Ahmed Zayeef

PhD Student (Information and Media) & GTA @michiganstateu. Journalist.Former @gijn fellow. Former @StateIVLP fellow. RTs not endorsements.

[Ahmed Zayeef @AZayeef]

Our study shows the limits of journalistic nationalism: Indian news largely ignored or justified border killings, while Bangladeshi news also downplayed them. On both sides, journalism helped naturalize violence at the expense of human rights.
https://t.co/URQN9Pxhnl

[Tim Vos @TPVos]

This open access article was published in December but I hadn't pushed it out yet. If you're using Hierarchy of Influences, I encourage you to have a look at how we revisit the model. (Kudos to Zayeef) Full article: https://t.co/DxttSv0woU

[Ahmed Zayeef @AZayeef]

@ScholarshipfPhd English

[Jeff Bezos @JeffBezos]

I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:

I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.

We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.

There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.

I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.

I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.

I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.

Jeff

[Nahid Islam @NahidIslam_24]

We strongly condemn the killing of another Bangladeshi citizen, Anwar Hossain, at the Panchagarh border by the Border Security Force @BSF_India.

This is not an isolated incident. Since Bangladesh’s independence, BSF has been repeatedly implicated in the killing of unarmed Bangladeshi civilians—acts that starkly contravene international conventions on the right to life and the principles of proportionality in border security measures.

Data from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) highlights the alarming scale of this violence: between 2009 and 2020, 522 Bangladeshis were killed by BSF, with 324 shot and others tortured to death. Human Rights Watch’s @hrw 2010 report, “Trigger Happy”, underscores a persistent pattern of lethal force, with Indian government sources attributing 347 Bangladeshi and 164 Indian deaths to BSF firing between 2006 and 2010. Shockingly, these killings continue unabated, with 34 recorded in 2023, 23 in 2022, and 18 in 2021. These deaths are often defended with dubious claims of combating smuggling or self-defense, in blatant violation of the 2018 accord, under which India and Bangladesh pledged to avoid lethal force in managing border crossings.

This stark reality undermines claims of friendship between the two nations, particularly during the past 16 years of the Awami regime. Over 300 lives were lost at the border during the 2010s alone, a grim testament to enduring hostility that contradicts the rhetoric of partnership.

The Indian government must take urgent steps to ensure its border forces comply with international human rights standards. Respect for the right to life, proportionality, and humane treatment must underpin all border operations. True friendship between nations can only be built on a foundation of mutual respect, equity, and shared harmony.

[Tim Vos @TPVos]

Prof. You Li and I started on this study when she was a graduate student. A decade+ later, we finally got around to finishing it. A history of journalism's business side.
Full article: An Early History of Newspaper Agents https://t.co/GtpzWuGDN6

[Tim Vos @TPVos]

Happy to see this Brazil-US collaboration in print (open access!). Metajournalistic Discourse in US Coverage of Brazil: Journalistic Roles and Values Related to Threats to Democracy https://t.co/6r1584nowg

[Volker Türk @volker_turk]

In Bangladesh at this pivotal time - to extend support as the country navigates a historic but fragile opportunity to renew and revitalize democracy. I look forward to meeting students, interim leaders including @ChiefAdviserGoB, judiciary, civil society, journalists and more.

[Washington Post Communications @WashPostComms]

🚨Please note: This is a fake image that is circulating.

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

Watch the moment the UK’s King Charles was heckled by Aboriginal independent senator Lidia Thorpe as he finished a speech in Australia, where he is head of state.

[Jonathan Cook @Jonathan_K_Cook]

I am 59. I got my first job as a journalist at age 23. I've been a British journalist for 36 years.

I've been waiting for heavy knocking on my door at 6 in the morning for the past two months.

Starmer's Britain.

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

France has always stood by Israel. Israel’s existence and security are non-negotiable for France and the French people.

Adding war to war brings neither peace nor security, neither for Israel nor for anyone in the region.

[Prime Minister of Israel @IsraeliPM]

A reminder to the French President: It was not a UN decision that established the State of Israel but the victory that was achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France.

[Tim Vos @TPVos]

If you or someone you know is interested in working on a doctoral degree in news, journalism, or media with me and my colleagues at Michigan State University, check out our virtual open house.

[Digital Journalism @djeditorialteam]

@SayyedFawadAli1 @fukingwa @pyo_jane @ShangyuanWu @PaSchneiders @astaender @EddaHumprecht @esserfrank_ This article by @TPVos and @ryanjthomas83 analyzes metajournalistic discourse to discover how institutional actors position participatory #journalism against the backdrop of technological, economic, and social changes transforming the institution. https://t.co/YpAD3FzCsh

[Ahmed Zayeef @AZayeef]

@rachelmourao @UMSoC @ayleen_cabas @drronjacksonii @AlbertoCairo @Sallie_MIA Congratulations Professor! Wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous time there!

[Fiona Lali @fiona_lali]

90 + people killed today in Bangladesh. Open fire by the Chatra League. Police marking the houses of those who support the movement. Indefinite curfew announced. Hasina - your brutality will be your downfall.

Tomorrow will be vital. Mass strike, civil disobedience, and the nationwide 'March to Dhaka' with a call for all workers to join. Tomorrow, all of us who can should uplift the struggle of Bangladesh. They will shut off the internet but make no mistake - we are with you all the way. Workers of the world unite!

Inquilab zindabad. Committees of struggle everywhere. Bring down Hasina. All power to the working people!

#StepDownHasina #SaveBangladeshiStudents

[Ahmed Zayeef @AZayeef]

Hello world! Today, thousands of students plan to march in Dhaka to end Sheikh Hasina's tyranny. Over 300, mostly students were killed by her armed followers and police. We fear more bloodshed today as goons are deployed. We need your attention and support! #GenZRevolution

[Sultan Mohammed Zakaria @smzakaria]

🚨 URGENT CALL TO ACTION 🚨

Help us bring #SheikhHasina to the International Criminal Court. In July 2024, her regime killed over 200 students and injured thousands in Bangladesh for demanding reforms. The judiciary in 🇧🇩 is corrupt, compromised offering little recourse. [1/3]

[Ahmed Zayeef @AZayeef]

In 15 years, his mother, Sheikh Hasina, dismantled every institution that protected people's rights, executed over 2500 people, had three sham elections, imprisoned thousands of opposition activists, and left the economy in its worst shape since independence.

[Sajeeb Wazed @sajeebwazed]

The last few days have been difficult for the people of #Bangladesh. I would like to start by mourning the loss of all innocent lives. PM #SheikhHasina's Govt is sincere in investigating all incidents of death, and has already formed a judicial commission, headed by a High Court judge, to investigate such incidents.

On the quota issue, the @albd1971 Govt and the #QuotaProtestors had almost identical positions to begin with. In 2018, PM #SheikhHasina abolished all quotas through a declaration. It was the High Court which cancelled the declaration. The Govt then appealed against the HC decision in the Appellate Division, and in the quickest possible time, got the HC ruling overturned. For days, the protests continued without any incident, under full cooperation of the govt.

How did such a peaceful movement turn into a campaign of arson, vandalism, violence, and looting?

Because, as usual, the #BNP-#JamaatEIslami clique used an essentially non-political and non-violent movement to wage a violent movement of their own.

Sensing the involvement of the vested quarter, the protestors themselves issued several statements disowning the violence and confirming that a third party is behind these acts with no relations to the protestors whatsoever.

In the last few days, these cowards (using the protests as a cover) carried out widespread violence terrorizing the people. They targeted law enforcement officials, journalists, public and pvt. transport and properties, important govt establishments, and KPIs.

There has also been widespread looting of public and private properties, wherever such opportunities arose. A jail was attacked, freeing all prisoners, and its arms looted.

It was only due to these unprecedented levels of violence that the govt took the drastic decision of deploying armed forces and imposing curfew on movement (temporarily only). This is because the govt is under a positive duty to prevent any further violence, safeguard public and private properties, and uphold the national security of the country.