Stories about Citizen Media from June, 2011
Russia: New Initiative to Enforce TV Morality
An initiative to create a Public Oversight Board for media control in Russia may seem like a passage from Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four but it is a reality in the country, which still struggles to accept the concept of democracy and free speech.
India Close Behind China in the African Continent
In May, the second India and Africa Summit was held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Through the Cooperation Plan, India offers a different partnership model from the Chinese one, and inspired comments in the French-speaking African blogosphere.
Russia: Bloggers Discuss the Fall of Russian Newspapers
A spate of firings at the nearly century old Russian daily Izvestia as well as the online news site Gzt.ru has journalist appealing to the public for their jobs, as the blogosphere questions the merits of the “old guard” journalists.
Colombia: Cali’s Salsa Circus
Vicki Kellaway writes about Cali's salsa circus in her blog Banana Skin Flip Flops: “there are the clowns, the devils and the daring trapeze artists. Then there are the tiny...
Zimbabwe: What is Next?
As Zimbabwe heads for possible polls later this year, netizens have taken to the Internet to express their views on politics, violence and the economy that would not see the light of day in the country's traditional media space.
Featured Translator: Fabienne Der Hagopian
Fabienne Der Hagopian is a volunteer translator for Global Voices in French. Being of Armenian descent, she has translated into French many posts about the Caucasus, but is also passionate about the world at large. Fabienne reflects on her experience as a volunteer translator.
Panama: Boxing Commentator's Presidential Aspirations
In Panama, despite the next elections being two years away, the media has already started speculating about potential candidates and winners. One potential nomination for president which caused the most commotion in the Panamanian cyberspace was that of the celebrity sports commentator Juan Carlos Tapia.
Kenya: Finance Minister Uses Social Media to Prepare Budget
The Minister for Finance in Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has used GoogleDocs, Scribd, Twitter and Facebook to solicit public opinion on what to include in the country's budget for year 2010/2011.
Venezuela: Debates on Laws and Identities
May, the month of "Afro-Venezuelan" culture, ended this year with a new law against racial discrimination and a proposal to create a ministry for African descent. The news shot up largely in the Venezuelan blogosphere, as some shared opinions regarding one of the most complex and confusing aspects of the country: identity.
Peru: Aymara Indigenous People Announce Resumption of Protests in Puno
After a temporary truce to allow for presidential elections to take place in the Puno region, the Aymara Indians in said region have announced that they will resume their strike indefinitely, with which they demand the cancellation of all mining concessions in Puno.
Cambodia: Women Entrepreneurs and Social Media
Women entrepreneurs in Cambodia gathered last week to discuss the role of social media, particularly Facebook, in expanding their businesses. Sopheap Chak highlights the important points raised during the meeting
Colombia: Robbery at Andean Parliament Headquarters
On June 7, members of the Andean Parliament were robbed at the organization’s headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia. On Twitter netizens posted their opinions, mostly rejecting what had happened, with the hashtag #Parlamentoandino.
Egypt: When Citizen Media Did What Mainstream Media Wouldn't
This first part of a documentary on the Egyptian Revolution tells it from the perspective of blogger and viral video producer Aalam Wassef, focusing on how online video and other media accompanied the process of civilian unrest.
Mexico: Fighting Impunity on the Second Anniversary of the Guardería ABC Fire
June 5 marked the second anniversary of a tragic fire that killed 49 children and left others injured in 'Guarderia ABC', a childcare facility in Sonora, Mexico. Two years later, parents are still seeking justice for the death of their children.
France, Syria: Syria's Ambassador To France Resigns
Syria's ambassador to France, Mrs Lamia Chakkour, has announced her resignation during a live audio interview with France24 [fr] TV chanel in Paris, today. “I cannot support this cycle of...
Mexico: War-Driven Innovation in the Fight Against Organized Crime
The Theory Behind looks at “war-driven innovations that, as its name states, are those that emerge, or are catalyzed, by factors related to armed conflicts.” The blogger will be posting...
Panama: Empowering Indigenous Women Through Chocolate
Global Voices author Clotilde Castillo interviewed [es] Mathilde Grand, the director of ‘Citizen of Chocolate,’ a “A collective dedicated to the divulgation and diffusion of Tribal Chocolate” which employs indigenous...
Macedonia: Protests Against Police Brutality to Continue
Vnukot published a multimedia report on last night's youth protests against police brutality, sparked by the mysterious death of a young man called Daniel. Netpress also published [mk] a video...
Peru: Ollanta Humala Wins Elections According to Early Results
In Lima, Peru, the initial results of the presidential election vote count confirmed the tendency expressed in the exit polls: 52.6% for Ollanta Humala and 47.4% for Keiko Fujimori. Reactions on online social networks were immediate.
Egypt: IMF Deal Sparks Controversy
Helping Egypt overcome the cash crunch that ensued in the wake of the January 25 Revolution, the International Monetary Fund agreed on Sunday to a 3 billion dollar loan package to the Arab World’s most populous country.
Colombia: No to Cell Phones With Blood
Cell phone theft and its subsequent illegal commercialization have represented a problem of public order for Colombia, so much that this year the national government has decided to confront it. But as expected, the measure has generated various opinions.
