· May, 2010

Stories about Citizen Media from May, 2010

Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia make Eurovision Top Ten

This year's Eurovision Song Contest drew to a close on a Saturday in a televised final which attracted around 125 million viewers worldwide. But while some media reported lagging interest in the 54-year-old competition and concerns about spiraling costs, countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to take it very seriously indeed.

Japan: Okinawans vent frustration over Futenma

  31 May 2010

Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama has backtracked on promises to reduce the presence of American military forces in Okinawa, and inhabitants of the prefecture are furious. In blogs, they express their disappointment and rage against the failed Japan-U.S. negotiations.

South Africa: Rugby Playing Its Part in Transformation

  29 May 2010

Sport is still largely split along racial lines in South Africa. Football is considered a non-white sport and rugby is considered by many to be a game played by white South Africans. There have been many attempts at transforming these attitudes, but this year’s rugby Super 14 has proved to be the most significant step in nation building.

Pakistan: Minorities At Peril

  28 May 2010

“The thirty years of state sponsored “true” Islam is showing its colors. In Pakistan all the minorities are constantly harassed and state’s protection has often proved completely ineffective when a serious attack occurs,” comments Raza Habib Raja at Pak Tea House while discussing the attacks on the religious sites of...

Caucasus: Social media, cleavage, and rare unity in Eurovision

Although last night's second semi-final for this year's Eurovision Song Contest has been and gone, Twitter was alive with commentary and updates throughout. The annual international competition, noted more for its kitsch entries than for its music, is viewed by well over 100 million people worldwide. Its presence online is nowhere near as large, but is increasingly becoming an important consideration.

Brazil: Exchange Student Victim of Racism at the University

  27 May 2010

Kadija Tu, an exchange student from Guinea-Bissau, was severely beaten inside the campus of UFPB [Federal University of the State of Paraíba] on May 24th, reports Eugenio Cruz from the blog Quase nada sobre quase tudo [Almost nothing about almost everything, pt]. Witnesses say she was called ‘dog-nigger‘ (Negra-Cão) by...

Russia: Taking Children as a New Method of Pressure on Journalists

Children of Galina Dmitrieva, an oppositionary journalist and activist, were taken by Russian police after she published an investigation about Russian car manufacturer Avtovaz [EN], Anatoliy Baranov reported [RUS]. After instant blog-campaign her children were returned. Blogger Marina Litvinovich suggests [RUS] this method was used before against at least one oppositionary journalist.

China: Hebei’s “Great Leap Forward”

  27 May 2010

More than 1000 residents of Hebei Province will be subject to forced evictions before June 5, in a government development project online opinion has dubbed a “Great Leap Forward.” Guangping County, an impoverished area in southern Hebei, will see 2 billion yuan ($293 million) invested in new building and development...

South Africa: The World Cup is Coming to Grahamstown

  26 May 2010

This year in Grahamstown, South Africa, the World Cup coincides with the annual National Arts Festival, which is expected to increase tourism and opportunities for residents. Citizen journalists from the Grocott's Mail have examined many of these issues and how they will impact their local community.

Cape Verde: Using an Online Tool to Fight Dengue

  25 May 2010

The Government of Cape Verde is using the internet as a powerful tool to fight dengue [pt]. By creating an epidemiological watch online through which it is possible to insert every new case on a database as soon as it is discovered, they are able to assist and help areas...