There’s been a growing tendency lately (particularly on BBGWatch, an online watchdog) to compare, unfavorably, the Voice of America's (VOA) performance, as measured by number of stories or live reports from the scene of breaking news, with other national and international news organizations. Behind much of this criticism is an implicit expectation that VOA’s coverage should be as fast and broad as that of large wire service-type enterprises such as AP or CNN, or even the BBC. 

Candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary General are taking questions from the public via social media and answering concerns from member states. The five permanent Security Council members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – normally chose the UN chief in a secretive process. But this time, part of that process is happening on live television in a debate broadcast globally by Al Jazeera.

Acting under directives from the central government, China's propaganda department is co-ordinating a global effort to step up its soft power outreach commensurate with its economic and political stature in the world, spending $US6.8 billion ($9.1 billion) a year to run and expand the international reach of official state-run media including Xinhua, CCTV, China Radio International and the China Daily.

The China Internet Information Centre and the Southern Media Corporation has announced the 1st Golden Bauhinia International New Media Film Festival (GBINMFF) at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing. According to PRNewswire, GBINMFF aims to promote innovation in terms of content, production, delivery and distribution from "All Ages, All Cultures & All Media" amid the Internet era; and to establish a healthy eco-system for new media sectors to cultivate new talents and premium productions.