Marta Cooper

I am a British/Italian freelance writer and blogger interested in the intersection of media and politics, with particular reference to issues of censorship, civil society and social and political reform. I am fascinated by the future of journalism and press freedom in the digital age and the pace of change in emerging markets.

I am currently an editorial assistant at Index on Censorship in London. Since October 2009 I have written about Brazil and China for Global Voices Online, where I sit on the Board of Directors.

From 2009 to 2011 I lived in Shanghai, China, where I studied Mandarin and contributed to Shanghaiist, Shanghai Daily, The China Beat and the China Economic Review. I have also written for openDemocracy.

I have an MSc (Merit) from the London School of Economics in Global Media and Communications, and a 1st Class Honours degree in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies. I speak Italian, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese.

Twitter: @martaruco.

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Latest posts by Marta Cooper

United Kingdom: Making Sense of the London Riots

London woke up to a wave of destruction on Tuesday morning, following another night of anarchic rioting and looting. As communities clear the damage and brace themselves for more unrest, the country is trying to make sense of the events, which have highlighted deep tensions in the relationship between political leaders, the police and the communities they aim to serve.

9 August 2011

China: editorial on 2008 earthquake blacked out

China Media Project has translated an editorial from liberal newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily commemorating the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The piece, which featured references to detained artist Ai Weiwei, who had attempted...

14 May 2011

China: Facebook's PR strategy

Bill Bishop at DigiCha and Imagethief's Will Moss ruminate on Facebook's PR strategy as speculation grows over the social networking site's possible entry into the Chinese market.

21 April 2011

Brazil: President today, blogger tomorrow

Outgoing Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) was interviewed for the first time this week by a range of progressive bloggers, an event seen by many as a major step in the ongoing push for a more democratic media system in the country.

26 November 2010

Brazil: Black Awareness Day

To mark Brazil's annual Black Awareness Day (Dia da Consciência Negra), journalist and blogger Elaine Tavares explains [pt] why she is proud to be Afro-Brazilian. Meanwhile, celebrations and cultural events [pt] to...

20 November 2010

Brazil: dreams of competing with China

Writer and analyst Bradley M. Gardner weighs in on billionaire entrepeneur Eike Batista's plan [pt] to bring Apple’s manufacturing process to Brazil. Gardner writes that Batista “wants his country to...

19 November 2010

China: fire ravages Shanghai apartment block

A high-rise apartment block in downtown Shanghai became engulfed by flames at around 2pm this afternoon. Early reports say firefighters are trying to rescue residents and construction workers still trapped...

15 November 2010

China: Ai Weiwei under house arrest

Controversial and outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was on Friday placed under house arrest for, it seems, planning to host a dinner for 1,000 people to commemorate the demolition of...

7 November 2010

China: Shanghai World Expo comes to an end

As the Shanghai 2010 World Expo has drawn to a close, Shanghai Scrap's Adam Minter looks at why the six-month long extravaganza mattered, and how foreign correspondents missed an opportunity...

1 November 2010