· February, 2012

Stories about Citizen Media from February, 2012

Haiti: Prayers & Priorities

  24 February 2012

The Millikan Daily meets a “beach head for incoming Methodists to Haiti” and is less than impressed with her “mission”, saying: “I for one, am touched that there are people so kind and devout in their servitude to God that they would drink his blood all night on Ash Wednesday...

Cuba: Prisoners’ Rights

  24 February 2012

Uncommon Sense republishes a statement by Amnesty International about “former prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia [whose] whereabouts are unknown following his alleged arrest in central Havana, Cuba, on 21 February”; Pedazos de la Isla, meanwhile, reports that “the political prisoner on hunger strike, Ernesto Borges, was taken from...

Peru: A Conversation with Rafael Salazar of Creative Commons Peru

  24 February 2012

Oscar Montezuma Panez from the blog Blawyer [es] spoke to Rafael Salazar, one of the leaders behind Creative Commons Peru. In the conversation, Rafael explains what the local Creative Commons chapter is currently working on. Oscar also invites readers to visit the group's new website: http://cc.pe/ [es].

Puerto Rico: Blogosphere Denounces Proposed Cybergag

  24 February 2012

The Puerto Rican blogosphere reacted to a measure undertaken by the mayor of the city of Mayagüez, José Guillermo Rodríguez, that would have been used to investigate and prosecute people who criticize his administration on social networks. Even though the Mayor has since decided not to enforce the resolution, he warned that more regulations will come soon.

Chile: Aysén Region and the Call for Decentralization

  24 February 2012

Protests, road blocks, and clashes between protesters and police continue as citizens of Chile's Aysén region demand change. For many, the conflict in Aysén boils down to one problem affecting the whole country: centralism. Chilean bloggers weigh in on the issue.

East Timor: Cats, Monsters in Pre-Election Video Humor

  24 February 2012

Less than one month to go for the presidential elections in East Timor, and one of the most original uses of citizen media in the anticipation of the elections is not serious at all - user Slogheinn on Youtube, has uploaded a series of humorous videos that mock four of the best known presidential candidates.

Colombia: Citizen Journalist Threatened Over Viral Video

  23 February 2012

Citizen journalist Bladimir Sánchez has already received threats for posting a video showing the forced evictions of farmers and fishermen protesting the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the department of Huila, Colombia. In less than three days, more than 600,000 people have watched it.

Haiti: Students in Sheds

  23 February 2012

Haiti Grassroots Watch explores the issues surrounding the non-reconstruction of the state university in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

Barbados: A Woman's Worth

  23 February 2012

Free Logic is concerned about the tweets from “little girls and ignorant women extolling their love for Chris Brown, in spite of his ‘misdeeds'”, saying: “It made me feel sick inside. That there are women out there who think so little of themselves. For the record, no man will ever...

Chile: Twitter Users Share Images of Aysén Protests

  23 February 2012

A social movement that demands better quality of life and lower costs has gained strength in the Aysén region in the Chilean Patagonia. The people of Aysén are uploading their photos to Twitter to show the marches, blockades and confrontations that have occurred in recent days.

Russia: Navalny vs Kadyrov

RuNet Echo  22 February 2012

At Jamestown Foundation Blog, Valery Dzutsev reports that Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya, has called politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny “a real chatterbox” – and Navalny retaliated by publishing (here and, later, here; ru) “the results of his investigation of the Chechen police’s car inventory acquisitions, naming and...

Brazil: Quilombo Community in Bahia About to Be Evicted

  22 February 2012

One of the oldest slave descendent communities in Brazil, Quilombo Rio dos Macacos, has a date for its eviction: March 4, 2012. The claim for the land comes from the Navy of Brazil, that intends to broaden a condo for its officers in that territory, in the state of Bahia.