More often than not, it’s the tragic stories that receive media coverage, especially in times of crisis. Displeased with the huge amount of bad news he reads every day, Ruy Drever, a Brazilian journalist, decided to do something about it: He created a site called “The Good News” that focuses only on the positive.
“I needed some fresh air after having been exposed for so long to so much negative news that I read every day in the newspaper. So I developed a space to get the word out about positive people and initiatives, things that make a difference in building a better world,” Drever said in an interview with the blog Outras Bossas.
Cairo’s newest consumer trend is the rise of a Facebook marketplace, with people selling everything from used books to jewelry to designer fashions from Paris via Facebook groups. In a struggling Egyptian economy, many retailers have been forced to increase their prices. So people are drawn to some of the bargains on Facebook (one seller is offering designer handbags for 20-30 percent less than the original price), as well as the ability to select items from the comfort of their own homes. Online shopping has never been much of an option here in Egypt—there aren’t many domestic online retailers, and buying from abroad entails paying high customs fees and involves credit card complications. Facebook has therefore provided Egyptians with a local online shopping option. While this heralds trouble for shops and upscale department stores, Facebook represents a massive opportunity for entrepreneurial individuals taking a chance on a sleepy retail market.
Like many people still in business today, I don’t read the paper anymore. Actually, I scan it. Or rather, I scan the headlines and the synopsis that The New York Times kindly e-mails me every morning. And last week, I realized that a new “R” word is creeping into our daily media diet. Not “recession”—that’s old hat now—but “reset.”
Clarin, the biggest newspaper in Argentina, is promoting itself to marketing directors as the most effective media for these times. The print says: “It’s a year to sell or sell.” In other words, this year, you really need to sell your product. You don’t have options. If you don’t, you will go bankrupt. After reminding you of this harsh truth, Clarin continues, “Think well what you will do with your ad.” A straightforward concept that, along with its strong, humorous and grotesque tone and language, shows the consequences of not optimizing one’s advertising budget: few sales, excess stock, so … you end up eating all your chocolate or drinking all of your energy drinks. The ad closes with: “You need to sell, you need to advertise in Clarin.”
In Spain, television ad spending has dropped since the downturn. So with TV ad time not as profitable as it once was, the government has made the decision to wipe out advertising on the two public TV channels starting in September, to emphasize a clearer “public service” orientation. There will be no more ads on the Televisión Española (TVE) network, and new taxes on private channels and telecom companies will support public TV budgets.
Cablevision Mexico is writing to its customers:
Amid all the news items on the downturn, India’s 
