HKBU Media Studies Professor Cherian George Honoured with AMIC's Asia Communication Award

Professor Cherian George (second from right) at the award presentation ceremony in Beijing, with (from left) AMIC chairman Crispin Maslog, the first recipient of the award John Lent, and AMIC secretary-general Ramon Tuazon.

Professor Cherian George has received the Asia Communication Award from the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), a media and communication regional research network. The award was presented on 24 September 2024 at AMIC's 30th annual conference, held at the Communication University of China in Beijing.

Professor George, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Communication, is the first Hongkong-based academic to receive the honour, which has been given out annually since 2006. Georgette Wang, Dean of the School of Communication from 2003 to 2006, was the awardee in 2011, while she was Chair Professor in the Department of Journalism, National Chengchi University, Taiwan.

AMIC cited Professor George's work "in journalism, academia, communication and media research, and socio-political advocacy, which he has accomplished with excellence, integrity, and a deep understanding of the Asian contexts".

"Dr George has enriched the field of communication and media research through innovative research agendas and methods that have also 'disrupted' traditional narratives," the citation read. "His research spans different social science disciplines such as political science, sociology, and media technology highlighting the complex interactions between media, society, and governance."

AMIC cited his record of authoring "several influential books". The latest, Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle Against Censorship (MIT Press, 2021), was named as one of the year's best three books in media and cultural studies by the Association of American Publishers. His 2016 book, Hate Spin: The Manufacture of Religious Offense and its Threat to Democracy (MIT Press, 2016), was listed as one of the best 100 books of the year of any genre by Publishers Weekly.

He has also written several bestselling books on the politics of his home country, Singapore, including Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation (Landmark Books, 2000), which The Economist said more than 20 years later "remains the best introduction to Singapore's idiosyncratic political system".

AMIC also cited Professor George's first career as a journalist in Singapore and his on-going involvement with the profession. "As the founding head of the Asia Journalism Fellowship, he has significantly contributed to the professional growth of journalists across the region." The Fellowship, an annual programme of Temasek Foundation that he ran at his previous institution, Nanyang Technological University, has hosted more than 230 mid-career journalists from 21 Asian countries and territories.

AMIC was formed in 1971. Its co-founders included Timothy Yu, founding head of the Department of Communication at the then Hong Kong Baptist College. The AMIC award's past honourees include Eddie Kuo, founding dean of Nanyang Technological University's communication school, and Jakob Oetama, founder of Indonesia's largest news media group, Kompas.

In his acceptance speech, Professor George said the award was a reminder of the responsibilities that came with seniority and recognition. He said established scholars should try to enlarge the space for their juniors by promoting Asia-oriented and inter-disciplinary research, and reducing institutionalised self-censorship in Asian countries, most of which have a below-average record in academic freedom. "In these ways we can make the journey ahead for junior scholars more meaningful, impactful and even fun."