SOUTH AFRICA

African media is surrogate opposition - Prof Tawana Kupe

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Due to the lack of a strong and united political opposition, the media in Africa, at least those that are critical of government policies, becomes a powerful force called a surrogate opposition, Prof Tawana Kupe, dean of faculty of humanities at Wits University, said this week in Johannesburg. Read more >>

MALAWI

MCM condemns journalist assault

[Gregory Gondwe] The Media Council of Malawi (MCM) has condemned the assault of a Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) journalist on Wednesday, 9 March 2011, at the trial of former president Bakili Muluzi at the High Court in Blantyre. Supporters of the former president receive coverage offered by the state-controlled broadcaster with a pinch of salt as they claim it always reports negative stories. Read more >>

GHANA

Media freedom, self-regulation: the Ghanaian experience

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Until 1992, journalists and editors in Ghana, and the independent media in general, have suffered a lot at the hands of undemocratic regimes, which cracked down on critical reporting and imposed strict restrictions limiting media freedom. As a new, liberal constitution was being written in 1992, media activists came out guns blazing, demanding that media suffering end and reporting become free. [view twitterfall] Read more >>

AFRICA

African media and the self-regulation dilemma

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As the independent media in Africa is engaged in a fierce battle against repressive and not-so-democratic governments keen to sweep their corrupt wrongdoings under the carpet, the issue of self-regulation has become almost like a daily bread in many parts of the continent. [view twitterfall] Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Right of access to information hampered by govts - media conference

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The right of access to information is being hampered in many parts of the world, especially in Africa, by government officials wary of journalists' desire to 'embarrass' them, and the state's 'insincere' reason of hiding behind the issue of national security. This emerged today, Wednesday, 9 March 2011, at the Regulations and Rights media conference at Wits University in Johannesburg. [view twitterfall] Read more >>

AFRICA

How can email marketing boost your brand?

[Georgia Christian] When you think of a brand, or specifically your brand, what comes to mind? Broken down, a brand constitutes a name, tag line, logo and design, all of which should ultimately define your business perfectly. A brand, we now know however, is much more than that. It is the voice, attitude, style, familiarity and feeling that people get when they think about a business or company, and it's hugely important. Read more >>

AFRICA

AfTLD applies to manage .africa

JOHANNESBURG: The Africa Top Level Domains (AfTLD) organisation on Wednesday, 9 March 2011, announced its decision to seek a mandate from the African Union Commission (AUC) and to apply to ICANN to manage the .africa registry. Read more >>

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Outsource Digital opens office in Botswana

South African-based office automation company, Outsource Digital is opening a new branch in Botswana, in partnership with Botswana-based entrepreneur, Thapelo Letsholo. Read more >>

AFRICA

Applications invited for UN journalism fellowships

[Carole Kimutai] The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists is now accepting applications from professional journalists from developing countries for its 2011 Fellowship Program. The application deadline is 6 April 2011. Read more >>

AFRICA

MTN announces leadership changes in African ops

Mobile operator MTN Group on Thursday (10 March 2011) announced several leadership changes in its African operations, including the appointment of Ahmed Faroukh as its vice-president for the west and central Africa region. Read more >>

AFRICA

IFC Village Phone program wins CEO Gender Award

WASHINGTON: On Tuesday, 8 March 2011, International Women's Day, Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, participated as special guest speaker at a ceremony at the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) headquarters, where the Village Phone program received the annual IFC CEO Gender Award for outstanding achievement in promoting women in business. Read more >>

AFRICA

AfDB appoints head of external relations, communication

Richard Uku has been appointed head of external relations and communication at the African Development Bank. Uku has been group head, brand and communication at Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), and head of communications at the Africa Finance Corporation. He was previously speechwriter to the deputy MD of the International Monetary Fund and head of communications for the World Bank's Africa region. He also worked for the international PR firm Burson-Marsteller as VP, government and emerging markets.

UNITED KINGDOM

Social Brands 100 launches today

LONDON, UK: Launched today, 11 March 2011, the Social Brands 100 has found that 99% of the brands in its ranking are active on Twitter, making it the most popular online outpost for social brands. However, geo-location outposts are not yet integrated into the social mix. Only 22% of the ranked brands use geo-location services such as Foursquare and Gowalla and of these, 45% are inactive. Read more >>

MONTENEGRO

World's Press Groups assess media scene in EU-hopeful Montenegro

PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO: Three global press organisations have agreed to assess the media landscape in Montenegro, a young democracy which hopes to join the European Union but whose candidacy has raised press freedom concerns. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Local auto show gets local, international approval

The Automechanika South Africa trade fair, which opened at the Johannesburg Expo Centre yesterday 9 March 2011, saw international and local supporters express their support of the automotive industry in South Africa and Gauteng in particular. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

ITB 2011: Part 1 - key trends and learnings for Cape Town

[Mariette du Toit-Helmbold] ITB Berlin is the world's leading travel trade show with some 100 000 trade visitors and more than 60 000 members of the public that will visit the show between 9 and 13 March 2011. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

(Gold)Fish are friends ...

[Ilse van den Berg] Goldfish rocked up on Sunday, 6 March at Kirstenbosch Gardens with an amazing energy that literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Having seen them previously perform an unforgettable show at St. Yves Club, Camps Bay, I was really excited to see what they would be able to do in front of a crowd easily four times that size and in an open-air venue like Kirstenbosch. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Read more >>