Since 2006 I am working for the European Broadcasting Union, responsible for communications and public relations for the Junior- and Eurovision Song Contest. This weekend, the 7th running took place in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Netherlands won the competition for 10 to 15 years old talent.

Ralf Mackenbach finished first with his self-penned song Click Clack, thanks to support from televoters and professional jury members in the other 12 participating countries.

It was quite something to see the Netherlands win a Eurovision event, 34 years after the legendary victory of Teach-In at the Eurovision Song Contest. Those who said that the Netherlands simply can’t win the competition anymore - often pointing at eastern-Europe - belongs to the past if you ask me

More info: www.junioreurovision.tv

He looks nervous. Chin up. Red tie. Barack. Then, the amicable, big smile of Joe Biden. Blue tie. Dick Cheney in a wheelchair. As CNN covers the soon-to-be ex-Vice President’s arrival at the Capitol, a woman is laughing hard in the background. Awkward. All those people in Washington. All those people watching on television. All those people on Facebook. Twitter is slow. Or down. Facebook is slow. Ladies and gentlemen, the President-Elect of the United States, Barack H. Obama. No Hussein? The public cheers. The world is watching. They pray. His mother-in-law peaks at him as Barack prays. Joseph learned his lines. They’re late! A new website for the White House. Congratulations, Mr. President.

Picture by cknapp from ireport.com

A dramatic event that turned into an enormous relieve. Hours ago, a US Airways Airbus A320 plunged into the Hudson River, New York City. Within the hour, it became clear that all passengers and crew got out safely and that no passengers are seriously injured. For the first time ever, a passenger jet landed on water without a single seriously injured passenger. As far as I know, a perfect landing never took place before in the history of commercial aviation. Remarkable. Miraculous. Heroic!

Apart from this tragedy that quickly turned into a great relieve for the passengers and crew, their relatives, US Airways and the City of New York, this accident is a remarkable example of how crisis communication evolves.

As one of the world’s top airlines, US Airways has a crisis communication plan ready at all times to quickly anticipate on whatever tragedy might strike. Press releases were issued instantly, special phone numbers for relatives and media contacts were made available. Within an hour, the company’s CEO gave a press conference on international television, underlining the excellent support their company will provide to those who are in need of information. He also made an effort to bring under everyone’s attention that the flight crew’s excellent training lead to the outcome of what could have been much, much worse.

CNN quickly came on with pictures of the floating plane, uploaded by citizens on photo website Flickr. Minutes later, they present animations of the plane’s glide path with the help of Google Earth. Shortly afterwards, they even present a full profile of the flight’s captain, including his picture and track record. They simply found him on LinkedIn! Speaking about the influence of social media…

At the same time, the City of New York makes an interesting move, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg says live on CNN: “This is not the usual way people arrive in New York, but we will do everything possible to treat them in the most hospitable way.” I wonder if city promotion is appropriate so shortly after a major incident - despite the outcome - but it would be interesting to discuss! What are your thoughts? Leave a comment!

From here, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I have the privilege of spending my first ever white Christmas in Estonia, as the last official white Christmas in the Netherlands was in 1981, three years before I was born. Here, up in the north, there is no lack of snow this year!

Enjoy the food, the drinks, the gifts, the good old Christmas songs and most of all… be grateful for the company of your loved ones!

Mari-Leen & Sietse

Walking down the street, listening music on my iPod. I was trying to imagine what it was like in the United States at the time our parents were young, when people of different race were discriminated, abused and treated as lower than others. In the United States, and on many other places across the world.

We have made progress as generation. We have made progress as mankind. Fourty years later, a man of mixed race can become President of the United States of America. And so he will, as moments ago, CNN projected Barack Obama’s victory in the race for the presidency.

If Barack Obama will manage to lead as he ran his campaign remains to be seen, but his victory means a lot. It is a big step for mankind. One in the right direction. Now it is up to us to finish the journey down that path, so that everyone, despite race, despite background, can achieve their dreams.

Barack, congrats!