Stories about Citizen Media from October, 2011
Russia: Site of Political Phone Pranks Launched
politicprank.ru, website dedicated to the phone pranks with politicians has launched on October 26, 2011. The first prank [ru] has been conducted allegedly with the head of the security of Vladimir Putin. Authenticity of the recording, however, is not proved yet.
Mauritius: Tikoulou, Children’s Literature Success Story
Christophe Cassiau-Haurie writes about the sucess story of Tikoulou, a collection of books for children published in Mauritius, which has captivated 4 to 9-year old Mauritian children since 1998. Tikoulou has now become a best seller of Francophone children’s literature.
Discovering Paris from a Guinean Perspective
Guinean blogger @limsow who recently moved to Paris for an internship, describes [fr] a less-hostile capital than expected on Guinée Plurielle: “I already know how to take the RER (the C line) to go down to Vitry Sur Seine or to get to Avenue du Président Kennedy, in the 16th...
“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal
Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.
Armenia: Earthquake in Turkey felt in Yerevan
On Sunday, the earthquake that struck Van, a city in South Eastern Turkey, was felt in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and other parts of the small South Caucasus country. Onnik Krikorian reports.
Pakistan: Political Satire Becomes Internet Sensation
A recent song released on YouTube, by a group of young men from Lahore, has become an Internet sensation. The songs lyrics are heavily loaded with political satire, something that is rarely witnessed in Pakistan in recent years.
USA: The Challenge of Diversity in the “Occupy” Movement
One month since the initial occupation of the financial district of New York, Wall Street, collective actions in the city continue to diversify. Activists and organizations from minority communities have begun to join and also express their indignation.
Argentina: Presidential Elections, a Review of Blogs
Argentina's presidential election had a pretty predictable result: the reelection of the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The large victory motivated many bloggers to analyze the political situation.
Cuba: “Exterior” & “Interior” Blockades
Generation Y and Havana Times blog about today's United Nations vote on the US-Cuba economic embargo.
Mexico: President Signs Law Two Years After Daycare Centre Fire
On June 5, 2009, a fire in a daycare centre claimed the lives of 49 children and left 76 injured. The childrens' parents campaigned for a bill to improve the country's daycare centres, which has just been signed into law by the Mexican President.
Jamaica: Conflict of Interest with Housing & Environment
Jamaica Woman Tongue questions whether the National Environment and Planning Agency of Jamaica (NEPA) “[has] the teeth to do [its] job properly”.
Pakistan: Bloggers Dismayed at Google Adsense Ban
A recent ban on Google Adsense accounts has left many Pakistani bloggers dismayed. Scores of genuine publishers have fallen prey in a move aimed for crackdown on fraudulent websites and blogs. Sana Saleem reports.
Kenya: Online Reactions to Suspected Al Shabaab Grenade Attacks
Following the Kenyan military offensive against the Somali militant group Al Shabaab, the group responded by attacking Kenya's capital with two deadly grenade attacks: one at a popular entertainment club and the other at a crowded bus stop in downtown Nairobi. The two incidents have provoked a conversation online.
Venezuela's “Twitter Addiction”
With so many thing happening in Venezuela and abroad, Liliana Fasciani wonders [es] if filling up pages with writing is worth it, especially now that Twitter has become so popular in Venezuela. Luis Carlos Díaz blogged about this issue in July [es] and August [es] of 2010, and again earlier...
Nicaragua: Journalist Launches ‘The Nicaragua Dispatch’
Tim Rogers writes a guest post for the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog on his recently launched site The Nicaragua Dispatch: “The idea is not only to inform readers about what’s happening here behind the headlines, but also provide people with a virtual meeting place to gather, share...
Brazil: Journalists Collaborate with US State Department
Luis Cezar, from the blog Brasil Que Vai, publishes a paper by Helena de Souza which reports on documents released by Wikileaks that link journalists from the main Brazilian TV network and one of the largest in the world, Rede Globo, with the US State Department.
Bangladesh: Live Blogging Electoral Debate
The electoral debate of the Narayanganj City Corporation Mayoral candidates is being live broadcast and live blogged, informs Kowshik.
Russia: Government Official Tries to Force Websites to Remove Discrediting Video
On October 23, 2011 Kseniya Sobchak, celebrity journalist, had shot a video of Vasiliy Yakemenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Youth, in the most expensive restaurant of Moscow. Criticism followed the video [ru] upload: according to his tax declaration [ru], Yakemenko could hardly afford attending such place. Later Anna Biryukova,...
Azerbaijan: Twitter Diplomacy
The British Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, has announced that newly arrived Ambassador Peter Bateman will take questions via Twitter on Thursday 27th October.
Chile: State Security Law, Violence Deterrent or Repression?
On October 18, Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter invoked the State Security Law to punish the persons responsible for the burning of a bus during the protests supporting the student movement. The country's citizens comment on this controversial measure.
Photos: Flash Mob Encouraging Youth to Vote, South Korea
South Korean citizen media Wiki Tree posted [ko] a video and photos of flash mob encouraging South Korean young voters to participate in the coming election on October 26, 2011.
