Stories about Citizen Media from January, 2013
31 January 2013
The ‘Vishwaroopam’ Ban: Attack on Freedom of Speech?
The screening of Kamal Haasan's big budget Bollywood movie Vishwaroopam was banned in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu after Islamic organizations protested the depiction of the Muslim community. Actor-Director...
Egypt Silent on Sinai Flooding
Sinai is being ravished by flooding, after heavy rains in the region. Very little information is available on online media, amid total silence on mainstream media. Netizens report that up...
Why Death for Distributing Polio Vaccine in Pakistan?
Aid workers administering polio vaccination projects across Pakistan are increasingly coming under attack from Islamist militants. While some Pakistanis accuse humanitarian organizations of spying on behalf of the United States,...
Russian Teacher Briefly Fired for Defending LGBT Rights
As if Russia's liberals were not already outraged enough about a proposed federal law banning "homosexual propaganda", the firing of an activist school teacher protesting this law has sparked a...
Brazil in Mourning After the Tragic Fire in Santa Maria
On January 27, 2012, the college town of Santa Maria, located in the middle of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, suffered a tragic fire in the nightclub Kiss....
Peru: ls the Renewal of Telefónica's Contract a Good Thing?
On January 21st the Peruvian government, through the Minister of Transportation and Communication, Carlos Paredes, announced the renewal of the expired cellular phone contracts with Telefónica for a period of...
Children Crisis in Syria: How You Can Help
An estimated 4,355 Syrian children have been killed so far in the on-going conflict in Syria. Earlier this week, we reported on the steep price Syrian children are paying in...
Japan Gears Up for the Open Data Revolution
Following the death of Aaron Swartz, an open data activist, the issues around open access and data ownership have been reignited around the world. But for Japan, the seeds of...
Slovak PM's Support for 2022 Winter Olympics Bid Draws Criticism
Whereas Norway and Switzerland are planning to hold referenda before submitting their 2022 Winter Olympics bids, the fate of the Slovak-Polish joint bid already seems decided: the Slovak Prime Minister...
30 January 2013
“Judges in Tajikistan are like Elite Prostitutes”
The judiciary in Tajikistan has recently attracted more than its usual share of criticism from social media users. Following two controversial high-profile cases, Tajik netizens have slammed the country's 'corrupt'...
Why Did Mali's ‘Soldier of Death’ Go Viral?
This photo of a French soldier wearing a scarf depicting death's face has been shared around the world and has become a concrete symbol for many of the start of...
Tens of Thousands Affected by Heavy Rains in Mozambique
In Mozambique, the rains that have been falling since early January devastated populations in the country's center and south. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, and 45 deaths...
‘Planet Asks for Pedalling': Cycling Through Latin America
"I understood that travelling like this, without being in a rush, gives you the freedom to get to know cultures more deeply and the simplicity of the people." Meet Beto,...
Free Mobile Phones for Nigerian Farmers?
The Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture made public its plans to provide free mobile phones for rural farmers. This has triggered many reaction in the Nigerian blogosphere.
