IPA demands protection for publishers in Bangladesh

The murderous attacks on Bangladeshi publishers and writers over the weekend are direct attacks on the freedom to publish — a fundamental freedom in all civilized countries. The International Publishers Association (IPA) joins its member, the Academic and Creative Publishers Association of Bangladesh (ACPAB), in condemning the attacks and demanding that the government protects publishers and writers from all forms of intimidation social media marketing tips and violence. Mr Kamrul Hasan Shayok, Executive Director of ACPAB, said, ‘Attacking and killing publishers is a severe blueprint for stopping a nation’s progress. We demand from the Government of Bangladesh proper punishment for this cruel attack.’ Mr Richard Charkin, President of the IPA, said, ‘These barbarous acts are an affront to humanity and a tragedy for the families of those brave publishers who were murdered or attacked. The IPA is more determined than ever to stand in solidarity with all who uphold freedom to publish as central to a society’s well being. We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of all the social media marketing tools victims.’ Mr José Borghino, Secretary General of the IPA, said, ‘These craven attacks require an immediate and precise response from the Government of Bangladesh. Those who murdered Faisal Arefin Dipan and attempted to murder Ahmed Rahim Tutul must be found and brought to justice. The perpetrators of these horrific acts are trying to divide us. They must not be allowed to succeed.’

PricelessSurprises Brit Awards nightmare unfolds after House PR demands rile the nation's journalists

Brit Awards sponsor Mastercard got a priceless surprise on the morning of the event when it emerged its PR agency , House PR, offered a Telegraph journalist press accreditation in exchange for publishing promotional tweets. Telegraph writer Tim Walker sent a copy of an email to news site the Press Gazette which detailed the conditions House PR attached to his press pass, including a requirement on him to publish pre-written tweets with the marketing social media Mastercard Twitter handle and its #PricelessSurprises hashtag. The email requested Walker publish tweets before, during and after the event, and guarantee Mastercard’s inclusion in any post event write-ups, both print and online, with hashtags and URLs included. The agency concluded: “We are really looking forward for you to join us at the awards with us on Wednesday and if you could let us know you are happy with all the above that would be great “Please let us know if you have any further questions and look forward to hearing from you.” Dawbell PR handles overall press accreditation activities for the Brit Awards. The Drum was awaiting comment from Dawbell, House PR and Mastercard at time of publication. House PR won the Mastercard Brit Awards sponsor account in December last year following a competitive pitch, benefits of social media marketing replacing the previous year’s agency, Kaper. The brand has sponsored the event for the last 16 years, and managing director at House PR, Ginny Paton, was quoted at the time saying the agency’s music credentials and experience would “ensure a fresh approach to the sponsorship amplification”. Meanwhile, Twitter users have been giving Mastercard the kind of priceless Brit Awards publicity they may not have been expecting.

CM Chavan Demands Explanation Over Leakage in Mumbai Metro

Taking cognisance of the outrage over social media platforms on water leaking inside the newly launched Mumbai Metro, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has demanded an explanation about it from the Mumbai Metropolitan Rail Development Authority (MMRDA) over how such a thing could've happened. Websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been abuzz with a picture and a video showing water leaking from the roof of the Metro - the flow using social media for marketing almost looks like a bathroom shower. While mid-day couldn't verify their authenticity, the leakage was confirmed by Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), who blamed it on an air-conditioning duct. The affected train was immediately pulled from operation and sent to the workshop. MMOPL also claimed that soon after, they inspected all the AC units inside the coaches of their fleet of 16 trains. Officials from MMOPL dismissed this as a small incident. The MMOPL spokesperson said, "The inconvenience social media marketing strategies caused to passengers was minimised due to our effective and timely steps, with no impact on train services. The issue was resolved, and the train back into service very next day. As an additional measure, we have undertaken a detailed investigation on all trains and found that the fleet is fit from all aspects."