Hello and welcome to our latest issue. Thank you for holding space in your inbox.

Let's welcome friends our from Asia as well as from the Newmark J-School. You can read our thoughts on building Visual Stories Asia and from our classmates too.

If you'd like to catch up on previous issues, you can find them on our sign-up page – which you can share with others. 

Presenting The Brief – our visual report on Asia.

- Zakaria, Editor

EDSA's 35th

This hits differently. Even though we actively browsed for something else, we returned to this YouTube thumbnail that encapsulates the past and the present. The eyes have it.

Philippines' Rappler, with EDSA People Power Revolution's 35th anniversary, released a documentary on how the Marcoses are clawing their way back to power using disinformation and networked propaganda to burnish their image. 

Bonus link: Philippine Daily Inquirer's front page in 1986, shared by New Naratif providing context and meaning to this important anniversary. "You don't have to swim, you can fly!" Hit reply if you spot it!

Suicide in Japan during the Pandemic

In this article, it describes how the pandemic has been difficult for many in Japan, yet the pressures have been compounded for women. How can we approach and photograph something this difficult and delicate?

Both Noriko Hayashi and Hiroko Maisuke's photographs are something to admire here. Would you like them to be featured in Field Notes, as they reflect on this assignment? 

An Iconic Image?

Staying with Covid-19, we would like to echo what Helen Lewis argues in The Atlantic recently, the challenge of documenting the coronavirus is to show how our existence has been put on hold, how time has telescoped while our horizons have contracted. This is something visual professionals have to think about.

But if you have seen one, do share the link with us. 

Disaster in the Himalayas

Dust and ice that traveled 1,500 metres from near the peak down the valley is a scary thought. But this Reuters Graphics package don't just tell you, they show you.

This landslide happened near India's second and resulted in a flash flood – killing more than 200 people, destroyed villages, and swept away two hydro-electric projects.

From the scale of the disaster, to the moments before and after, this comprehensive package also includes the satellite images and their sources at the end.

"This is very important for the Burmese people. People need to know what happened where, to whom so they can decide what to do."

Live-streaming the developments of a coup on Facebook is an idea worth thinking about. There is no denying that, with about half of Myanmar's 53 million using the platform synonymous with the Internet.

If everything is documented and broadcast at the same time, which parts of that stream is important or otherwise? Is there a start or an end? Or is there an internal editor that decides what is important or otherwise.

Poyi Asia

If you have heard Pictures of the Year International, you'd be excited to learn about POY Asia. Their mission: increase the representation of Asian photographers and stories by celebrating and sharing excellence in documentary and artistic visual storytelling throughout Asia. Geographically and gender diverse, the judges section is our highlight. Do submit your work. Deadline: 15 March 2021.

Bonus Link: A bilingual dialogue between a Singaporean copy editor and a South Korean photojournalist.

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