Mediaboss Marketing

From ultramodern skyscrapers to artificial islands, Dubai is known for unveiling buzzworthy projects that promote it as a placeof innovation. The citys latest endeavor to brand itself isDubai Font, a set of type commissioned by the the Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, and launched by the executive council of Dubai in partnership with Microsoft. Its available for anyone to use free of charge, and you candownload it online in 23 different languages.

Dubai is now the first city to have a specially designed Microsoft font although it is technically a typeface, available in four weights.The projects website crowsthatits so much more than just a newcomer to the world of typography; itwas honed to reflectthe modernity of the city. It was designedto create harmony between Latin and Arabic, reads a description. It is an embodiment of a vision one of promoting literacy, unity, and forward-thinking laced with tradition, carrying within it aspirations beyond its outlines. It is young, dynamic, and full of passion and energy.

Dubai Font is also supposed to be a new global medium for self-expression which is a pretty peachy claim when you consider the citys history of censorship. The executive directors of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth and Andrew Stroehlein, were quick to point outthe irony of the typefaces purpose on Twitter, noting that the initiative very likely represents anempty promise of free speech for Dubais own citizens. The campaigns hashtag, #ExpressYou, has also predictably been deployed on social media to highlight the hypocrisy of a government known for detaining artists and activists for expressing themselves.

Notably, the Crown Prince has urged government institutionsto adopt the typeface in all official correspondence so anyone punished for their opinions will receive asentence spelled out in forms celebratingthe voice of our brave new world.

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Dubai, a City Known for Censorship, Launches Typeface for Self-Expression - Hyperallergic

The Trump campaign is calling it censorship pure and simple that CNN is refusing to air their ad celebrating the first 100 days of Donald Trumps presidency.

Trumps team put out a statement earlier today blasting CNN as fake news again when the network wouldnt let the ad run on their airspace. CNNs public relations division responded by saying that they took issue with the commercial for featuring a graphic decrying them and other news agencies as fake news:

The Trump camp took notice of this, and they offered this response:

In response to a claim today by CNN that it refused to run a TV ad by Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. because the mainstream media is not fake news, executive director, Michael Glassner said, This is censorship pure and simple. By rejecting our ad, CNN has proven that it supports censorship is biased and fears an opposing point of view. President Trumps loyal supporters know the truth: The mainstream media mislead, misguide, deceive, and distract. CNN epitomizes the meaning of fake news and has proven it by rejecting our paid campaign ad.

And theyre now promoting the video as the ad CNN refuses to air.

[Image via screengrab]

>> Follow Ken Meyer (@KenMeyer91) on Twitter

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

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Trump Campaign Accuses CNN of 'Censorship' in Rejecting Ad: 'Epitomizes' Fake News - Mediaite

Two Chinese men use their laptop computers at a cafe in Beijing on Nov. 2, 2012. Wang ZhaoAFP/Getty Images

The Chinese government has tightened its grip over news distributed online and on social media, overhauling its Internet regulations for the first time in 12 years with sweeping new restrictions.

The South China Morning Post reports that Chinas Cyberspace Administration will now require most online news and media outlets to obtain a license from the government.

Outlets subject to the new provisions, effective on June 1, will include websites, applications, forums, blogs, microblogs, public accounts, instant messaging tools and internet broadcasts.

Temporary measures enacted in 2014 already required licenses for news published on instant messaging platforms such as WeChat, according to the Post , but the rules did little to curb the spread of so-called unofficial media and news discourse.

China maintains tight control over the Internet, and is one of the worlds worst-ranking countries in terms of free speech. Reporters Without Borders, also called RSF, placed China fifth from the bottom in its annual Press Freedom Index, calling President Xi Jinping the planets leading censor and press freedom predator.

For more on the Internet in China, watch Fortune's video:

Popular online platforms such as Google , Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are all blocked in China, as are the websites of some major international news outlets such as TIME, the New York Times , and the BBC. According to RSF, more than 100 journalists and bloggers are currently detained in the country.

Critics say that since Xi entered office in 2012, he has pursued an aggressive crackdown on the Internet, and last year saw a number of news agencies and web portals shut down by government regulators. Many netizens use a virtual private network, or VPN, to circumvent what's known as "China's Great Firewall," though authorities this year implemented a ban on unlicensed VPN service providers.

The rest is here:
China Has Tightened Its Grip on Online News With Sweeping New Controls - Fortune

A image from Mat-Su Animal Control warning of the loose python. They noted that the photo of the snake is the yellow and white color pattern of the snake and theyre awaiting an actual photo of the snake. (Courtesy of Mat-Su Animal Control)

Mat-Su animal control said a 100-pound python is on the loose in Meadow Lakes.

Listen now

Borough officials say the snake has been missing for two days and could be a threat to small children or pets. They say residents in the West Mallard Lane area should keep an eye on their yards and beware of any warm hiding spots on their property.

Animal control officer Darla Erskine said the yellow-and-white snakes owner lost track of it and started going door to door to warn his neighbors.

Thats when Erskine got a disturbing call.

Ill take the dogs, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits cases, but yeah, Im the one who got the call, so Im facing my fears, Erskine said. His 17-foot albino Burmese python had gotten loose out of the house. He was doing some yard work and left the door open and couldnt find the snake anywhere. This is an unusual animal. It can eat a 25-pound rabbit. It could lay in waiting. We were concerned weve needed to get the word out, because its a public safety issue in our minds.

An advisory statement from the borough says that animal control officers expect cold temperatures to weaken the snake or compel it to seek a warm place.

Mat Su Animal Control says the snake is most likely dead because of the cold.

But Erskine said the cold temps might also have caused the snake to go into hibernation.

Then he could come out, come out of hibernation, when we have a warm up to an 80 or 90 degree day, so Id really like to find him one way or the other.

Anyone who sees the snake is asked to call 911 or the Mat Su Animal Care department at 761-7501.

More:
17-foot python loose in Meadow Lakes, Mat-Su animal control warns ... - Alaska Public Radio Network

Reporters for regional news website Cornwall Live were told they were not allowed to film the Prime Ministers visit to their patch today because they were invited as print media only.

Two reporters and a photographer for the Trinity Mirror website, which includes content from its weekly newspapers across the South West, were sent down to cover Theresa Mays visit to an industrial estate in Helston as part of the Tory leaders campaign trail.

Cornwall digital editor Jacqui Merrington told Press Gazette: When we arrived there we were told we were not allowed to film anything because we were invited as print media, which seems a bit 20th century really.

She said that while their photographer was allowed to follow Theresa May on her visit and take still images, the two reporters were shut in a room for the duration and told they could only ask two questions of May in an interview at the end of her visit, which they also were not allowed to film.

Merrington said the website, which she claimed hasabout 100,000 daily page impressions, waslive blogging the tour and had hoped to do some video for Facebook Live as well.

It felt very tightly controlled, said Merrington.

I think if [May] is going to come out on visits on the campaign trail the purpose of it should be for her to, if not meet members of the public, then at least show the public that she is there and we would be able to see what shes talking about, what issues are being raised with her. We werent able to do that because we couldnt see her talking to anyone else.

Many of us here have had experiences with former leaders and while there have of course been restrictions, it didnt feel as tightly controlled as this.

She added: To think that in this day and age we were and still are a local newspaper, but we are a lot more than that. We are digital media and that is the case for most local media nowadays and to be restricted on that basis seems very archaic.

We are quite a sizeable website and a large proportion of our audience comes through digital as well as the weekly papers.

May is understood to have done televised interviews with the BBC and ITV during her visit.

Merrington said she had put a call into Number 10 ahead of the visit to try and argue our case to be able to film and said she would follow up on the matter.

If nothing else it would be nice to see, in the future, local media treated as local media and not just local newspapers, she said.

On the live blog, reporters shared updates on the press restrictions they faced at the scene.

In successive entries, one including a picture of the door to the room they had been kept in, they said: Weve been told by the PMs press team that we were not allowed to stand outside to see Theresa May arrive.

The prime minister is behind this door but we cant show you. Her press team has said print journalists are not allowed to see her visiting the company.

Theresa May is being introduced to company representatives on the shop floor, but journalists have been kept away. Well be allowed to ask her questions later in a separate room.

Conservative party press officers continue to refuse Cornwall Live access to film an interview with the PM.

Having covered several high-profile politicians and royal visits over the years, the level of media control here is far and above anything Ive seen before. Were not even allowed to show you her visiting the building.

Here is another example of the tight media control over the visit: All journalists are only allowed two questions for Mrs May, and we are not allowed to film her answering our questions.

Weve been allowed to ask our questions to the prime minister (although we are forbidden to film or photograph her answering them).

We were given at most three minutes and were refused to be allowed to ask why we were not allowed to film her.Our reporter Lyn was then ushered out of the room.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said: One media organisations last minute request to add a camera to a pre-arranged pool of broadcast cameras was not possible this morning.

The organisations journalists did interview the Prime Minister and their photographer accompanied the Prime Minister on a factory tour.

Theresa May has so far taken four times as many questions from journalists as floundering Jeremy Corbyn while his cabinet cant even answer basic questions about how they would pay for his nonsensical policies.

Picture: Reuters/Dylan Martinez

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Local reporters 'shut in a room' during Theresa May visit to Cornish industrial estate - Press Gazette