Prying Eyes

The next time you tweet or post, know that the government is watching you. Accessing the social media wing’s activity tracker, The Quint reported that a weekly report is put together comprising opinions on major current events. Check out few of the government’s sentiment analysis. » Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai Press Club and Public Relations Council of India have joined hands to organize an Environmental Journalism Workshop. The workshop aims to educate the media while equipping them with knowledge and key aspects related to constructive and positive environmental reporting. Scheduled for 17th October, the workshop will be organized at BNHS’ Conservation Education Center, register here. » India Inc. has welcomed RBI’s surprise decision to lower interest rates by a more than-expected 50 bps (0.5 per cent). The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) also expressed relief stating that “RBI has finally recognized the weakness in underlying economic activity and the need for a reduction in borrowing rates to drive a recovery.” » The ongoing efforts to Digitalize India met with a challenge with Pakistan unleashing a cyberwar. Hackers defaced 24 websites of the Chhattisgarh government causing major damage and loss of data.

Media Lights Off

Despite being critical of Nepal’s new constitution, India denies enforcing any ‘blockade of goods’ from Nepal into the country. Protesting the said unofficial ‘blockade’ Nepali Cable TV operators have blocked 42 Indian channels. “The black-out will be indefinite”, said president of the Nepal Cable Television Association. » After Jagannath Bastia, president of Puri Journalists’ Association, brought the matter to PCI’s attention, PCI is ready to start hearing allegations in the cash-for-journalists case. The case is against BJP MP, Pinaki Mishra who distributed Rs. 200 each to journalists at a press conference in Puri last year. Bastia will be in Delhi on October 8, to record his statement. » Retired mediapersons in Tamil Nadu to enjoy increased pension, all thanks to CM J Jayalalithaa. Journalist associations including CJI, expressed their gratitude for the State Government on Tuesday. » Melissa Waggener Zorkin and Pam Edstorm, co-founders of Waggener Edstrom, have taken their names off the door and rebranded the firm to WE. The revamp is part of the firm’s overall transformation, focusing on new partners, growth strategies and talent. Zorkin said that the agency is focused on delivering growth worldwide. In APAC, the firm is steadily growing at 8%, with WE India growing at 15%, and China seeing double that.

Lifesaver Umbrella

London based firm, Security First, has developed “Umbrella”, a new app for Human Rights activists and journalists, who are more at risk than ever nowadays. The app will help activists stay updated with current risks, and provide advice on operating securely in high-risk places. Umbrella is a free app, currently available on the Google Play Store. » Microsoft is planning to set up three data centers, focused on offering cloud services, in India. » Hike Messenger will soon launch news feeds in local languages which will help increase the messaging platform’s user base in the country. Get daily news updates of every genre in Hindi with Hike’s new upgrade.

#MediaMoves

Congrats to TR Vivek for joining Asianet News Network as its new Executive Editor. He has previously worked with Karvy Finapolis – a personal finance magazine, Economic Times, and Open Magazine. Bangalore based Vivek can be reached @trvivek. » Shine Jacob starts his new innings with HT Mint as its Staff Writer. Earlier with Business Standard and The Time of India, Kerala based Jacob can be reached @shinejac.

Martians Not Thirsty!

What might be termed as the biggest scientific discovery of the century, NASA has discovered water in ‘liquid state’ on Mars. Twitter obviously went berserk to this revelation and connected it with all sorts of ‘Earthly’ things. Check out the best 140 character gems here. » Nikhil Wagle and Shyamsundar Sonnar on 22^nd August were threatened by Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu group in Mumbai, India.  The IJF called on Indian authorities to investigate the situation and ensure journalist safety across the country. » Follow @ET_Edge and #ETCorpComm on Twitter for the latest tweets as the “Strategy Masterclass” for Corporate Communication professionals unfolds. The event taking place in Mumbai has kick-started with the discussion on creativity in communications by @nitinmantri, Director – Avian Media, followed by multiple speakers including @DILIPtheCHERIAN.

Puerile Politicians

It seems politicians do not understand their role in a democracy. Multiple incidents of politicians accusing journalists of siding with a particular political party or ideology have come to light. Such childish tactics for dodging uncomfortable questions, not uncommon on TV, demean the role of press. » After facing flak for a feature on women wearing leggings, Kumudam magazine has issued a ludicrous explanation. According to their statement on Friday, the Tamil magazine published the article to create ‘public awareness’, with parents’ and doctors’ opinions on the matter.

Digital Content Wars

After Facebook, Google & Twitter are working together to make a platform for publishers. This platform will make it easy for publishers to show their content to users of the two tech giants’ services on mobile devices. Official announcement is awaited! » Ankit Fadia, author and self-proclaimed ethical hacker, has claimed being appointed one of ‘Digital India’ brand ambassadors. Ankit has posted few pictures, including a certificate, to corroborate. Government of India was quick to deny Fadia’s claim. » Lucknow district administration is launching an app called “My Lucknow My Pride”. This app aims to boost Lucknow tourism by providing all the information about monuments of the city.

#MediaMoves

Tinaz Nooshian takes charge as Executive Editor, Mid-Day. Prior to this she was associated with The Times of India, Sunday MidDay, MidDay Multimedia and The Asian Age. » Congrats to Rahul Joshi for joining Network 18 Group as CEO News and Editor-in-Chief. He was previously associated with Times Group.

Gatekeeper FB

Free Basics, the latest offering by Facebook with regard to Internet.org is raising eyebrows. Violating Net Neutrality, the program establishes Facebook as a global gatekeeper for internet connectivity, affecting billions of peoples’ ability to connect to the free and open internet. » PM Modi’s Townhall Q&A at the Facebook HQ with Mark Zuckerberg was one to remember. Discussing various topics, Modi revealed that social media “brought about a big change in his way of thinking”.  “We used to have elections every five years, now we have them every five minutes”, he said. Sharing stories about his engagement with other government leaders on social media, Modi said “I don’t think anyone ever thought this is what diplomacy would look like.” “Social media was changing relationships between whole governments”, he added. » Two journalists who survived the attack on Charlie Hebdo are leaving the organization. Artistic director Luz has made known that next week would be the last day of his career as a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist. Writer Patrick Pelloux also announced that he would be leaving, “probably” in January.

Naga Newspaper

In a historic development, the North-Eastern Naga community got their own local language newspaper on Friday. The Makuilongdi Express, launched in Tamenglong district in Manipur, is the first newspaper in Liangmai, a language with about 50,000 speakers spread across Manipur, Assam, and Nagaland. » During one of PM Modi’s meeting with the America’s media big wigs, speedier digitization of the Indian network was demanded. The CEOs, from 21st Century Fox, News Corp, Star India, Discovery Communications, and more, were all positive about the ‘Digital India’ initiative and keen to ride India’s growth trajectory in the media sector. » “Wrong reportage often leads to trouble for the government”, said Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat. Addressing mediapersons at the Uttaranchal Press Club, he urged reporters to exercise restraint especially during disasters.