Media Asia increases citations, sustains
fast turnaround time in its golden year

By Danilo Araña Arao
Editor, Media Asia

As Media Asia celebrates its 50th year in 2023, the journal’s citation metrics show improvement as the turnaround time is sustained.

The journal’s latest CiteScore (https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/23067) has improved to 0.8 as of January 5, 2023. Based on Scopus data, this score is based on Media Asia’s 52 citations out of 65 indexed documents to date.

When the new editorial board took over in 2020 and Media Asia got re-indexed on Scopus, the CiteScore ranged from 0.0 to 0.5.

For the past three years, the five most cited articles were published in 2020 and 2021. They all focus on media and the COVID-19 pandemic (https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showMostCitedArticles?journalCode=rmea20).

In 2022, new manuscript submissions increased by 10.6 percent compared to 2021. This is the case even if the latest rejection rates are pegged at 84.93 percent (refereed articles) and 58.47 percent (non-refereed editorials, commentaries and reviews).

Based on unsolicited feedback from some authors, they seem to appreciate the relatively quick turnaround time (TAT) that does not compromise the quality of editorial and peer reviews. As of this writing, the average TAT from submission to online publication for refereed publications is 214.00 days. On the other hand, the average TAT for non-refereed ones is 49.96 days.

Media Asia is a peer reviewed journal that focuses on practices in journalism, advertising, public relations, entertainment and other aspects of media in Asia. The journal’s editorial board is composed of nine women and four men who are based in nine locations in Asia, Europe and North America.

The Editor is Danilo Araña Arao (University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines). The Associate Editors are Lisa Brooten (Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA), Roselyn Du (California State University Fullerton, USA), Paromita Pain (University of Nevada Reno, USA), Ma. Theresa M. Rivera (Far Eastern University Manila, Philippines) and Nick Y. Zhang (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong).

The members of the Editorial Advisory Board are Sarah Cardey (University of Reading, UK), Ataharul Chowdhury (University of Guelph, Canada), Minjeong Kim (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea), Eunice Barbara C. Novio (Vongchavalitkul University, Thailand), Sheau-Wen Ong (Wenzhou-Kean University, China), Deborah N. Simorangkir (Swiss German University, Indonesia) and Tom Sykes (University of Portsmouth, UK).

AMIC Chair honored by UPLB-CDC

Dr. Crispin Maslog, Chair, AMIC Board of Directors, was honored by the University of the Philippines Los Banos – College of Development Communication as one of its luminaries during its 24^th anniversary celebration last December 19, 2022. Maslog had been in the UPLB-CDC faculty for many decades.

The college launched the Legacy Corner, a special spot in its Reading Room which will house the works of “Devcom luminaries,” including Dr. Maslog’s textbook collection, which he donated to the college.

The Maslog collection includes 41 books he authored and other journalism and communication books. Signed copies of his books are available for sale. After the launching, Maslog delivered a speech through a hybrid event entitled, “Devcom: A Many Splendored Thing,” where he shared his journey as a scholar and practitioner. Among those in attendance were CDC Dean Maria Stella C. Tirol, faculty, staff, and students.

New AMIC history book just out

AMIC@50: Turning Gold, A History of the Asian Media and Information Centre,  has just come out in December 2022. This 272-page book commemorates the golden jubilee of AMIC, the main association of communication educators in Asia, founded by 13 communication educators in a unique travelling seminar to 11 cities in Asia in September 1971.

The book narrates the founding and development of AMIC by the first secretary-general Lakshman Rao and the contribution of succeeding SG’s—P.R. Sinha, Vijay Menon. Jose Ma. G. Carlos, Indrajit Banerjee, Sundeep R. Muppidi, Maria Mercedes F. Robles, Martin Hadlow, and Ramon R. Tuazon. American scholar John Lent has contributed an epilogue.

It is edited by Crispin C. Maslog, current AMIC chair of the board, who is one of two surviving members of the travelling seminar. The book is informative and loaded with historical facts, but is easy to read and illustrated with pictures.  It is available at Shopee and at the AMIC office at Philippine Women’s University, Taft Ave., Manila. Price: P550. ###

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Source: Ramon G. Tuazon, rrtuazon722@yahoo.com/CP 0920-926-0963
Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, PWU, Taft Ave., Manila

AI expert: Education on AI Ethics and Regulation needed

A global expert on Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity said people need to be educated on the ethical use of technology for society to counter the malicious threats posed by AI.

Dr. Mohamed El-Guindy, Cybersecurity Expert at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and ICT Consultant at UNESCO, spoke at the webinar, “Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Legal and Ethical Implications,” held last October, the first in a series on the topic, sponsored by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC).

AI, the science that enables machines to think and do tasks in complex environments without constant human supervision or being explicitly programmed, is reshaping our lives and the global economy, he said.

These computer systems are fed with data, which are then stored in large databases, controlled by private sector, used to train AI, linked to identities, user IPs, devices, etc., and sold to data brokers, advertisers, governments, friends and foes.

Data is the “new oil” that fuels the digital economy, he said.

AI has been used for good—in education, business, medicine, communication, transportation, crime prevention, and almost all facets of modern life.

Yet AI has also engendered new issues in privacy, security, social bias, social equality, and integrity of mediated information.

“Privacy is an issue now in the cyber world. Crime is on the rise in the cyber world, because people are not aware” of what these systems can do to them.

“From the security perspective, these apps can steal your info, can be used in accessing sensitive data on your device.”

Balancing pre-crime detection with human rights of suspects is another issue, because computer systems programmers can have bias against certain groups.

“We are not guaranteed that these AI are giving us the right direction…And this is important because we are dealing with human rights… the privacy of people, human dignity itself.”

He observed that AI will radically change media–like movies using AI instead of actors, TV shows presented by AI robots instead of TV anchors, and media being used to spread fake information.

He said young people are most vulnerable to fake information because of their heavy dependence on social media rather than traditional media for their information needs.

Technology is changing media theories, as machines are now able to send you things that do not exist, he said.

So we need media scholars and students to study the effect of AI on the media industry and to train people who design the algorithm and also audit the algorithm design and usage, he added.

Colleges and universities need to teach the legal and ethical aspects of AI, and not just the technology itself, he said.

In addition, regulation of AI is still a big debate, because while AI is being designed by the private sector, governments do not have the power to interfere due to lack of technological understanding.

Some governments favor regulation, like the UK and the European Commission which have enacted laws on AI. Others, like the United States, argue against it, saying regulation stifles innovation and creativity.

The European Commission has identified seven principles for ethical AI systems ethics and regulation: human agency and oversight, technical robustness and safety, privacy and data governance, transparency, diversity/non-discrimination/fairness, societal and environmental well-being, and accountability.

The webinar was attended by 180 participants from nine countries.

AMIC Country Representative edits newly launched Bengali daily

Ajker Patrika, a daily hit the market in Bangladesh on 27 June 2021 and became third highest circulated newspaper in four months of its inception.

A Bengali daily with a slogan, “Country’s Local Newspaper,” with 10 editions became popular among families in the country. Ajker Patrika publishes the highest number of regional editions emphasizing regional news to cater its local readers in the country.

Keeping proximity as a focus, the paper strives to provide the readers with relevant news, as well as investigate and explain news and events in detail. The paper has a working force of about 550 people, along with a network of 350 correspondents across the country. The paper is equally popular with its e-paper and online services.

A group of young, enthusiastic journalists and business professionals have joined the ranks and are led by industry veterans with many years of domain knowledge and experience. The Editor of Ajker Patrika Professor Dr. Md. Golam Rahman is a leading educationist, media researcher and communication expert of Bangladesh. He has served as the Chief Information Commissioner of Government of Bangladesh and also served as the Chairman of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), a national news agency as well as the Chairman of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of University of Dhaka. He taught about four decades in the university.

Ajker Patrika has introduced a section called ‘fact-checking,’ because of fake information that are occupied in social media. The paper adopts a multilevel fact-checking process to confirm the overall authenticity of the news before publishing it on the print or digital platform. The paper maintains its Ethics Policy.

Ajker Patrika belongs to Bijoy Bangla Limited and is a sister concern of US-Bangla Airlines.

AMIC SG participates in 2022 Global MIL Week Celebration

AMIC Secretary General Ramon R. Tuazon spoke in several global and regional events commemorating the 2022 Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

The celebration was from 24-31 October 2022 with the global theme, “Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative.” The main commemorative events were held in Abuja, Nigeria. Additional commemorative events were held in November 2022.

Tuazon was the sole speaker in the session, “Media Audiences and Citizens” on 14 October 2022 on the Short-Term Programme on Media and Information Literacy for Trainers organized by the Indira Gandhi National Open University-UNESCO.

In his talk, Mr. Tuazon highlighted the communication rights of citizens, e.g., right to expression and information, right to privacy, and even the “right to be forgotten.” He reminded the participants of the media responsibilities of citizens to protect and defend independent media, resist information disorder, and support community media.

As virtual panelist for the session on “Global Conversation with Teachers on Media and Information Literacy and Trust” held on 26 October, SG Tuazon recalled several creative and innovative strategies in MIL education in selected Asian countries. This session was part of several parallel sessions in Nigeria. 

Tuazon was panel chairperson and plenary speaker at the forum “Bridging Digital Divides and Empowering Digital Competencies in the Asia-Pacific” which was held on 7-8 November 2022 and convened by UNESCO Bangkok Office. He was chairman of the Parallel Session 6B: “Youth Engagement and Joint Efforts for MIL Education in Southeast Asian Countries.” He presented the session overview and framework to guide the discussion of the parallel session.

Tuazon also reminded participants that digital literacy has been included as among the three main elements of Media and Information Literacy (MIL). The two others are media literacy and information literacy.

As plenary speaker for Plenary Session 07, “Policies and Approaches for Developing Media and Information  Literacy (MIL),” Tuazon gave a summary of MIL policy issues and options. In his presentation, he discussed the importance of public policies and the desired standards in public policymaking. He also noted that other sectors, e.g., business and industry, civil society, academe are also engaged in policymaking. He identified the different policy areas that these sectors should address.

According to Tuazon, while we recognize the overarching importance of MIL public policies, we should recognize the emerging dominating power and influence of the private sector especially transnational telecommunications companies.  Meanwhile, among the challenges in crafting MIL policies is the absence of baseline data on MIL competencies, which hinders the development of  informed, evidence-based policies and programs. 

SG Tuazon was one of the three resource persons for the “UNESCO Myanmar Education Webinar Series: Enhancing MIL and Digital Literacy Skills among the Teachers and Youths.” The webinar was held on 09 December 2022. His presentations focused on the principles of MIL and the integration of MIL competencies in teaching learning activities and classroom practices.

SG Tuazon is co-author of the MIL Curriculum for Teachers (UNESCO, 2011) and its 2^nd edition, Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely (UNESCO, 2021).