Stories about Digital Activism from April, 2010
USA: Lesbian Student Sent to “Fake Prom” in Mississippi
An 18-year old girl in Mississippi was barred from attending her high school prom in April because she planned to bring a female date and wear a tuxedo. Gay rights bloggers shared their outrage.
Kazakhstan: Internet Users Love Opera
KZBlog informs that Opera 10 is the most popular browser in Kazakhstan. As journalists allege, this might be due to the feature which compresses web pages on a remote server. While this feature is meant to speed up browsing, it also means that the it allows to access banned websites.
Kyrgyzstan: Social Media Matters
Sarah Kendzior analyzes the role of new media in the popular uprising in Kyrgyzstan.
Haiti: Goal of NGOs
The Haitian Blogger agrees that the goals of non-governmental organisations in Haiti should be “to put themselves out of business.”
Barbados: Black, from an Island
Barbados’ Gallimaufry and Repeating Islands refer to a piece by Maxine Williams, which deals with the “black island identity”.
Azerbaijan: Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli update
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines says that the local media in Azerbaijan reports that imprisoned video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have been moved to separate prisons for reasons unknown.
Iran: Has blogging become less popular since the election?
Did the presidential election change the dynamics of Iranian citizen media tools and channels? Eleven Iranian bloggers and media professionals representing different parts of the political spectrum answer a brief questionnaire.
Haiti: Controversial Statistics
The Haitian Blogger contends that, contrary to some mainstream media messages, “Haiti does NOT have the ‘worst HIV infection rate in the region’.”
Barbados: Media Options
“Make, break or ignore”: According to Allegiance, “these seem to be the options that the media currently have before them in Barbados.”
China: Web mobilizes to help Yushu earthquake victims
Between local government attempts to keep news of the Yushu earthquake contained and China's top leaders calling for "all-out" assistance from the public, desire from offline and virtual civil society to contribute to rescue efforts any way they can has been loud and forward.
Russia: New Book About Livejournal Announced
Russian magazine “Ogonyok” published an interview with Andrey Podshibyakin, a former executive editor of Livejournal. Podshibyakin tells about his new book “Po-zhivomu: 1999-2009. Livejournal in Russia.” The book covers a decade in the history of this popular blogging platform in Russia.
Trinidad & Tobago: LGBT Rights
“Thousands of GLBT voters will be participating in the upcoming general election”: Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt wants “a responsible government that is going to protect and take care of all its people, and not leave some behind, regardless of which party or coalition wins at the polls.”
Cuba: Hunger Strike Victory
Cuban political prisoner Dr. Darsi Ferrer has ended his hunger strike “after officials said they would meet his demands”, which Uncommon Sense says is “good news for freedom in Cuba” and suggests that “it's now more than time for the regime to similarly bring an end to a hunger strike...
Morocco: Formerly Jailed Blogger Bashir Hazzam Tells His Story
Blogging can lead to jail in Morocco. Bashir Hazzam learned it the hard way when the authorities arrested him last December for reporting on the violent events that shook his usually peaceful village. In the following interview, the blogger tells his story.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Uff Report
KnowTnT.com links to the report of the Uff Commission of Enquiry into the Construction Sector, while Afra Raymond provides an overview of its findings.
Jamaica: Wet Fete?
The Water Party is a staple of Jamaica's Carnival season, but Stunner cannot, in all good conscience, support the event this year, “not with this drought, not with these constant water lock-offs that I have to face.”
Central Asia: Writing “About Each Other, For Each Other”
Sarah Kendzior of Registan.net writes about the significance of Kyrgyzstan's and Central Asian social media and points out some external observers’ distorted view of them: “There is another internet, a secret internet, in which meaningful political conversations take place in Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Turkmen, and Tajik, yet the majority of...
Iran: State Reaps Real Dividends of Double-edged Persecution
George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, along with the Broadcasting Board of Governors, are sponsoring a half-day conference on Monday (April 12) in Washington DC entitled "Iran: Opportunities and Challenges for Citizen Engagement." Hamid Tehrani shares his views ahead of the event.
United Kingdom: Iraqi LGBT group leader Ali Hili refused priority for ayslum application
Ali Hili, leader of an Iraqi lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group has been waiting for an asnwer to his application for asylum in the United Kingdom for three years. While his case is being reviewed, Hali cannot travel abroad to raise awareness about the plight of the LGBT community back home.
Cast your vote for the “Best of the Blogs”
Online voting has begun for the Best of the Blogs Awards from Deutsche Welle, one of the most prestigious international blog competitions with nominated blogs in eleven different languages. You can vote for your favorites until April 14, 2010.
Citizen Media at International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy
The 4th edition of the International Journalism Festival will take place in Perugia, Italy on 21-25 April 2010 with several panel discussions focused on citizen journalism and new media from an international perspective.
