Everybody wants to be in the film business, it seems. Web retailer Amazon makes shows. Netflix used to only deliver content, but now makes its own series. One of the first things e-commerce giant Alibaba did after going public was to set up a film division. The reason for the rush is, in a word, branding.

The Voice of America and the U.S. international broadcasting community as a whole could use structural reform and more money. But that’s not why they appear to be failing miserably. No. The real failure is that they lack conviction. And without that, they will continue to appear irrelevant.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has returned to Ottawa after a much-hyped first stint at the World Economic Forum's annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, where he enjoyed a star-like reception. [...] We wanted to hear what you thought: What does all this buzz mean at home in Canada?

As the dust settles after the 2nd annual World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China, media commentary outside of China has largely focused on President Xi Jinping’s opening statements about “cybersovereignty,” with scholars focusing on the suppressive censorship tactics that this policy is oft seen to represent in China’s domestic cyberspace.

Global perceptions of China are largely shaped by stereotypes. They are flawed and perpetuated by a Western-dominated media, [...] The conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group’s purchase of a majority stake in Hollywood production firm Legendary Entertainment is set to change that. There is no better medium than film to teach others about history, culture and the ways and thinking of a nation.

Freshly elected Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen disappeared from China's most popular social network on Saturday (Jan 16), with censors working swiftly to block any mention of the Beijing-wary politician as she stormed to victory on the island.

The closing of a news outlet that puts hundreds of people out of work is always a sad story to report. But in the case of Al Jazeera America, which announced Wednesday that it would shut down operations by April 30, the implications for the entire TV news industry, its audiences and democracy are even more depressing.