Open Media Watch

Internet Issues, New Media & Citizen Journalism

Following are articles from other sources related to Internet media and communication technologies. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Internews.

Fledgling website hopes to open journalism to all, Reuters UK, 01 July 2009, A year-old website, inspired by the use of Twitter and Internet media reporting out of Iran, hopes to become the go-to forum for citizen journalists everywhere as traditional media pulls back.

Court ruling gives bloggers no right to privacy, Vnunet.com, 17 June 2009, The High Court in London has ruled that bloggers have no right to privacy under British law, since "blogging is essentially a public rather than a private activity".  The case was brought by The Times after it discovered the identity of a blogger in the police service who wrote the popular NightJack blog, which was awarded the Orwell Prize for blogging in April.

Hi-tech helps Iranian monitoring, BBC World News, 22 June 2009, As protests continue in Iran, details are emerging of the technology used to monitor its citizens.

Twitter delays maintenance amid online revolution, France 24, 17 June 2009, The Obama administration took the unusual step of asking Twitter to delay a planned maintenance outage because of the social blogging site's use as a communications tool by Iranians following their disputed election, a senior official said Tuesday.

The Dawning of Internet Censorship in Germany, Global Voices Advocacy, 16 June 2009, Germany is on the verge of censoring its Internet: The government – a grand coalition between the German social democrats and conservative party – seems united in its decision: On Thursday the parliament is to vote on the erection of an internet censorship architecture.

Egypt: Police Asks For Information about visitors of ‘Political Websites', Global Voices Advocacy, 11 June 2009, After detaining more than 100 blogger in 2008 alone, Egypt is now using a new technique in controlling the internet freedom, as police officers asked an internet café owner to spy on his customers. 

Brazil: Amplified conversations to fight the Digital Crimes Bill, Global Voices Advocacy, 11 June 2009, On May 14th a protest [pt] against the Digital Crimes Bill proposed by Senator Azeredo to typify crimes on the Internet took place in São Paulo to promote debate. On May 25th, it was time for a demonstration in Porto Alegre. On June 1st, a similar protest happened in Minas Gerais and a new one is being planned now in Rio de Janeiro.

Top French legal body blocks Internet piracy law, AFP, 11 June 2009, France's top legal authority Wednesday struck down a key provision of an Internet piracy law that would cut off offenders from the web, in an embarrassing blow for President Nicolas Sarkozy.

New portal to translate EU dailies into 10 languages, EU Observer, 26 May 2009, A new website launched Tuesday (26 May) aims to get EU citizens across the 27 member states talking and reading about the same issues, something that to date has been hindered by language barriers.

Saudi Arabia to Regulate Kingdom-Based Websites, Asharq Alawsat, 13 May 2009, Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja revealed Saudi Arabia's intention to enact laws, regulation, and legislation for newspapers and internet websites. The most important of the proposed legislation is for websites to require official licenses to be granted by a special agency under the purview of the Ministry of Information.

10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger, Committee to Protect Journalists, April 30, 2009
CPJ names the worst online oppressors. Booming online cultures in many Asian and Middle Eastern nations have led to aggressive government repression. Burma leads the dishonor roll.

Ipeace, Net Squared, April 8, 2009
The Ipeace, project design to promote peace, human rights and to expose war crimes and other serious violations of human rights and disseminate this information in real time in Africa by using the information and communication technologies(web, sms, cellphones, GPS, etc).

Protests in Moldova Explode, With Help of Twitter, New York Times, April 8, 2009
A crowd of more than 10,000 young Moldovans materialized seemingly out of nowhere on Tuesday to protest against Moldova’s Communist leadership, ransacking government buildings and clashing with the police. The sea of young people reflected the deep generation gap that has developed in Moldova, and the protesters used their generation’s tools, gathering the crowd by enlisting text-messaging, Facebook and Twitter, the social messaging network.

Freedom on the Net: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media, Freedom House, March 30, 2009
As internet and mobile phone use explodes worldwide, governments are adopting new and multiple means for controlling these technologies that go far beyond technical filtering.

Hillary Clinton, e-diplomat, embraces new media, Associated Press, March 23, 2009
Her videos aren't quite viral yet and she's not tweeting, but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is embracing new media, using the Web to promote the agency and her role as the nation's top envoy.

Mauritania: Online Journalist Arrested, News Website Blocked and Journalists’ Sit-in Attacked, Global Voices, March 17, 2009
Dozens of Mauritanian journalists tried to stage a sit-in late Monday in front of the UN office in Nouakchott in solidarity with the journalist Abbass Ould Braham when the Mauritanian riot police raided the site, firing tear gas at them and allegedly beating them with truncheons.

European Commission renews ‘Broadband For All’ calls, European Journalism Center, March 4, 2009
The European Commission (EC) has Tuesday renewed its calls on member states to improve broadband access in rural areas in order to fulfil its 'Broadband For All' pledge by 2010.

Egyptian bloggers unite in the face of terrorism, Global Voices, March 4, 2009
Eman AbdElRahman wrote about how the Egyptian blogosphere reacted to Al Hussein bombs on February 22 that resulted in the death of a French tourist and the injury of more than 20 people.  Today, I will write about a group of Egyptian bloggers and their initiative to combat terrorism.

Lebanese newspaper channel launched online, European Journalism Center, March 2, 2009
One of the leading newspapers in Lebanon has launched an online channel which aims to provide its audience with interesting and informative behind-the-scenes journalism aimed at strengthening the brand's presence in the region.

How can credible citizen reporting be distinguished?, International Journalists’ Network, March 2, 2009
For the most part, citizen journalism remains unedited and unfiltered. But some Web sites are trying to change that. Citizen media site GroundReport, for instance, was founded in 2006 by a reporter hoping to find, highlight and monetize the most powerful and credible citizen media reports online.

Digital Photography Giving Voice to Nepal's Dalits, OneWorld, March 2, 2009
Thirteen members of the historically marginalized Dalit community in Nepal are harnessing the power of digital media to document their people's struggles and work for social justice.

Power to the People: Rebooting Conventional Diplomacy, Huffington Post, February 27, 2009
The story of how President Obama engineered a grass-roots campaign, mobilizing formerly disengaged U.S. citizens with new media and new technologies, has reached almost mythological proportions. Less well known however, is the story of similar grass-roots efforts -- aimed at countering violent extremism -- emerging in local communities around the world.

Kazakhstan: A Kazakh Video Tube, Global Voices, February 18, 2009
On St. Valentine’s Day, February 14, a Kazakh video hosting project Kaztube.kz came to life. Dozens of videos with congratulations from celebrities and government officials had been uploaded for the opening of the website. Even the prime minister congratulated on the opening of new service — such PR is unheard of for a Web project. It is not surprising though since it was a state entity that supervised the service. Moreover, the project itself was sponsored by the state budget.

Italy: Web Crackdown Criticized, The New York Times, January 17, 2009
Several Internet companies said Parliament’s plan to crack down on what it defined as criminal content on the Web risked limiting freedom of expression. Italy’s Senate passed a bill to block Web content that incites or justifies criminal behavior after Facebook fan groups appeared supporting convicted Sicilian Mafia bosses.

German-Egyptian blogger is released after 5 Days of Mental Abuse, Global Voices Advocacy, February 12, 2009
Egyptian authorities released the German-Egyptian blogger Philippe Rizk, on Wednesday after being held blind-fold for five days in an unknown place and subjected to all kinds of mental abuse.

International Public Opinion Says Government Should Not Limit Internet Access, World Public Opinon.org, April 30, 2008
A new poll of nations around the world finds worldwide support for the principle of media freedom and broad opposition to government having the right to limit access to the Internet. In many countries people want more media freedom than they have now, but in many Muslim countries and in Russia, there is substantial support for regulation of news or ideas that the government thinks could be politically destabilizing.

KYRGYZSTAN: PARLIAMENT IN BISHKEK AIMS AT CONTAINING INTERNET, Eurasianet, February 9, 2009
Parliamentarians in Kyrgyzstan are proposing legislation to restrict Internet freedom, media watchdogs say. The proposed Internet legislation would classify the web as a form of mass media, thus burdening producers of Internet content with the same regulations faced by broadcasters. Proponents of the bill say it is designed to protect Kyrgyz citizens from religious extremism and pornography. Media advocates, however, fear the move would limit freedom of speech.

Top Ranked Blogs in Africa, Global Voices, February 5, 2009
If you are following African blogs, you might be interested to know the top ranked blogs in the African blogosphere. Through Afrigator’s ranking system we are able to know the top ranked blogs in Africa as well as the most read blogs. Afrigator, which is an African blog aggregator, also has a list of top 45 African female bloggers.

Internet Censorship: Dead or Just Dormant?, The Huffington Post, February 2, 2009
In a little noticed action in late January, the Supreme Court put an end to the government's quixotic and wasteful ten-year effort to impose censorship on the Internet via a piece of misguided legislation dubbed, "The Children's Online Protection Act," or "COPA." The law placed severe restrictions on a wide range of legal, socially valuable speech, including content relating to sexual identity, health and art. Such content was covered by the law's definition of "harmful to minors" and criminalized any site that allowed minors access to that type of material.

Serbia: Pescanik's Web Site Down, Radio Broadcast Disrupted, Editor's Car Destroyed, Global Voices, February 2, 2009
A few days ago, Serbian web site www.pescanik.net was taken down and the weekly radio broadcast of the same name was disrupted. Also, the car of Svetlana Lukic, one of two Pescanik's editors, was destroyed.

Timor: 9 years of Internet, still one ISP and a huge digital gap, Global Voices, February 2, 2009
Nine years after the arrival of the Internet in East Timor, the big difficulties faced by the country are not only related to physical access to technology, but also concern the necessary capability and access to resources that improve “digital citizen” participation. The country is limited in access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and also lacks the acquisition of competencies related to that field.

Timor: 9 years of Internet, still one ISP and a huge digital gap, Global Voices, February 2, 2009
Nine years after the arrival of the Internet in East Timor, the big difficulties faced by the country are not only related to physical access to technology, but also concern the necessary capability and access to resources that improve “digital citizen” participation.

Bringing the Internet to Remote African Villages, New York Times, February 1, 2009
The road from Nairobi winds 100 miles to this town deep in Masai country. The outpost, with about 4,000 inhabitants, is at the end of that road and beyond the reach of power lines. It has no bank, no post office, few cars and little infrastructure.

North Africa: are political websites more likely to get hacked?, Global Voices, January 30, 2009
Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free speech both online and offline.

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Young Bloggers Bridge Geopolitical Divides, Global Voices, January 28, 2009
Nearly 15 years after a ceasefire agreement put the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold, a lasting peace remains elusive and few citizens of either country have the opportunity to meet or communicate with the other. That might all be set to change, however, with DOTCOM, a project funded by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by Project Harmony.

Morocco Blocks Four Opposition Websites, Global Voices Advocacy, January 22, 2009
Four websites of the Jama’a Al Adl wa Al Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality), Morocco’s largest Islamic movement (officially illegal), have been blocked in Morocco this week and redirected to a blockpage.

Bahrain: Scores of Websites Blocked, Global Voices Advocacy, January 21, 2009
Scores of websites have been blocked in Bahrain, following a new crackdown by the Ministry of Information. The latest sweep makes sites ranging from Google Translate to those of social, religious, human rights and political groups inaccessible to people in Bahrain.

Debate Over Indency Filtering in Hong Kong, Global Voices Advocacy, January 20, 2009
Hong Kong government is completing its first round of consultation on the Control of Obscene and Indecent Article Ordinance (COIAO) at the end of January, 2009. The most debatable section is on the control over online new media as the existing practice of indecent and obscene censorship is very arbitrary and the extension of the ordinance to the internet may violate freedom of speech and expression.

Cambodia plans to regulate internet and blogging, Global Voices, January 16, 2009
Cambodia’s Ministry of Information is drafting a law that will extend the current print media regulations to other forms of media, including the internet. According to unofficial surveys, there are more than 70,000 regular Internet users in Cambodia today.

How can online journalists be protected? International Center for Journalists, January 5, 2009
In today's digital news environment, independent Internet journalists - who often lack legal support or political connections - are often more vulnerable than those who work for news organizations.

Twitter Post Rescues Jailed Journalist, Politics Online, May 1, 2008
James Karl Buck was bailed out of jail by a 'tweet' post on Twitter, a social networking site. The message “arrested” was seen by Buck’s friends and bloggers in Egypt and the United States via the Internet.

Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008, March 13, 2008
Global Voices and Global Voices Advocacy are pleased to announce the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary on June 27-28, 2008 with the support of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and MediaHungaria.

Facebook Used to Mobilize Protesters Against Colombian Rebels, Fox News, February 4, 2008
Facebook, the Internet social-networking site, has mobilized hundreds of thousands of Colombians to protest the country's most powerful rebel group, the Christian Science Monitor reported Sunday.

Kenya: Do not doubt the power of the Internet in Africa, Global Voices Online, January 2, 2008
If anyone doubts the power of the internet in Africa, they need to look no further than what is happening in Kenya right now…As of yesterday there was a media blackout. The only way to get any up-to-date news for the past 24-48 hours has been through the blogosphere.

Caucasus: 2007 Blog Review, Global Voices Online, December 31, 2007
With 2008 less than a day away at time of writing, it seems only appropriate to take a look back at the blogging highlights in the Caucasus for 2007. Certainly, although blogging is still largely underdeveloped, the year has seen some major highlights, especially with regards to stories that also made headlines worldwide.

List of the 13 Internet enemies, Reporters Without Borders, November 7, 2007
Three countries - Nepal, Maldives and Libya - have been removed from the annual list of Internet enemies, which Reporters Without Borders publishes today. But many bloggers were harassed and imprisoned this year in Egypt, so it has been added to the roll of shame reserved for countries that systematically violate online free expression.

Burkina Faso: Blogs Help Burkinabe Skirt Censorship, Global Voices Online, October 30, 2007
In Burkina Faso, blogging is more than a pastime. It is the eyes and ears of thousands of net users.

TURKMENISTAN: THE HAZARDS OF SURFING, Eurasianet, September 28, 2007
At the government-run "Internet Kafe" near my hotel in the Ashgabat suburb of Berzengi, the small room is dominated by a massive portrait of the president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, framed by garlands of fake flowers, surveying the half-dozen computers.

Alive in Baghdad: Can Citizen Journalism Done Right Pay the Bills?, MediaChannel, August 30, 2007
Alive in Baghdad is arguably the best-positioned citizen news video outfit in the world. It boasts not only an on-the-ground team shooting unfiltered interviews in a highly relevant place like Iraq, but constructive goodwill from videobloggers and video startups like blip.tv and Next New Networks, and even acknowledgment from the mainstream media.

Indians blog to defend against illegal logging along the Brazil-Peru Frontier, Global Voices, August 26, 2007
The Ashaninkas are the largest indigenous group in the Peruvian Amazon and differently from the majority of the South American original dwellers, their cultural identity is greatly preserved.

Kenya: Debating the double-edged nature of citizen media, Global Voices, July 11, 2007
Last month, there was a bomb explosion at a downtown bus stop in Nairobi, Kenya. The bomb killed two people and injured more than 35. By the time the Kenyan mainstream media reported the incident, Kenyan bloggers had already written about it, posted photos and some of them speculated that the explosion could have been linked to Al-Queida or the outlawed Mungiki sect.

The Blogger's Democratic Revolution, Policy Innovations, July 31, 2007
2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the blog. One of the most beneficial side effects of blogs over the last ten years has been the advent of citizen journalism.

Blogging for change, Aliran, March 21, 2007
Bloggers in Malaysia are very much in the news these days after the official warning to the mainstream media not to cite the Internet media and blogs. Mustafa Kamal Anuar reports on a unique event that brought together bloggers, webmasters, and civil society activists.

Web censorship spreading globally, Financial Times, March 14 2007
Internet censorship is spreading rapidly, being practised by about two dozen countries and applied to a far wider range of online information and applications, according to research by a transatlantic group of academics.

Helter Skelter No More: An Evolving Guidebook for Online Ethics, Poynter Online, February 1, 2007
Poynter collected some of the best minds in online journalism to write a set of guidelines for the often-haphazard world of online ethics.

Web 2.0 can benefit the world's poor, SciDevNet, 14 February 2007
New web applications can benefit the world's poor, argue Waleed al-Shobakky and Jack Imsdahl.

A Summary of Citizen Media: Fad or the Future of News?, Editors Weblog, February 8, 2007
Citizen journalism media and local news websites offering user-generated content influence their communities and are here to stay, according to a report released by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism.

Youth on human rights, youth for open source, Digital Divide Network, January 22, 2007
At the heart of the Commons movement is a simple yet powerful concept of sharing information and art for the enjoyment and the betterment of everyone’s lives. Much of this sharing is the result of widespread internet access and broadband availability, resources which many people do not have.

Implacable Adversaries: Arab Governments and the Internet, the Initiative for an Open Arab Internet, January 2007
Hundreds of websites are blocked in the Arab World while thousands, with similar contents remain unblocked. This shows the Arab governments' hostility towards the right to freedom of expression and exchange of information.