Freelance journalist, translator and activist (mostly) on media and digital culture issues, based in the US Southwest. Former GV contributor and Italian editor.
Latest posts by Bernardo Parrella
Let’s Take Back Twitter, Please
A worldwide campaign is underway to attempt to buy and transform the little blue bird into a cooperatively-owned platform.
From Fiji to Italy, Global Eco-Tourism Communities Blossom
TribeWanted has developed a model for self-sustainable eco-retreats that are co-funded by members and operated together with locals at a growing number of worldwide locations.
‘Tribewanted’ Creates, Connects Eco-Villages
Renewable energy, permaculture and green building, along with local traditions and eco-tourism: welcome to Tribewanted – an online community launched in 2006 based on the idea of “global citizenship” and harnessing the energy of social media to meaningfully connect and practice positive behavior change. Thanks to crowdfunding strategies, the project plans...
Truthloader: New YouTube Show on Citizen Journalism
Truthloader is a new daily YouTube show, produced by UK-based ITN in partnership with YouTube, that brings investigative and citizen journalism together, focusing mostly on under-reported news stories from around the globe. They also host a weekly live debate on Google Hangout. Yesterday's show asked “Can citizen journalism change the...
New GV e-book: African Voices of Hope and Change
"African Voices of Hope and Change," gives you an intimate perspective into the stories and people of Africa's Sub-Saharan region, through our best English-language posts from 2012 - a perfect gift to salute the new year.
EU in Crisis: First E-Book by Global Voices
"EU in crisis" is the first production of our new Global Voices Books project and includes the best material from social conversation, participation and mobilization boosted by citizens going through the tough times of austerity in the old continent and beyond.
Robert F. Kennedy Award Will Recognize Social Media Journalism
One of the foremost international human rights organizations, the Robert F. Kennedy Center, is calling for nominations to a new Journalism Award on International Photography and International Social Media hosted by their European office in Florence, Italy.
Egypt: One year after the revolution, 10% of its Social Media Documentation is already gone
One year after the Egyptian revolution, 10% of its Social Media Documentation is already gone. An article on US magazine The Atlantic explains how this is happening, quoting a study conducted by a phD student in computer science and Web preservation at Old Dominion University. “Twitter gives us a new...
Egypt: revolt's anniversary at Tahrir
Egyptian Twitter-sphere reports that jailed blogger #Maikel Nabil has just been released, while people are gathering for tomorrow's big rally at #Tahrir to celebrate the revolt's first anniversary: “feels chaotic and it's starting to rain” (#25jan).
Syria: Emergency Refugees
With large scale violence in Syria, the exodus towards neighboring countries is increasing continuously (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey). As per Islamic Relief [it] non-profit organisation, at least 650 Syrian families (mostly from the high risk areas of Homs and Hama) are in urgent need of food, sanitation and other assistance. Currently different activities such as fundraising and other initiatives are taking place, details here....
ActionAid: halve world hunger by 2015
“Let's fight climate change & hunger. Together” is a new video released by ActionAid & produced by the LatteCreative team, to support the world food crisis campaign and keep the ‘pressure on governments to deliver on their promise to halve world hunger by 2015′.
Italy: Huge celebrations for Berlusconi's resignation
Millions of Italians (worldwide) are celebrating an historic moment: the official resignation of PM Silvio Berlusconi, now on his way to the Presidential Palace. Huge celebrations are also being planned online, with live video streaming from downtown Rome, Facebook pages, YouTube videos, on-going tweets and so on.
Italy: “Wiretapping Bill” could drastically limit freedom of information
The Italian Parliament is about to vote on a very stringent “wiretapping Bill” [it] aimed at drastically limiting judicial investigations and journalism inquiries, thus blocking free speech about new scandals exposing top-level politicians, as many of such cases keep emerging. After a recent “strike” by Wikipedia Italy [it] and a...
Italy: Wikipedia Italia on strike
The homepage of Wikipedia Italia is on strike from the evening of October 4th. Its content is blocked in protest against an Italian bill on telephone interceptions that will mean that all sites and blogs must amend their contents within 48 hours of a request by any applicant who judges it...
CEE Bankwatch Network campaign against EBRD practices
The CEE Bankwatch Network, an NGO monitoring activities of international financial institutions, has just released a video sharply criticizing the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's 20th anniversary of activities in former Soviet Bloc countries, and its intentions to extend to north Africa. “The EBRD has in fact a poor...
Unimondo's Facebook campaign: “1 fan 1 albero”
“1 fan 1 tree” is the campaign launched by UniMondo, which focuses on reforestation in Kenya to balance out the C02 that we produce on a daily basis. The project is overseen by Tree is Life, a group of agroforestry youths who have already received awards for their work. Spreading...
International Solidarity Campaign: the “Acqua for life challenge”
“The Acqua for Life project aims to provide tens of millions of litres of clean water to the communities who most need it. The operation is due to start in Ghana and will support the Smart Water for Green Schools project. In this west African country, almost 40% of the...
Libya-Italy: online reactions to the “Berlusconi connection”
Given the recently close relationship between Gheddafi and the Italian government, materials and many varying opinions on this unusual bond are emerging. Here is an overview of what is being posted on the Internet in Italian (and other languages) in recent hours - including significant satirical comic strips.
Haiti: update on unrest after elections
While back in Haiti to finish shooting a Web documentary project on the unheard voices of reconstruction, web-reporter Giordano Cossu provides a personal account on the on-going unrest after the controversial elections: “Much of this is in the hands of the Electoral Committee now. The population has already decided what...
A journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction
Solidar'IT in Haiti is a journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction, organized as a web-documentary in progress.
New video from the Global Poverty Project
The educational and campaigning organisation Global Poverty Project has released a two-minute video that depicts how each of us, not world leaders, can actually end extreme poverty within a generation.