Stories about Citizen Media from August, 2014
In Defense of the National Gallery of Jamaica's Director
Over the last month, the National Gallery of Jamaica's executive director's leadership was the target of criticism, first via an anonymous letter written to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, and then in a blog post written by blogger Annie Paul, which she prefaced by saying: I’ve been closely involved with the...
With Body Bags Returning from Ukraine, ‘the War’ Comes Home to Russians
At the wrong ends of bullets and bombs, people have been dying in Ukraine for months already. Now there are new signs that Russian soldiers are joining in the bloodshed.
Ceasefire Reached in Gaza After 50 Days of War and Catastrophic Damage
Seventy-two percent of the 2137 Palestinians killed in this offensive were civilians. One-third of Gaza's population has been made homeless.
Trinidad & Tobago: Back-to-School Apps
ICT Pulse shares 5 useful apps for staying organised once school starts.
Two Months After Flooding, Digital Freedoms in Serbia Are Still in Trouble
In the wake of devastating floods that hit Serbia in May 2014, several local websites that published materials that criticized the government's relief efforts suffered technical attacks.
How To Find Happiness In Democracy
From Bhutan, the land of Gross National Happiness, blogger Passang Tshering shares how people can achieve happiness in democracy. He compares democracy to love marriage and says that there are three groups of people, the lovers, the haters and the concern citizens. The Lovers are the ones who swear by...
Ferguson Evocative of Civil Rights Movement, Says Trinidadian Diaspora Blogger
What’s happened – and what is HAPPENING in Ferguson makes my heart hurt. The ache won’t go away. The anger won’t go away. We’re witnessing history in the making, and history repeating itself. What will be the lessons we learn this time? What scars will we bear? Trinidadian diaspora blogger...
India’s LGBT Community Dares to Hope After Health Minister’s Comment on Gay Rights
Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that everybody has human rights and it is the job of the government to protect them.
Documenting Nationalistic Hate Speech in Macedonian Media
Human rights expert, activist, and blogger Žarko Trajanoski published a series of analyses about nationalistic, right-wing hate speech in Macedonian media, often veiled as “patriotic” speech. „Патриотскиот“ говор на омраза е препознатлив по намерата за разгорување, поттикнување, или оправдување на омраза кон внатрешните и надворешните „непријатели“. Во основата на ваквиот...
Scholars and Experts Are Urging the German Government to Rethink Its Unconditional Support of Israel
Due to several anti-Semitic outbursts from some protesters, reporting on Gaza in Germany over the past few weeks has been overshadowed by a debate on anti-Semitism.
Serbia’s ‘Declaration of Internet Freedom’ Wins Big Support from Western Dignitaries
Serbian bloggers have drafted a Declaration of Internet Freedom, and representatives of the international community are showing their support.
Macedonian Police Harass Journalists Covering Protests
Police harassment of media seems to have become a regular occurrence in Macedonia, which has included the detainment and sentencing of some journalists in the country. On August 25, 2014, Macedonian Nova TV journalists were harassed and “stopped from doing their jobs” by police officers while covering protests held in...
Experts Say Technical Issues Are Behind Egypt's Power Outages, but the Prime Minister Blames the Muslim Brotherhood
Egyptians suffer from daily hours-long blackouts while government officials make contradicting statements regarding the cause.
An Entrepreneur Rewarded for his Innovative Healthcare Work in Cameroon
The prize of Man of the Decade was awarded to Dr. Clément PETSOKO, for his capacity to overcome the numerous difficulties he has faced in recent years.
African Ebola Survivors Share Their Stories of Recovery and Stigma
"Thank god for the doctors. They gave me a certificate that indicates I am free of Ebola in case anyone would still doubt."
Blogger Law Traps Russia's Activists in Limbo
The new blogger law's vagueness makes it an extremely potent tool for controlling dissent in Russia.
Eerie Similarities in Deaths Provoked by Police Brutality in Staten Island and Paris
Eric Garner was a 44-year-old African-American man who died following an attempted arrest by the NY Police Department. On July 17, 2014, when police officers attempted to arrest Garner, he had broken up a fight. Garner who suffered from asthma was wrestled to the ground. Medical examiners concluded chokehold and...
China Blocks Beijing Independent Film Festival
Beijing authorities blocked an annual independent film festival from opening on August 23, 2014. The move is seen as a sign that Beijing is tightening ideological controls. According to indie director Huang Wenhai, the shutdown was “the darkest day in the history of Chinese independent film.” Started in 2006 by independent art critic Li Xianting,...
Is Zambia’s President Sata Working Quietly Behind the Scenes or Seriously Ill?
Zambia's President Michael Sata has not been seen in public since May. Many are speculating that the former publicity-loving politician is ailing.
‘New Tactics’ Makes a New Digital Toolkit for Activism Strategy
The organisation New Tactics has published an online guide for new and seasoned activists who want to learn more about how to improve their strategic and technical capacities.
Digital Media Guru Headlines Highway Africa 2014
Highway Africa organisers have announced that Dan Gilmor will be the keynote speaker for the 18th edition of the conference which takes place from 7-8 September, 2014 in at Rhodes University, South Africa: The theme of the conference is Social Media – from the margins to the mainstream and Gillmor,...