· December, 2010

Stories about Media & Journalism from December, 2010

Russia: Internet 2010 Overview

RuNet Echo  31 December 2010

2010 highlighted several important trends of Russian Internet. Online audience grows very fast with people getting more news online and actively using social networks. In a lot of ways, 2010 brought a recognition of the power of the Internet into Russian society.

Hungary: “Viktor #Censorbán”

  31 December 2010

Kosmopolito writes about Hungary's new media law and suggests ways to draw attention to the situation; “transforming” PM Viktor Orbán into Viktor #Censorbán is just one of the strategies – and there's already a Censorban account on Twitter, as well as a hashtag. More relevant info and reactions – at...

South Asia: Looking Back at the Citizen Media Storylines in 2010

  30 December 2010

You cannot leave South Asia region out of the picture as with nearly twenty three percent of the world's population, events in this region exert an enormous impact on the international system. Global Voices covered some of these events from a citizen media perspective. Let us review the popular posts of 2010 in this region.

Afghanistan: Afghan Radio Wars

  30 December 2010

Sanjar writes about continuing war between the insurgents and the Afghan government – both on the battlefields and on the information field – and says that Taliban-sponsored radio stations seemingly get wider audience due to better technical accessibility.

Kazakhstan: Echo of the OSCE Summit

  30 December 2010

Since mid-2000s Kazakhstan was craving to head the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, OSCE, the largest international pro-democracy organization on the continent. The bid was criticized by some member countries because of the Kazakhstan’s poor human rights record. Eventually the chairmanship was granted in result of a set...

Taiwan: Concerns about press freedom

  30 December 2010

Media freedom has come into the spotlight in Taiwan recently. Michael Turton has a good summary of the issues. A Taipei Times reporter writes about how the proposed changes to the child welfare law would affect her work.

Japan: A year of blogs

  28 December 2010

As the character 暑 (sho) meaning ‘hot or heat' was chosen to represent the year 2010 at the annual ceremony in Kyoto, let's see a selection of “hot topics” that Global Voices covered this year.

Wikileaks, Thaileaks, Indoleaks, Pinoyleaks

  28 December 2010

There are Wikileaks clones in Southeast Asia: Thaileaks from Thailand, Indoleaks from Indonesia and Pinoyleaks from the Philippines. These websites were established/revived this month to support the work started by Wikileaks and to expose secret government documents in their respective countries.

Honduras: Media Ignores Recent Reports on 2009 Coup

  27 December 2010

Honduras Culture and Politics states: “[…] we find it extraordinary that the US media completely ignore even high profile international organizations that continue to call attention to the serious failures of Honduras to redress any of the circumstances that the coup d'etat of June 2009 set in motion.”

Tragedy bookends Year 2010 for Francophone Citizen Media

  26 December 2010

It appears that tragedy will bookend yet another year rich in remarkable events in the world of francophone citizen media. The month of January set the tone with the fallout from the earthquake in Haiti and December saw the elections in Cote d'Ivoire take a dramatic turn. Here is the year 2010 reviewed through the lenses of francophone citizen media users.

Philippines: Filipinos welcome new year with new banknotes

  26 December 2010

The Philippine Central Bank has issued a new set of generation bank notes which features not only improved security measures, but more so it heralds a new design highlighting historical events, figures in history and tourist spots in the country. But experts instantly detected errors in the new banknotes. Bloggers react

India: Doctor Gets Life Sentence On Sedition Charges

  25 December 2010

On 24th December, 2010, a Sessions Court in Raipur, Chattisgarh, convicted civil rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen on charges of sedition and conspiracy. The court found Dr. Sen guilty of aiding Maoist rebels in the State and have sentenced him to life imprisonment. Netizens reacted to the verdict.

Brazil: Act in support of WikiLeaks

  24 December 2010

The video of a debate in support of WikiLeaks, with the participation of its Brazilian representative, Natália Viana, and many cyberactivists, is available at the blog Maria Frô [pt]. The event was promoted by Intervozes [pt] – an organization advocating for freedom of expression and the democratization of communication.