Social media proves powerful force at Sochi Olympics

The enormous reach of social media at the Sochi Winter Olympics saw more opportunities for advertisers leveraging athletes’ social media accounts. For the first time, companies started emphasizing social media activity in their contracts with Olympic athletes.

Business Insider joins American wave setting up in UK

According to a report written today by Ricardo Bilton at Digiday, Business Insider intends to launch a UK edition of its website. Digiday reports that 12 staff will be recruited and an office set up in London. Business Insider follows other US online outlets such as The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed who have also recently launched UK editions.

Turkey passes Internet censorship law

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has approved new legislation that will increase the government’s already tight control over Internet usage.

Pressure mounts to free Al-Jazeera journalists imprisoned in Egypt

International action to free a trio of Al-Jazeera journalists began last night with a rally in Sydney. Al-Jazeera correspondent Peter Greste and producers Baher Mohamed and Mohammed Fahmy have been held in an Egyptian prison since 29 December.

Reporting Kiev: An interview with a leading Ukraine live streamer

The level and concentration of video live-streaming from Independence Square marked the trend out in Kiev and signalled a shift in the live-reporting of crises. But who are these live-streamers and how do they do their work?

Ex-Editor stabbed just days after anti-censorship press rally

Kevin Lau, the former editor of Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, was stabbed early this morning. The attack occurred in broad daylight and followed a rally on Sunday where thousands marched in the streets to denounce censorship. A central cause for the march was the sacking of Lau the previous month.

Sacked Telegraph editor becomes sous chef?

Some ex-editors post bitter recriminations about the corruption of their countries’ governments, others seem resigned to a changing media world. Few, if any, however, take the radical change in career direction that ex-Telegraph Editor Tony Gallagher revealed two days ago in a series of scintillating tweets.

UNESCO calls for editors’ input in online privacy study

UNESCO is seeking the input of editors as it investigates privacy and freedom of expression online.

South African media billionaire takes innovation sabbatical

Naspers CEO and recent billionaire Koos Bekker is to retire and spend a year travelling looking for the next big thing, before becoming chairman of the group next year. A press release from Naspers reports that Bekker “…intends to travel widely and research where the group’s next spurt of growth may come from, once ecommerce has reached maturity.”

Media groups protest China’s growing intrusion on press freedoms in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Facing ongoing concerns that pressure from a bolder and more influential Beijing is eroding press freedoms, thousands of people took to the streets in Hong Kong on 23 February to protest growing censorship and a lack of editorial autonomy.

(Photo© Alex Leung / CC license)