In fall 2004 the Covering Asia class engaged in discussions about elections, media controls, and cultural identities from Afghanistan to Indonesia and Malaysia to Mongolia.  Background briefings spanned the continent, contrasting information from local journalists and editors with the observations of foreign reporters. 

Visiting Scholar Profiles

Asian journalists studying at U.C. Berkeley in the visiting scholars' program shared their insights about China, Myanmar and Indonesia with profile writers in the class.  Their feature stories tell us about ethics in a Myanmar newsroom, reporting boundaries for China's journalists, and how one reporter's smoking habit led to an investigation into high-level corruption.

Yosef Ardi
By Leigh-Ashley Lipscomb

Spiky-haired Yosef Ardi weaves a grand, revolutionary narrative from the objects that surround him. Cars, chemicals and cigarettes are all part of the story of the downfall of the dictator, Suharto, and the birth of a new era of political reform in Indonesia. more

Kathleen Kenna
By Brent E. Huffman

With tears in her eyes, Kathleen Kenna recalled the moment she said her final goodbyes to her husband. She believed she was experiencing her last moments on earth. In a brief moment of consciousness, she awoke from a coma to see her ravaged body surrounded by a forest of plastic tubes. more