The Media Online’s weekly wrap of need-to-know global media news.
Universal Internet Access report launched
One of the deliverables of the June roundtable on Universal Internet Access, convened by Media Monitoring Africa at the Ford Foundation, was to contribute to a research paper on a universal internet access plan for South Africa, for publication on the 2019 International Day for Universal Access to the Internet. This was for submission to the 4IRSA and Presidential Commission and for other advocacy work.
Today, on the International Day for Universal Access to the Internet, this report will be officially launched and handed over.
It outlines a seven point action plan, giving recommendations as to the way forward for universal internet access in South Africa.
You can read the full report, here.
Ferrero picks Mindshare as its global media agency
In agency account news, chocolate and confectionery company Ferrero has named Mindshare as its global media partner.
Ferrero is famous for its brands including the likes of Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bueno, and Tic Tac.
The account was previously held by Omnicom Media Group’s PHD.
To read the full story, published by Marketing, click here.
Australia setting a bad precedent around media freedom
The treatment of Australian media by the country’s government is setting a bad precedent around media freedom.
This sentiment was expressed in an article by WAtoday, which explored the numerous police raids on media houses, as well as the clampdown on journalism, with the government citing national security.
The government has stated that there’s no crisis with media freedom in Australia, but many people disagree.
To read the insightful piece, click here.
Sudan signs international undertaking for media freedom
Staying with media freedom, the Sudanese government signed the International Undertaking for Media Freedom during a session of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York.
The country’s prime minister Abdallah Hamdouk said that signing the agreement means that a commitment has been made that no journalist in the new Sudan will be repressed or imprisoned.
Dabanga has more information on the story, here.
Carat shines with Vodafone global account
An extensive pitching process preceded the announcement that Carat, a Dentsu Aegis company, had won the global Vodafone account. It was previously held by GroupM, which retains retains media buying responsibilities in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Netherlands, Adweek reported.
“Vodafone is a future-focused organisation, challenging old ways of doing things while pioneering the new and maximising the opportunities of the digital economy,” said Will Swayne, Dentsu Aegis Network’s chief client officer of media and performance, in a statement.
“We are delighted to be partnering with them, integrating the best of our agency capabilities to accelerate Vodafone’s evolution to become market-leading in digital marketing and in-house media buying.”
For the full story, check out Adweek here.
Juul suspends advertising in US
e-Cigarette company Juul has not only replaced its CEO, but has stopped advertising in the US. K.C. Crosthwaite, an executive at tobacco company Altria, which bought 35 percent of Juul in December, has replaced Kevin Burns.
A week after media companies CBS, Viacom and Warner followed CNN’s lead by banning e-cigarette advertising, Juul announced it would suspend broadcast, print and digital advertising.
The Trump administration is taking a hard line on vaping, especially after a reported spike (to 3.6 million) in the number of high school and middle school students in the United States using e-cigarettes.
The full story on The Verge is here.
Elon Musk warns on impact of advanced AI on social media
As if the world didn’t have enough to worry about with interference by countries and organisations on social media, Elon Musk has now warned that “advanced AI” will be used to “manipulate social media”. In a tweet, he said it could have done so already, adding that “anonymous bot swarms” are “evolving rapidly”.
The New York Times published a story this week in which it said 70 countries had used social media to spread disinformation.
Check out the story on Futurism.
