· June, 2008

Stories about Citizen Media from June, 2008

Shhh… The Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008 Has Begun

  27 June 2008

If it's quiet on Global Voices the next couple of days, it's because we've transported around 80 of our editors, authors, and translators to Budapest, Hungary for a Summit about online freedom of expression, citizen media, and the role of Global Voices in the next year. You can follow all...

Armenia: A1 Plus European Court Ruling

Six years after it was effectively removed from the airwaves, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has finally ruled in favor of the A1 Plus TV Station. Known for its criticism of the authorities, A1 Plus failed to win a tender for its own broadcasting frequency in April 2002.

Vietnam: Detention of journalists sparks web debate

  16 June 2008

GV author Caroline Finlay writes about how the arrest of two Vietnamese journalists last month sparked an online debate about media freedom and corruption in Vietnam. The spirited online discussion was interesting and encouraging since the press is tightly controlled in Vietnam.

EmPivot: Green media aggregator

  15 June 2008

EmPivot is a website made for sharing videos with a specific theme: environment. This green-related media content is added to the website so that people, organizations and companies can connect with each other with this same interest between them. EmPivot, as they explain on their website, comes from the word...

Cape Verde: Teenage, pregnant and banned from school

  14 June 2008

The close-knit Cape Verdean blogosphere has launched a campaign against a school decision to ban a student girl on the grounds of "childbirth". An online petition demanding a special framework for pregnant girls at school, which has been organized by the bloggers, is rapidly growing in support.

Caucasus: Armenian & Georgian Blogosphere Assessed

Following last weekend's BarCamp in Tbilisi, one of the event's main organizers, Giga Paitchadze, briefly considers its success and provides a small glimpse into the Georgian blogosphere. Also known as DvOrsky, the blogger claims to be the oldest in the country. Global Voices Online interviewed Paitchadze after the Caucasus BarCamp.

Colombia: The struggles of Barrancabermeja documentary

  11 June 2008

This nine part documentary created by Taline Haytayan of her experience as part of the Peace Brigades International organization in the strife ridden Barrancabermeja region of Colombia captured my attention throughout. It follows the Feminine Popular Organization (OFP) group which works together to prevent violence against women and violent conflict...

Azerbaijan: Blogs, BarCamps & Social Networks

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices. On the sidelines of this weekend's Caucasus BarCamp in Tbilisi, capital of the Republic of Georgia, Global Voices Online's Caucasus Editor Onnik Krikorian had a brief opportunity to talk to BarCamp Ambassador and Regional Program Manager for Transitions Online,...

Mexico: citizen complaint over land expropiation in Copala

  9 June 2008

In Copala [en], a town south of Acapulco in the province of Guerrero in Mexico, comes this video denouncing the alleged expropriation of lands belonging to Isabel Pisa and Fabiola Abarca by the Municipal President, Gonzalo Gallardo García, member of the Green Ecological Party [es]. The plan was to build...

Update on China's plastic bag ban

  9 June 2008

New plastic bag rules went into effect throughout China on Sunday: now, ultra-thin plastic bags are banned, and shoppers need to pay a small fee for thicker ones. One supermarket reported daily plastic bag use fell 40 percent since the ban. News outlets reported mixed enforcement, though Beijing authorities did...

Egypt: Doctors shoot video of hospital blackout emergency

With more frequency now, hospitals are being managed as big businesses with clients instead of health facilities with patients. Doctors who wish to honor their Hippocratic Oath have to hope that their hospital management has the same ideal of keeping the good of the patient as the highest priority. This was the case last week in the Al Matrya teaching hospital in Egypt, where 4 babies and 2 adults on life support lost their lives due to a 2 hour blackout in the early morning hours and generators failed to kick in once again.

Ecuador: The Amazon Tribes Vs. Big Oil

  4 June 2008

A rekindled interest in the richness of the Amazon is one of the results of recently distributed photograph showing members of an uncontacted tribe in the Brazilian Amazon shooting arrows at the photographer's airplane which surfaced on the Internet on May 23rd. However, to some organizations, the Amazon has never been far from their minds, and today we´ll see some videos brought by Amazon Watch, some which were showcased on Witness' The Hub editorial section.

Brazil: First blog falls victim to electoral law

  1 June 2008

The Rio de Janeiro Electoral Court demanded this week that Brazilian bloggers deleted banners they had published in support of their candidate for the Rio Mayoral 2008 elections - or the candidate would have his candidacy banned. Bloggers reacted strongly to it and may now say that they were victorious in this battle against censorship.