· September, 2010

Stories about Citizen Media from September, 2010

South Africa: Winners of South Africa Blog Awards 2010

  29 September 2010

The South African Blog Awards started in 2005 to showcase the best blogs in South Africa voted for by the public. The winners were announced on 25 September 2010 at the annual awards ceremony at the One & Only hotel, Cape Town. The award for the Best 2010 South Africa Blog went to Watkykjy.

Bhutan: ‘Happiness’ As A Millennium Development Goal

  25 September 2010

It was nice to have a little laughter - even whimsical as it may have been - when the PM of Bhutan proposed “Happiness” be included as the 9th Millennium Development Goal at the the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals.

Nobel Peace Prize should go to Liu Xiaobo

  25 September 2010

Xu Youyu, philosopher and professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote an open letter (English translation here) to call for international support for this year's Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned author of China's Charter 08.  Meanwhile, C. Custer at ChinaGeeks commented on...

Madagascar, rosewood trafficking: an investigator arrested

  24 September 2010

The site Mongabay [in English] and the blog MyDago [in French] reported on September 17 that “a foreign journalist”, whose identity was not revealed, was arrested on September 5 in Maroantsetra in eastern Madagascar while investigating the smuggling of rosewood [in French].

Cambodia: Controversial mobile phone ad

  21 September 2010

An advertisement of a major Cambodian mobile phone service provider is being criticized by many netizens for promoting bad internet behavior among the youth. Bloggers are pushing for the removal of the ad.

Colombia: Virtual Gifts for Medellín on its 335 Birthday

  21 September 2010

On November 2 the city of Medellín will celebrate 335 years of its founding. The account @cumplemedellin was created on Twitter so that its citizens can tweet the symbolic present they want to give their city on this occasion. What would you give your city on its "birthday"? Find out what citizens of Medellín are tweeting almost a month before the date.

Venezuela: Using Crowdsourcing to Report on Elections

  20 September 2010

Through video, pictures and links, citizens can report on any event or incident related to the upcoming September 26 elections in Venezuela thanks to Dale Poder A Tu Voto [es] (Give your vote power), a site modeled after Ushahidi. The site uses crowdsourcing to promote transparency, participation and education.

South Africa: Thou Shall Not Burn the Bible

  20 September 2010

A South African businessman and law student Mohammed Vawda planned to burn the Bible on September 11, 2010 in Johannersburg central business district. He claims that he was enraged by pastor Terry Jones who wanted to burn the Koran in the United States of America. The South African High Court stopped Mohammed from setting the Bible on fire arguing that the act was an insult to all religions. The ruling has receive mixed reactions from bloggers.

Japan, China fishing boat row: a war of words

  19 September 2010

Just as the Diaoyu Islands row between Japan and China intensifies over the detention of a Chinese fishing captain, whose detention has just been extended by a further 10 days, a war of words has broken out between prominent bloggers Yoshikazu Kato and Zhang Wen. Yoshikazu Kato, bilingual in Japanese...

Peru: Mayoral Candidates, Twitter and an Intercepted Phone Call

  19 September 2010

"Lourdes" became a Twitter Trending Topic for a couple of hours. The story behind what looks like a trivial Trending Topic is the release of a conversation where Lourdes Flores, a candidate for mayor of Lima, uses unreserved remarks about the mayorship. Bloggers and Twitter users reacted to the audio and the politics behind it.

Argentina: Boca Juniors, Passion for Football

  19 September 2010

One of many football (soccer) fans' dreams is to attend one of the Argentinian Boca Juniors' matches in their famous stadium, “La Bombonera“. Find out why football fans from all over the world share this dream.

Ecuador: Twitter Campaign Against Car Accidents

  17 September 2010

#sitomasnomanejes [if you drink, don’t drive] is the recent Twitter campaign to reduce the number of deaths from traffic accidents in Ecuador. Twitter users have been hashtagging #sitomasnomanejes amidst the nationwide commotion caused by recent and fatal car accidents and a discussions regarding the country’s new traffic law.

Colombia: The Case of J.J. Rendón, ‘he who can't be named’

  17 September 2010

Tomáz Garzía, a Colombian blogger and cartoonist, revealed through his blog that he had received an email from the legal representative of controversial Venezuelan Juan José Rendón, demanding that he erase the content where he refers to Rendón's participation in the recent Colombian presidential elections. Twitter users and bloggers have reacted to the email, emphasizing the right to freedom of speech.