100 posts
European broadsheets pay regular attention to the European Parliament between EU elections
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The European Parliament is often accused of being distant from EU citizens, both geographically, and in its decision making. Many have also accused it of lacking newsworthiness, but is this actually the case? Katjana Gattermann has closely examined b...
Eurobubble: blink at your own risk!
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The much anticipated web series 'Eurobubble' - well let's say much anticipated here in Brussels - has finally put out its first episodes. We have three so far. And that is exactly 10 min and 17 seconds of video in total! I am poi...
Cameron's poker face?
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No, Europe hasn't collectively turned against Cameron (which you would think from reading headlines like these - seriously?). Though several politicians from around Europe haven't exactly come out celebrating following Cameron's speech - which doesn'...
The EU’s media deficit
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The most depressing result from my analysis of media coverage of EU reform is the complete absence of substance and detail in the arguments presented. Politicians and commentators alike seem Continue reading →...
13 Social Media Marketing Trends For 2013
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How will social media marketing evolve in 2013? What about the platforms themselves? See the infographics.
How social media can make history
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Watch video, where Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics.
Study of Members of the Folketing on Twitter – Danish politics has a long way to go
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Following my post about European Commissioners on Twitter, and suggestions to get Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt onto the network, I thought I would next do a brief study of...
If Helle Thorning-Schmidt is to join Twitter, this is how to do it
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TechCrunch this week highlighted that 75% of the world’s heads of state are now on Twitter. While there’s some grounds to quibble about the definition of a head of state,...
LEVESON, BLAIR, EU: a tale of media untruths
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Lawrence Brewer Wednesday, 05 December 2012 The Leveson Inquiry report published last week includes a list of how the British Press misleads the public with regard to the EU and other non-existent bans – like...
Mail article on EU banning books dismissed as 'nonsense'
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The Mail claims the EU is now looking to ban...the Famous Five:James Chapman explains:Books which portray ‘traditional’ images of mothers caring for their children or fathers going out to work could be barred from schools under proposals from Bru...
Is there a buzz about newspapers anymore?
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Is The Sun still a British icon? Does The Times still ring bells? In a digital age, our most famous newspaper brands are being overtaken by new media upstarts such as Google, Apple and Samsung, according to a fascinating new study by Harris Interacti...
I’m A Celebrity: Broadcasting laws will block Dorries’ abortion rants
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Ofcom rules will almost certainly foil Nadine Dorries’ plan to use I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here as a platform to promote her views on abortion. The Mid-Bedfordshire MP had claimed that the show will be a better forum than parliament to air...
Media freedom at home and abroad
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| Number of views :504I’m shortly off to Baku for the Internet Governance Forum. Azerbaijan is a country with serious issues of media freedom – where journalists regularly face arrest or imprisonment, and the suppression of very basic human...
Fanning the flame of conspiracy theories
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THE editor-in-chief of Poland's leading conservative newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, has left his job after publishing an inaccurate report that explosives were found in the remains of the plane that crashed and killed Polish president Lech Kaczynski...
Learning from Obama: Digital Tools in Political Campaigns
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Last week saw a veritable festival of events here at Fleishman-Hillard Brussels. We held a discussion on climate change and energy with NGOs on Wednesday as well as a talk from our very own DC colleague Bill Black on how the Presidential candidates...
FSN Reporters Covering Election 2012 Across US
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FSN reporters are fanning out across the US to cover the 2012 election. Our correspondents will be at the following locations around election day and their updates will be seen and heard on news networks worldwide. You can also follow their updates o...
Rhythmic prose
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. Distinguished literary critic James Wood at a kitchen-table kit. I’m a big admirer of Wood’s literary criticism – any drummers around to say what they think of his drumming? Should he stick with the day job?
Media Flunky Update
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From his childish and degrading propaganda perch, Chris Matthews insists that Rush Limbaugh reminds him of the 'Guy From Deliverance', or more accurately the oaf who forcibly sodomized the character in Ned Beatty’s role in the film, itself a hatefu...
Crisis communication: learning from Hurricane Sandy
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When we left on a family holiday to New York a week ago, we had no idea that we would end up in the middle of the most serious crisis to hit the city since 9-11. Within a couple of … Continue reading →...
Skyfall: Bond re-Bourne and Oedipal
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. Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’ We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to...
American elections roundup: PEW research on social media users on political news… Open Democracy series how other countries see American elections…
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Online Political Videos and Campaign 2012 from Pew Internet Rss Feed: Reports 55% of registered voters have watched political videos online this election season, and 52% have had others recommend political videos for them to watch online Explo...
Health minister is too sexy for his shirt (and the local newspaper)
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With flu season nearly upon us, health minister Dan Poulter used the opportunity to expose his hairy man quilt to the world. The Tory MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich posed for a snap yesterday as he was given the jab in parliament by Dr Geor...
The week on the EP Library’s blog: Something for everybody
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The week was slightly calmer in the European Parliament. Truly well-deserved after two busy plenary sessions last week. Thus, after a policy overflow we finally had a chance to balance our posts and prepare something for (almost) everybody. We promis...
Macedonia: Documenting Online Protest Against Censorship
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On October 9, nearly 200 Macedonian websites participated in a day-long blackout, protesting the censorship-inducing provisions [mk, en, sq] that the Government “sneaked in” within the Draft Law on Civic Liability for Defamation, presente...
Kostas Vaxevanis free after found innocent from the court
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Kostas Vaxevanis, journalist and editor of Hot Doc Magazine was found innocent earlier by the Greek court; Vaxevanis was accused ... Continue reading...
Transcript of Catalan Journalists' Video Against Their Libel Fine
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Discover the transcript of some parts of the video that the editors of the Catalan magazine Cafè amb Llet uploaded to YouTube to comment on their recent libel sentence and fine.
Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia
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Marta Sibina and Albano Dante, editors of the citizen media magazine Cafè amb Llet, have been fined 10,000 euro for libel. They uploaded to YouTube a video strongly criticizing the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing in Catalonia, im...
Fireworks again? Chris Bryant and Cameron to clash again at PMQs
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Chris Bryant is number five on the order paper for today’s PMQs. Here’s what happened two weeks ago: The exchange should be one to watch … UPDATE: Bryant invoked William Hague’s assertion that a minister does have to answer q...
Press Freedom abuses continued in Greece while journalists are on strike
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Following HOT DOC Magazine ’s editor Kostas Vaxevanis arrest on Saturday after publishing the famous “Lagarde list” of 2.059 Greek politicians, ... Continue reading...
Brian Coleman suspended by Tory Party ahead of assault trial
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The controversial London Conservative councillor Brian Coleman has had the party whip withdrawn, awaiting the result of his impending trial for assault. Coleman, who had been chairman of the London Fire Authority under Boris Johnson until he was ditc...
French media vs. Google
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This a rather spectacular case. French media want a bite of Google’s revenue in France. Their argumentation is that the search engine company redirects their users to their website, and earns money out of it. And the … Continue reading...
Greece gave birth to democracy. Now it has been cast out by a powerful elite | Kostas Vaxevanis
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The case against me and my magazine, Hot Doc, for publishing a list of alleged tax evaders is a symptom of the corruption of a nation"The more laws a country has, the more corrupt it is," the Roman historian Tacitus used to say. Greece has quite a fe...
Mail online – a small Tesco, and that’s all
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This year the Mail online smashed all records, becoming the most popular news site in America. In September, the number of unique browsers smashed through the 100m ceiling, leaving the BBC trailing far behind in its wake. It’s clear that Martin Cla...
Greece: Public TV Journalists Fired After Criticizing Minister
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On October 29, two journalists, Kostas Arvanitis and Marilena Katsimi, were fired by the Greek Public Television (ERT) after analyzing claims by British newspaper The Guardian of police torture of Greek anti-fascist protesters in Athens, and criticiz...
A Luxembourg, la Bibliothèque du PE est ouverte au public
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Saviez-vous qu’à Luxembourg, la Bibliothèque du Parlement européen est maintenant accessible à tout citoyen qui voudrait l’utiliser ? N’hésitez pas à venir la découvrir : bus : arrêts “Philharmonie/MUDAM” (1, 16...
Media Control, Propaganda, and Choice
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Guest contributor Jermain Ostiana (check out his amazing blog here) has written a piece about media control and the film “Alleen Maar Nette Mensen”. The film was recently released on Curaçao. The Dutch white cinematography, which...
New case of Press Freedom abuse in Greece
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Only two days after the arrest of Kostas Vaxevanis, journalist and editor of HOT DOC Magazine, after publishing the list ... Continue reading...
Greek Journalist Arrested for Publishing List of Alleged Tax Evaders
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Greek journalist and editor of Hot Doc magazine, Kostas Vaxevanis, tweeted his arrest and posted a video message [el] a few hours after his magazine published a leaked list of over 2,000 names of Greeks with bank accounts in Switzerland, allegedly...
The name’s Bond (or Heineken, Aston Martin, Omega….), James Bond
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I am partial to a Bond movie but in the last couple of weeks, as the hype builds over Skyfall, I have definitely watched more than my fair share with past films dominating most TV channels. ‘This is the one with the Aston Martin DBS’ so says...
IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and other Information Workers
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Librarians all over the world are well aware of their profession’s ethical implications. In more than 60 countries library associations have developed and approved a national code of ethics for librarians. During 2011 and 2012 a working group f...
Bring back the pamphlet!
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By Martin Thomas of Workers Liberty Material conditions for socialist education and self-education are better than they’ve ever been. Much socialist literature which previously you could read only if you could get into a good library is now freely...
