is not an incident – it’s is all part of what a brutal system of military occupation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid entails.
• Israel’s Attack on Nablus: Yet Another Massacre in Palestine
  As Israeli forces raid Jenin and murder nine Palestinians – making it ten in a day – will we see any international condemnation? And what’s the role of the media here?