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China is changing its tactics when it comes to addressing the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. State media has shifted from a mainstream media and social media blackout of coverage for Hong Kongs Occupy Central movement, which has garnered support from thousands in Hong Kong and overseas, to a concerted, aggressive effort to flood local media with anti-Occupy criticism.

Today, the University of Hong Kongs China Media Project, a blog dedicated to monitoring the countrys relationship with media, pointed out that Chinas state-run news agency, Xinhua, flooded Chinas newspapers with a new report from Hong Kong, focusing on the disorder that has followed the protests and the perceived growing amount of opposition that Occupy Central is receiving. This particular Xinhua report represented 60 percent of todays Occupy coverage in Chinese media.

The illegal gathering called Occupy Central has entered its 15thday, with large amounts of people still assembling in Admiralty, Mong Kok and other areas, the report, which appeared in the Beijing Daily, said. Various quarters of Hong Kong society have urged the occupiers to leave the streets immediately, allowing the lives of city residents to return to normal.

The report, published in Chinese on various platforms, goes on to explain that since Oct. 3, over 60 events and meetings planned by the government have been canceled, delayed or relocated, also adding that in upcoming weeks, over 80 events have been scheduled with at least a dozen already being rescheduled or canceled.

Instead of taking reports from Xinhua, the Global Times offered a handful of its own critiques that undermine the impact of the movement -- for instance, an op-ed titled Occupy Central Will Not Go Down In History, Only Notoriety. In a separate article, the Global Times pinned the movement on Western influences and demanded accountability in what Chinese media perceive as criminal behavior by the people.

Who is providing black money for it? the article asks. Which people should be held criminally liable?

As the movement reaches the three-week milestone, the shift in offensive criticism is not surprising, some experts say, and is geared toward winning Chinese over by placing increased attention on the economic consequences and social disruption of the protests.

Theres a recognition that the government cant completely stem the flow of information from Hong Kong to the mainland, so its better [to] try to control the messaging as much as possible, Dr. Michal Meidan, associate fellow of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and director the policy institute's China Matters, a research and advisory group, said in an interview. Playing up the chaos that could ensue, the inconvenience caused to daily lives and businesses, as well as the role foreign governments (especially the U.S.) are playing resonates with public onion.

The Global Times adopted this narrative as early as Oct. 4, when an article published said that the work behind the Occupy Central movement bears the shadow of the West. Chinese media bases these claims on the argument that protesters were encouraged by foreign grant organizations like the Madeleine Albright-founded National Democratic Institute and the National Endowment of Democracy.

Media chatter and conversation inside the so-called great firewall has been drastically limited compared with the coverage in Hong Kong -- or anywhere else in the world. Aside from heavy-handed control over state-run media, Chinese Internet censors unsurprisingly have blocked the phrase Occupy Central, along with other related search terms, and photos on the ground from social media sites and applications such as Weibo and WeChat.

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Chinese Media Floods Mainland News With Anti-Occupy Hong Kong Coverage

In the last two years, State Attorney Angela Corey has basked in praise of some and been hit by criticism from others.

"That's a very polite way of putting it," Corey said with a chuckle after a reporter mentioned that last week.

During a 45-minute interview with the Times-Union last week, the first time she's sat down with the newspaper in several years, Corey was relaxed and happy to reminisce about her days as an assistant state attorney when the public knew her as a vocal victims advocate who successfully prosecuted multiple high-profile murders.

For now, Corey is at a good point.

The national criticism she got for her unsuccessful prosecution of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case in 2013 is fading.

Her decision to prosecute Michael Dunn for first-degree murder was validated when a jury agreed with her Oct. 1, guaranteeing that the 47-year-old Brevard County man will get life in prison for the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

For Corey, Dunn was a first-degree case, and she thinks some of her critics didn't understand the difference between first- and second-degree murder.

"Second-degree doesn't even require you have an intent to kill," said Corey, adding it was clear to her that Dunn intended to kill Davis when he shot at the teenager in their dispute over loud music on the day after Thanksgiving in 2012.

Corey said she doesn't feel the need to please everybody as long as cops and victims approve of what she's doing, but she admits being frustrated when she thinks critics are taking shots at her because they're ignorant of the law, or motivated by ulterior motives.

It's different from valid criticism, which she respects, Corey said.

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Angela Corey: Florida prosecutor reflects on high-profile cases

Get 1989 to 1.3 Million!
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Get 1989 to 1.3 Million! - Video

At the start of this exercise social networking for example and social media were not necessarily used as a means of exploitation, now this is something that is much more common and that was evident in Rotherham as well and it will be elsewhere.

"Grooming online can shift to exploitation offline very fast, it can happen within an hour or so that that occurs and regrettably a number of young victim do not even know on occasion that they are actually being exploited or abused in the way that for example indecent pictures are posted on social media.

The professor added that if similar investigations to the in-depth Rotherham probe were carried out in other council areas undetected sexual abuse would be found to be much more widespread activity across England and indeed other parts of the UK than people believe.

Rotherham, she added, is most certainly not unique and that she was sure that such abuse would occur elsewhere.

Last week it emerged that more than 6,000 children across England have been reported as at risk from sexual exploitation since the beginning of 2013.

Figures collected from councils by Channel 4 News show that thousands of other children are considered at risk in other parts of the country adding weight to the argument that Rotherham was not an isolated case.

A total of 3,009 children were referred to social services, or known to them already, as at risk of exploitation in the first six months of 2014. During 2013, social services were aware of 3,202 children at risk, according to the information gathered from Freedom of Information requests.

Northern towns and cities reported the most children at risk. In Manchester, 452 children were known to be at risk in the past 18 months, 407 in Derbyshire, 363 in Sheffield, and 311 in Blackburn and Darwen.

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Children are being abused an hour after being groomed online, Rotherham sex abuse scandal expert warns

CHICAGO McDonald's Corp., which hasn't always gotten a warm reception on social media, is taking to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube with a Q&A-style ad campaign, aiming to dispel the notion that its food is unhealthy.

The world's largest restaurant chain began taking questions from Americans Monday via social-networking sites, promising to deliver "real answers." As part of the campaign, former "MythBusters" host Grant Imahara will visit McDonald's suppliers and restaurants nationwide and appear in a series of online videos.

McDonald's is using more of an unvarnished approach to marketing as it tries to recover from four straight months of declining U.S. same-store sales. Venturing into social media can be risky for well-known brands. Earlier this year, McDonald's drew ridicule on Twitter and Facebook for a toothy Happy Meal mascot that some people described as frightening. The company also has been targeted by viral videos, such as one showing a McNugget under a microscope.

McDonald's already has a frequently-asked-questions page on its website with some unflattering information about its food. The company does use food coloring in its milkshakes, for instance, and its McRib sandwich is made from pork shoulder along with salt, water, dextrose and some preservatives. On the other hand, most restaurants use freshly cracked eggs for breakfast sandwiches, and its apple pies have real apples, McDonald's said.

In a new YouTube video, the company filmed Americans asking questions, including some tough ones like "Does McDonald's even sell real food?" and "That pink slime...what's up with that?" One person in the clip says she has read that McDonald's food contains horse meat.

McDonald's, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has been rolling out new menu items and price promotions as it tries to revive U.S. growth. That includes $2 jalapeno burgers and a 20-pack of Chicken McNuggets for $5. McDonald's has about 14,200 domestic locations.

The fast-food chain has introduced similar ad campaigns in Canada and Australia. Its Canadian website, for example, explains food origins for items such as the cheese and gravy used in poutine.

The more open dialogue follows questions about McDonald's food safety, especially overseas.

Earlier this year, one of the company's suppliers in China, OSI Group, was investigated for changing the expiration dates on food. The probe led to shortages of certain menu items and sales declines. In Russia, consumer-safety regulators have shut down some of the chain's locations, citing violations of sanitary rules.

"People are looking for faster, more straightforward responses to their questions about our food," Ben Stringfellow, a spokesman for McDonald's USA, said in a statement. "We're looking forward to engaging in two-way conversations with as many people as possible."

Originally posted here:
McDonald's braves social-media waters with new Q&A campaign