Media you can trustI imagine that when a world icon like Nelson Mandela does pass away there will be international mourning as was with the death of Princess Diana in 1997. I was only 12 when the news broke of her death and I remember feeling a sudden sense of loss as if someone close to me had died. It was all everyone spoke of during the days that followed. There was no questioning her death when it was announced on the radio and television because these were trusted sources of media. This past Saturday it broke on Twitter that Nelson Mandela had died - which was confirmed to be false later that day by the Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesperson. Now imagine being a Twitter user and someone you follow retweets this rumour; chances are, you'd probably rewteet it as well in order to share news of this magnitude as quickly as possible without, in most cases, bothering to check the facts. The bottom line is that Twitter, as a social media news source, may never be trusted completely or to the extent that traditional media is by society. Traditional media and news sources will always have a place in the digital age. Get up to date with all the latest industry trends with the Biz 2011 Trends initiative. Here's to the future, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
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Today's top stories
Special focus on media freedom
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Despite the slight decrease last year in the number of journalists killed across the globe, a heated debate continues to rage on about the massive impunity surrounding these killings, as analysts decry governments' lack of action, and more journalists flee their homelands and threaten to quit the profession. Read more >> NEW YORK: Zimbabwe's power-sharing government should repeal the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists said late last week after a late 2010 amendment to the legislation hiked mandatory registration and accreditation fees for the press working in the country by as much as 400%. Read more >>NEW YORK: Tunisian authorities must end their weeks-long crackdown on bloggers and reporters covering street protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said mid last week. Scores of journalists have been detained in the past four weeks, three of whom remain in custody. Read more >>Digital
JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela's foundation has denied reports of his death after the iconic former South African leader fell victim to a hoax on internet micro-blogging site Twitter over the weekend. Read more >>Mobile
[Llew Claasen] Apple was the telecommunications industry's flag-bearer during 2010, finally delivering on the promise of the year of the mobile, initially with the launch of the iPad in April and continuing with the launch of iPhone 4 in June. What will 2011 hold for mobile? Read more >> NAIROBI: IBM and Bharti airtel on Friday, 14 January 2011, announced the completion of contract negotiations for technology services spanning 16 African countries. As part of the 10-year agreement signed in December 2010, IBM will deploy and manage the information technology (IT) infrastructure and applications for airtel's mobile services throughout Africa. Read more >>Research
Business Monitor International's latest report, entitled, World on the Mend: EMs outperform, G7 improving, explains how emerging markets (EM) have withstood the global credit crunch better than their developed world counterparts, and will grow more quickly in the coming year. Read more >>Retail
DAR ES SALAAM: Global fertiliser company Yara International ASA launched its US$20 million investment into a new fertiliser terminal by the port in Dar es Salaam. Read more >>TV
[Sylvain Beletre] With the steady arrival of broadband internet capacity on African coasts, internet use is due to explode over the next ten years on the continent. There is already a phenomenally high use of the internet among the 13-34 age range in some African regions, and new African media are being set up on the web. Read more >> CNBC Africa correspondent Lester Holt will present a comprehensive look at how Facebook, with half a billion users, is affecting society in ways most people are unaware of. The insert, titled The Facebook Obsession, provides the story behind the rise of the largest social media site in the world, told through the company's founders, friends and foes. Read more >>LONDON, UK: Three developing trends are transforming not only the software industry, but also the way the world accesses and leverages technology. The popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, the consumerisation of technology and the adoption of cloud computing are global trends forcing software companies to rethink their business model, collaborate more closely than ever before, and focus even more sharply on what their customers want. Read more >>SHANGHAI, CHINA: The Asian Marketing Effectiveness (AME) Festival, a joint venture between Haymarket and the organisers of Cannes Lions, has announced that Bob O'Leary, head of global marketing for Citi, will lead the jury at the 2011 Festival. Read more >> More International news...
SOUTH AFRICA Van Coke Kartel & Jack Parow at KirstenboschMoreSOUTH AFRICA Civil Twilight at Kirstenbosch More[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] To light the fire in the soul of any Alfa Romeo fan is easy - just say Giulietta. So all I actually need to say is the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta has arrived in South Africa and it was worth the wait. Go see it and drive it. You will probably fall in love with it. Fini. Read more >> More Motoring news...
[Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] There is nothing like the whiff of panic to focus the mind. Happily the Westin Grand on Cape Town's Foreshore is now free from the stink of accusations and any restrictions on Americans visiting have been lifted. (It seems a while back the American Embassy issued a travel advisory to US citizens after a series of thefts from luggage just unloaded from coaches and outside the hotel, or about to be loaded prior to departure - again, outside the hotel). The advisory has now been lifted. Read more >> More Travel news...
Larger Than Life is the theme of the 34th J&B Met, which will be held at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, 29 January 2011. Expect massive outfits, oversized accessories and gigantic personalities at the well-known fashion event. Read more >> More BizLounge news...
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