The Listening Post

One Indian TV show combines the glitz Bollywood with some of India's most pressing development issues.

Are Middle Eastern news channels covering the Syrian crisis merely reflecting their own countries' foreign policies? Mideast news channels under the spotlight. Plus, bringing the star power of Bollywood to some of the least glamorous stories on the sub-continent.

As once friendly news outlets report the Julian Assange story more critically, we ask if the media has lost the plot. Have formerly friendly media outlets joined a witchhunt against Julian Assange? Plus, an interview with one of Egypt's most influential voices, Yosri Fouda.

Fifty years ago Germany made an international call for help, post-war industry was booming and the country desperately needed manpower. The year 1961 saw an influx of Turkish migrant workers and much to German surprise, many Turks settled - creating its largest minority group. The German media has not exactly been kind to the Turks, in fact, negative stereotyping across all media platforms might well be said to have hindered integration. Post 9/11, Turkophobia in the German media has grown worse. Mohammed Atta, one of the organisers behind the attacks, had worked out of Hamburg, and people began to blur the distinction between the Egyptian ringleader of 9/11 and the Turkish population. "They are seen as alien, dangerous sometimes, and since 9/11 the religion of these people has become more and more important in the media representation," says Mehmet Ata, a journalist at Cologne Express. The story was back in the headlines this time last year when a German politician published a damming account of the negative influence Turks are having on German society. Thilo Sarrazin, his book and its sentiments got a lot of play in the German media, making its impartiality all too evident. The Listening Post’s Flo Phillips takes a look at stereotyping and discrimination and the German media’s depiction of the country’s largest minority group.

Somalia has one of the most vibrant media landscapes in the Horn of Africa. There are hundreds of radio, TV and print outlets satisfying the Somali thirst for news. And yet, broadcasters and journalists operate in an atmosphere which is hostile to free expression. Somalia ranks as Africa's most dangerous place to be a journalist - this year alone six reporters have been murdered. The threats to the media in Somalia come from all sides - there are powerful politicians in power battles with each other, there is the notorious armed group al-Shabab and even wealthy businessmen can mean danger. Trying to report on the country's various issues has proven difficult for journalists. Those that do, do so at their peril. But that fragile media environment has not stemmed the growth of the media sector or discouraged young journalists from entering the field. In this week's feature, Listening Post's Flo Phillips explores the media landscape in Somalia, a country where being a journalist can cost you your life.

From July 27, London will host the 30th Olympic Games. The stakes are high and the competition will be fierce, not just among the athletes, but the corporations who will use the mega-media event to sell to the billion people tuning in. The price to advertise has been around the $50million mark and companies have ensured they are getting their full money's worth. The official sponsors, however, find themselves competing with numerous advertising rivals, ‘ambush marketers,' who employ guerrilla tactics to crash the branding party that the Olympics have become. The Listening Post's Flo Phillips looks at the competition of the corporations in this year's Olympic Games.

When you think of social media, you are likely to think of computers, mobile devices and sites like Facebook or Twitter. But there is one form that pre-dates it all - street art has been with us for centuries. Street art, graffiti, came before television, radio and the printing press and remains a powerful tool of communication. The medium was used to great effect during the Arab revolutions, acting as an indicator of what people in the street were saying. Street art is the political warning sign that tends to appear and attract attention long before the acticists actually hit the streets. And while demonstrators may have gone back to their lives after the fall of a government, street artists remain, making the most out of their new found freedom of expression, hoping that it lasts. In this week's feature, Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi looks at political street art, the low-tech end of social media.

Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's president, has been in the job for less than a month, but has already found himself caught up in a battle with the country's state media. The power struggle between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and President Morsi is being played out in the front pages of the country's newspapers and on its television screens. Private media outlets, which have taken off since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, are growing in numbers and becoming more opinionated than ever. State-owned media meanwhile have been accused of favouring the military over their new leader. In this week's News Divide, we look at the stand-off between Egypt's new civilian administration and a state-owned media that continues to be influenced by remnants of the old regime. This week's News Bytes: In Moscow, authorities charge a former policeman in connection with the murder of prominent Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya; WikiLeaks claims victory in a court battle against a US financial firm that imposed a blockade against the whistle-blowing site; and an Ethiopian court hands out tough sentences against six journalists in what critics are calling a blow to press freedom in the country. Political street art When you think of social media, you are likely to think of computers, mobile devices and sites like Facebook or Twitter. But there is one form that pre-dates it all - street art. Street art came before television, radio and the printing press and remains a powerful tool of communication. The medium was used to great effect during the Arab revolutions, acting as an indicator of what people in the street were saying. And while demonstrators may have gone back to their lives after the fall of a government, street artists remain, making the most out of their new found freedom of expression. In this week's feature, the Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi looks at political street art, the low tech of end of social media.

When Libyans vote in the country's first free elections in almost five decades, will they have had the benefit of a free and independent media to help them make an informed decision? Since Muammar Gaddafi's downfall, the country has seen a proliferation of news outlets, from print, broadcast and online. But after decades under Gaddafi's state-run media machine, the transition to a free and open press has not been easy and for these relatively inexperienced journalists, the election will be their biggest challenge to date. In this week's News Divide, we look at the difficulties facing the country's burgeoning media scene as the country takes part in a landmark election. The rise of Kashmir's media The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has been a flashpoint on the sub-continent for more than six decades. It is a heavily militarised zone, with more than half a million troops stationed there. Despite the ongoing conflict, it receives little or no media attention. The climate for local journalists is poor: they work under strict curfews, internet access is sporadic and text messaging services are regularly cut off. But anti-Indian protests in 2010 sparked a change in the media landscape. For the first time, a host of new voices were heard and since then Kashmiri bloggers, filmmakers and authors have taken their stories to India, Pakistan and beyond. In this week's feature, the Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi looks at the rise of Kashmir's alternative media voices.

Since the middle of June, Sudan has been witnessing its own version of the Arab Spring. Thousands of Sudanese have taken to the streets protesting against austerity measures imposed by President Omar al-Bashir’s government. But compared to some of the other uprisings, Sudan has received little news coverage. There are a number of reasons for this, revolution fatigue among them. Within Sudan, the story is being censored from the public. Security forces have banned newspapers, citizen journalists have been arrested and activists have had to rely on social media for information. In this week’s News Divide, we look at why the media has failed to keep up with an uprising that has quickly gathered pace. This week’s Newsbytes: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s defence minister, unleashes a tirade of abuse against a prominent Sri Lankan journalist; in Tunisia, the independent body created to reform the country’s media has quit, citing government censorship; a new law in Russia spells trouble for freedom of expression online; and the story of the MP who brandished a gun on live TV. London Olympics: Ambush advertising From July 27, London will host the 30th Olympic Games. The stakes are high and the competition will be fierce, not just among the athletes, but the corporations who will use the mega-media event to sell to the billion people tuning in. The price to advertise has been around the $50m mark and companies have ensured they are getting their full money’s worth. The official sponsors, however, find themselves competing with numerous advertising rivals, ‘ambush marketers,’ who employ guerrilla tactics to crash the branding party that the Olympics have become. In this week’s Feature, the Listening Post’s Flo Phillips looks at the competition of the corporations in this year’s Olympic Games. Have you ever wondered what you would say if you had the chance to speak to yourself at a different age? Jeremiah McDonald, one US-based filmmaker, has apparently done that. Back in 1992, as a 12-year-old boy he recorded himself on video tape asking questions of his adult self – and now he is grown up, he has edited together that conversation. The two Jeremiahs banter about former pets, Star Wars and some old hobbies. The video has gone viral, with more than five million hits, but has people wondering whether the young Jeremiah is actually an actor. We have made it our internet video of the week and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has been a flashpoint on the sub-continent for more than six decades. It is a heavily militarised zone, with more than half a million troops stationed there. Despite the ongoing conflict, it receives little or no media attention. The climate for local journalists is poor: they work under strict curfews, internet access is sporadic and text messaging services are regularly cut off. But anti-Indian protests in 2010 sparked a change in the media landscape. For the first time, a host of new voices were heard and since then Kashmiri bloggers, filmmakers and authors have taken their stories to India, Pakistan and beyond. In this week's feature, the Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi looks at the rise of Kashmir's alternative media voices.

When Libyans vote in the country's first free elections in almost five decades, will they have had the benefit of a free and independent media to help them make an informed decision? Since Muammar Gaddafi's downfall, the country has seen a proliferation of news outlets, from print, broadcast and online. But after decades under Gaddafi's state-run media machine, the transition to a free and open press has not been easy and for these relatively inexperienced journalists, the election will be their biggest challenge to date. In this week's News Divide, we look at the difficulties facing the country's burgeoning media scene as the country takes part in a landmark election. The rise of Kashmir's media The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has been a flashpoint on the sub-continent for more than six decades. It is a heavily militarised zone, with more than half a million troops stationed there. Despite the ongoing conflict, it receives little or no media attention. The climate for local journalists is poor: they work under strict curfews, internet access is sporadic and text messaging services are regularly cut off. But anti-Indian protests in 2010 sparked a change in the media landscape. For the first time, a host of new voices were heard and since then Kashmiri bloggers, filmmakers and authors have taken their stories to India, Pakistan and beyond. In this week's feature, the Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi looks at the rise of Kashmir's alternative media voices.

The military entertainment complex is an old phenomenon that binds Hollywood with the US military. Known as militainment, it serves both parties well. Filmmakers get access to high tech weaponry - helicopters, jet planes and air craft carriers while the Pentagon gets free and positive publicity. The latest offering to come from this relationship is Act of Valor and it takes the collaboration one step further. The producers get more than just equipment – they have cast active-duty military personnel in the lead roles, prompting critics to say the lines have become so blurred that it is hard to see where Hollywood ends and Pentagon propaganda begins. In this week’s feature, the Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead looks at the ties between the US military and Hollywood.

As Mexicans go to the polls this weekend, the media is not only covering the presidential campaign story – they have become a part of it. The country’s largest TV network, Televisa, is accused of accepting cash in return for giving Enrique Pena Nieto, the candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), favourable media coverage dating back to 2005. Both parties deny the allegations. But a student protest movement called YoSoy123 is not buying it and has been protesting what it calls biased media coverage. In this week’s News Divide, we look at the media scandal at the heart of the Mexican elections. Also on this week's Listening Post: Hollywood and the Pentagon propaganda push. The military entertainment complex is an old phenomenon that binds Hollywood with the US military. Known as militainment, it serves both parties well. Filmmakers get access to high-tech weaponry - helicopters, jet planes and air craft carriers while the Pentagon gets free and positive publicity. The latest offering to come from this relationship is Act of Valor and it takes the collaboration one step further. The producers get more than just equipment – they have cast active-duty military personnel in the lead roles, prompting critics to say the lines have become so blurred that it is hard to see where Hollywood ends and Pentagon propaganda begins. In this week’s feature, the Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead looks at the ties between the US military and Hollywood.

On Listening Post this week: The propaganda push behind Obama's drone war. And Somalia - where being a journalist can cost you your life. It has been one of the worst-kept secrets of the Obama administration - the aggressive campaign of drone strikes against suspected militants hiding out in the tribal areas of Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, under President Barack Obama there have been a total of 280 drone strikes on Pakistan alone and the civilian death toll has been anywhere from 482 to 832. The Obama administration puts this figure at just 60. In our News Divide this week we analyse what is behind the difference in the casualty figures the US government reports and what investigative journalists have found on the ground.