Quick Links:
Media Usage
World View
Archives
By Month
By Category
Contact Us
If you know about a story that we should be following, let us know.
Free Speech
Why the Olympics, NBC Should Embrace Free Speech in Wake of Guy Adams Affair
Editor's Note: The following is an opinion piece from MediaShift contributor Trevor Timm. Early Tuesday, Twitter finally apologized to journalist Guy Adams -- Los Angeles bureau chief for the Independent and an outspoken critic of NBC's coverage of the Olympics -- for suspending his account under flimsy and suspicious circumstances. Adams may be free to tweet again, but this is...
more »
Global View
Russia's Internet Blacklist Bill Threatens A Free, Uncensored Web
Russia's State Duma has passed a number of new laws in the past week, all seemingly aimed at reining in civil society and criticism of public figures. The bills would re-criminalize defamation and impose limits and labels on NGOs. They follow last month's introduction of excessive fines for unauthorized protests. Government Crackdown Heightens One of this week's bills, Duma Bill...
more »
Global View
How a Salesman-Turned-Citizen Journalist Covers Conflict in Syria
Just before the Syrian revolution became increasingly violent eight months ago, Hussein worked for his family's real estate company showing apartments around the city of Quasir. That all ended when frequent bombings and gunfire between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Syrian rebels turned the country into one of the most dangerous places in the world. Most jobs in Syria, including...
more »
Free Speech
How Effective Are Free Speech Campaigns?
When prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah was arrested during a protest in 2006, his friends and fellow bloggers from all over the world sprung into action, launching a multifaceted campaign to free the activist. The campaign's success was inspiring, and the techniques used would serve as a blueprint for future efforts. As bloggers and netizens have increasingly become...
more »
Global View
New Technology Brings New Challenges for Keeping Sources Safe
In a meeting of journalists last year, many of whom work with sources in sensitive places like Iran and Syria, one editor said she knew how to keep her sources safe. When pressed, she detailed a strong understanding of traditional safety methods, but -- to the horror of security experts in the room -- also described talking to sources over...
more »
Global View
PDF12: How Cyber-Dissidents Evade Chinese Censorship
NEW YORK -- The famous Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei once wrote in a blog, "To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is a reason." In the highly censored world of Chinese media, this sums up the growing consensus within that country -- and around the world -- that the freedom of expression and dissent is important...
more »
Free Speech
How Ethnic Media Is Straining Polish-Lithuanian Relations
What do you do when a longtime friend invites you to come over for a chat? Surely, you perk up and hurry to meet your buddy. But in mid-April, when Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski personally invited Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite to join him in a meeting with the other two leaders of the Baltic States, Andris Berzins of Latvia...
more »
Free Speech
Citizens Get Conflicting Messages About Their Right to Record
This month, federal agencies and local officials sent two powerful but conflicting messages to the American public about our right to record. On May 14, the Justice Department submitted a letter to the Baltimore Police Department providing in-depth guidance on citizens' right to record. The letter was submitted as part of a court case that dates back to 2010. The plaintiff,...
more »
Free Speech
In the Philippines, a Brash Brand of Journalism Can Be Fatal
Two and a half years to the day since the world's worst-ever single mass killing of journalists took place in the southern Philippines, many suspects remain at large, the trial is stalled, and victim's families are being harassed and intimidated. MANILA -- Most days, Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda does a White House-style briefing with Manila's press corps, spinning the...
more »
Free Speech
Could Facebook, Twitter Be Charged Under Thailand's Computer Crime Act?
On June 3 of last year, MediaShift published the article "Crisis in Thailand Leads to Net Crackdown, Censorship" on the harassment journalists and netizens faced as political clashes arose in the country. Many of the comments in a long thread following its publication mentioned the monarchy. Some of the comments were just opinions, but according to the lese-majesté law, they...
more »
Legal Drama
The First Amendment Should Protect Everyone's Right to Record
Since September, police have arrested dozens of journalists and activists around the country for the "crime" of trying to document political protests in public spaces. People using smartphones and mobile devices are changing the way we record and share breaking news. In return, police have targeted, harassed, and in many cases, arrested those trying to capture images and video of...
more »
World View
The Digital Age and the Changing Face of International Media Development
Search for the term "international media development" and you won't find many university departments or publications. Nonetheless, the field is over 50 years old and has exerted a major influence on many regions of the world, accounting for a budget of half a billion dollars a year. The Center for International Media Assistance, a Congressionally-funded think tank, defines media development...
more »
Free Speech
World Press Freedom Day: Where We Stand After the Arab Spring
This post is co-authored by Jillian C. York. Nineteen years ago, before the Internet had reached millions of homes, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the celebration of press freedom, deeming May 3 "World Press Freedom Day." Since then, the day has been celebrated by organizations and government entities alike. Today, the Internet age has created a whole new slew...
more »
Culture
Governments Increasingly Targeting Twitter Users for Expressing Their Opinion
This piece is co-authored by Trevor Timm. In its six years of existence, Twitter has staked out a position as the most free speech-friendly social network. Its utility in the uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa is unmatched, its usage by activists and journalists alike to spread news and galvanize the public unprecedented. As Twitter CEO Dick...
more »
Free Speech
Cautious Hope for Freedom of Information in Burma
BANGKOK -- A week out from special elections that are likely to see opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi take a seat in the country's parliament, Burma's long-straitjacketed journalists sat with local and foreign officials to discuss a new press law that could see the country's censorship regime abolished. Thiha Saw, editor of Myanmar Dhana magazine and Open News (two...
more »
World View
Argentina: Orwellian State or Forerunner of Media Reform in Latin America?
Ten years after the wave of social unrest that set the streets of Buenos Aires on fire, the Argentine government is toughening state control over information made available to the public. "As Argentina enters a period of increasing economic uncertainty, having greater power over the media will allow the government to better control information available to the public and presumably...
more »-thumb-160xauto-4320.jpg)
Mediatwits
Mediatwits #38: Online Report from Tunisia; Pinterest Craze; Apple Monitors Factories
Welcome to the 38th episode of "The Mediatwits," the weekly audio podcast from MediaShift. The co-hosts are MediaShift's Mark Glaser and Jillian York, who is filling in for Rafat Ali. First, we get a special on-the-ground report from special guest Mohamed El Dahshan in Tunisia, talking about a ruling expected from the country's Supreme Court about filtering the Internet....
more »
Legal Drama
Journalists Should Learn Best Practices for Fair Use in Digital Age
As we listened to the 80 journalists we interviewed over the last year for a study, Copyright, Free Speech, and the Public's Right to Know: How Journalists Think about Fair Use, we got a clear message: hard-working journalists are often confronted with copyright questions that threaten to keep them from doing their jobs well. Take these hypotheticals: Caitlin works for...
more »
Mediatwits
Mediatwits #37: Merger Mania: CIR-Bay Citizen; GigaOm-PaidContent; Twitter Censorship
Welcome to the 37th episode of "The Mediatwits," the weekly audio podcast from MediaShift. The co-hosts are MediaShift's Mark Glaser and Jillian York, who is filling in for Rafat Ali. It's been a crazy week in media + tech, with important mergers abounding! First up is the Center for Investigative Reporting announcing that it will try to merge with...
more »
Mediatwits
Mediatwits #34: SOPA Protests Make a Difference; Yang Out at Yahoo
Welcome to the 34th episode of "The Mediatwits," the weekly audio podcast from MediaShift. The co-hosts are MediaShift's Mark Glaser and Rafat Ali. This week the show is mainly focused on the huge day of protest online Wednesday against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) before the U.S. Congress. After Wikipedia, Reddit and other...
more »
Guides
Your Guide to the Anti-SOPA Protests
Today was an important day in the history of the Internet and activism. While the U.S. Congress expected to quickly pass two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), mounting opposition online has led them to reconsider. That all came to a head today when various sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit decided to black...
more »
Legal Drama
Wiretapping, SOPA, Occupy: 2011 Was a Tumultuous Year in Media Law
This piece is co-authored by Jeff Hermes and Andy Sellars. This year turned out to be one that could fit well in a Billy Joel song: peppered protesters, jailed journalists, Internet crusaders ... the list goes on. To recap a year that has been chock-full of shifts in media, we put together a list of the top 10 (plus...
more »
Legal Drama
Changing Media Landscape Could Topple FCC's Indecency Rules
Since the 1970s, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulated indecency in broadcast programming. It has enforced laws that prohibit broadcasters from airing, at least during certain hours, any "patently offensive" sexual or excretory material. And since the 1970s, broadcast outlets have attacked the FCC for doing so. They've challenged the agency's authority, as well as the constitutionality and consistency...
more »
PoliticalShift
Attack of the Attack Ads: Citizens United and the 2012 Elections
In 2012, two tidal waves will reconfigure the American electoral system and the news media that cover it. A tsunami made of money will buoy up the structure of entrenched political power, while a huge wave of personal technology will disrupt it. I can predict both of these events with certainty because they've happened every election year over the last...
more »
Legal Drama
Colleges Run Afoul of First Amendment in Barring Sports Journalists
College athletics are, in some ways, the epitome of what sports are supposed to represent. In our collective minds, college sports are pure, a reminder that decades ago, we too were once young, agile, and full of potential. Every season, alumni forced to move away from "dear ol' State" descend upon land-grant campuses in a tribal, nearly reflexive migration. But...
more »
World View
Online Journalism Booms in Egypt, But Not Without Restriction
This post was co-authored by Tanja Aitamurto CAIRO -- The historic revolution in Egypt this spring changed the country's media landscape dramatically. Since the uprising, a plethora of new online initiatives have sprung up. Several citizen journalists have become full-on celebrities. News agencies have started disseminating on Facebook. New TV channels are aired. It would seem then, that freedom of...
more »
Free Speech
Censorship Prevails in 'New' Burma, Despite Reform Talk
BANGKOK -- A handful of protestors gathered outside the Burmese embassy in Bangkok last Friday to vent their anger against the detention of 17 journalists in Burma, some of whom have been given multiple-decade jail terms for what activists describe as "no more than doing their jobs." The jailed reporters worked for Democratic Voice of Burma, a Burmese media organization...
more »
Free Speech
Free Speech Concerns Could Sink Missouri's Social Networking Ban for Teachers
Last week, a Missouri judge issued a preliminary injunction against the state, suspending part of a law that would have made it illegal for teachers and students to connect via social networks. Section 162.069.4 of the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act -- which aims to protect children from sexual predators -- prohibits teachers from establishing, maintaining or using a "non-work-related...
more »
Free Speech
Online Comments Run Afoul of Thailand's Laws Shielding Royalty from Criticism
BANGKOK -- As a high profile case against a prominent media campaigner returns to court in Bangkok, it has emerged that the long arm of Thailand's lèse-majesté law has reached into California. On Thursday Chiranuch Premchaiporn of the Thai current affairs website Prachatai returned to court in the Thai capital to face vague-sounding allegations that she facilitated third-party remarks about...
more »
Free Speech
Social Media Plays Major Role in Motivating Malaysian Protesters
More than a week after Malaysian police fired teargas and water cannons at thousands of demonstrators seeking reform of the country's electoral system, a Facebook petition calling on Prime Minister Najib Razak to quit has drawn over 200,000 backers, highlighting the role of social and new media in Malaysia's restrictive free speech environment. One contributor to the page wrote: "The...
more »
Social Networking
How the Egyptian Revolution Inspired Protests in Spain
Shortly after I moved to Madrid after visiting Cairo, an Egyptian friend tweeted solidarity with the hashtag #SpanishRevolution. A revolution? In Spain? Was this his attempt to make my new home seem more exciting? The link he posted led to video of a packed Puerta del Sol -- a square in the center of Madrid. And so, someone 2,000 miles...
more »
Free Speech
eG8 Fails to Protect Net Neutrality, Online Censorship
The eG8 conference held in Paris on May 24 and 25 sounded promising; it was the first event to gather G8 members (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Russia) to discuss views on "civilizing cyberspace." It was also the first forum to talk about the digital economy. At least, that's how it was introduced....
more »
World View
Despite Blocked Sites, Digital Media to Play Major Role in Opening China
The Chinese masses never experience major Western websites, thanks to China's Great Firewall (along with linguistic and economic barriers). So the Chinese pass their online lives in a parallel universe in which troublesome terms such as "June 4" (anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests) or "Falun Gong" (the banned movement) are filtered out. But the Chinese government also recognizes...
more »
PoliticalShift
Burmese Media Launch Campaign to Free Jailed Reporters
Hla Hla Win, Sithu Zeya, Maung Maung Zeya, Ngwe Soe Lin and Win Maw are all undercover reporters in Burma, and all are serving jail sentences ranging from eight to 27 years after being caught in one of the world's most draconian media dragnets. To coincide with World Press Freedom Day last week on May 3, Democratic Voice of Burma...
more »
Free Speech
Is Non-Profit Journalism A Safeguard for Press Freedom?
WASHINGTON, DC -- Since May 3, 1991, World Press Freedom Day has been celebrated worldwide annually to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect it. Marking the 20th anniversary last Tuesday, an international conference was organized in Washington, DC, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...
more »
World View
China Makes Global Media Push, But Skeptics Abound
In the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs in early March of this year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted that her country is losing the "information war," naming China's CCTV, along with Al Jazeera and Russia Today, as key rivals. "During the Cold War we did a great job in getting America's message out. After the Berlin Wall fell...
more »
Free Speech
Bloggers, Media Students Push for Free Speech in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA -- A blog criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has been at the center of a recent controversy in Cambodia, shedding light on a deteriorating environment for freedom of expression in the Southeast Asian country. World Food Programme (WFP) employee Seng Kunnaka received a six month sentence for handing out copies of...
more »
World View
Egyptian 'Sandmonkey' Blogger Unmasks Himself in Cairo
CAIRO, EGYPT -- I have been following the Egyptian pro-democracy blog, Rantings of a Sandmonkey, for years now. I have long wondered about the identity of its author, who describes himself as "a micro-celebrity, blogger, activist, new media douchebag, pain in the ass!" on his blog. I contacted him several times on previous trips to Egypt, requesting an interview, and...
more »
World View
Social Media, Facebook Help People Stand Up in Tunisia, Egypt
Even though they're far away from the center of the action in Cairo, Chinese web users felt the impact of the current demonstrations and political change afoot in Egypt. Chinese users searching for "Egypt" on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, came up empty, and 467 sites were reported inaccessible after a call for a "march of a million" was...
more »
Free Speech
The Yes Men's Bichlbaum Discusses Ethics of WikiLeaks
In my first post on MediaShift, I laid out how the digital media revolution was compelling organizations to become more transparent in their communication with the public. While vigorous in my promotion of radical transparency, I acknowledged "practical limits," such as the revelation of competitive secrets or legally sensitive information. In the two years since that post, I continued to...
more »
Free Speech
News Organizations Should Stop Being Neutral on Net Neutrality
Many news organizations have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. While the abundance of free, online news has helped wreak havoc on the industry, the Internet itself has created incredible possibilities for news outlets to expand their reach and spark innovation. Thanks to the Internet, audiences can contribute to reporting and news in ways that would have been unimaginable a...
more »
Your Take
What Role Did Social Media Play in Tunisia, Egypt Protests?
As the protests are playing out in the streets of Cairo and the rest of Egypt today, I have been glued to the live-stream of Al Jazeera English as well as the Twitter hashtag #Jan25, a top trending topic based on the big protests a few days ago. The Egyptian protests come on the heels of a similar revolution in...
more »
World View
Citizen Media Brings Opposing Political Views to the Maghreb
The Maghreb is generally a term used to refer to five countries in North Africa: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. This article explores the current state of the media in the region, and marks the effect that a burgeoning citizen media sphere is having on democracy. It is based on a contribution by the author, Algerian journalist Laid Zaghlami...
more »
World View
Will Freedom of Expression Hold in Southern Sudan?
JUBA, SUDAN -- "If someone from southern Sudan trusts you, they will tell you enough to write a book," said Cecilia Sierra Salcido, a Mexican missionary nun turned media entrepreneur who runs Radio Bakhita in Sudan. "We broadcast a special history series, as so much here has not been written or recorded, and so many people have stories to tell."...
more »
World View
Vietnam Fighting a Losing Battle Against Free Speech Online
Last October, I had the opportunity to spend almost three weeks traveling through Vietnam, from Ha Long Bay to the Mekong Delta. The breakfast rooms I dined in were always stocked with copies of the government-run English-language daily, the Viet Nam News -- and on its sunny front page, the news is always good. One typical issue heralded plans from...
more »
Legal Drama
Top 3 New Media Legal Battles of 2010
This year's been a big one. Spain won the World Cup. Lindsay Lohan went to jail. Don Draper married his secretary. And, of course, the federal courts waded into some of the thorniest legal issues affecting new media. Three cases stand out from the rest of 2010's docket. Each one shook up the law in a significant way. Below...
more »
Free Speech
Online Censorship Grows in 2010, Showing Power of Netizens
Despite some good PR for online freedom this year, online censorship grew and became more subtle in 2010. Online propaganda remains strong within countries like China and Iran, where media censorship is everywhere and the governments have mastered online censorship tools. These countries are as efficient as hacktivists when it comes to controlling information. China and Vietnam remain among...
more »
Social Networking
Vietnam Pushes Facebook Clone to Control Online Speech
HANOI, VIETNAM - Inside one of Hanoi's more than 3,000 online gaming houses, gamers clad in coats and scarves pass the hours shooting at each other on their screens, oblivious to the wintry gray and 10 celsius evening outside. This is southeast Asia, but the French colonial architecture and the proliferation of tourist-market socialist kitsch -- all covered by a wet blanket autumn gloom -- give the place a slightly European feel.
more »
Europe
Brussels Leaks Tries to Build on WikiLeaks Idea in EU
A new site, Brussels Leaks, modeled after WikiLeaks, launched out of the blue last Thursday to much excitement in the European capital and the Twittersphere. This follows the announcement of OpenLeaks, a spin-off from WikiLeaks from former workers there. But Brussels Leaks doesn't plan to run the documents that are leaked to it, but rather rely on the media to...
more »
Ethics
WikiLeaks and the Power of Patriotism
A narrow patriotism -- the psychological equivalent of a knee jerk -- is an under-recognized force in modern journalism ethics. It distorts our thinking about the role of journalism as soon as journalists offend national pride and whistleblowers dare to reveal secrets. Narrow patriotism turns practitioners of a free press into scolding censors. Suddenly, independent journalists become dastardly law breakers....
more »
Free Speech
Online Freedom of Expression Under Siege in Thailand
BANGKOK, THAILAND -- "Today I have to go all the way to Khon Kaen to report to the police," said Chiranuch Premchaipoen, the editor of Thailand's well-known online news site Prachatai during a recent conversation in Bangkok. The town is 450 km from Bangkok, and Chiranuch has to travel there once a month just to check in with police. This...
more »
4MR
4 Minute Roundup: WikiLeaks Under Attack, Dropped by Amazon
In this week's 4MR podcast, I talk about the recent release of secret diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks, and how it is viewed by governments, journalists and free speech advocates. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is wanted in Sweden for possible sex crimes, Amazon dropped hosting the documents, and the site has had trouble staying online due to hacker attacks. I spoke with NYU professor Jay Rosen about his views on WikiLeaks, the networked nature of information sharing, and the potential for local WikiLeaks.
more »
Free Speech
Suu Kyi Set Free But Media Still Held Captive in Burma
Burma has in recent weeks been one of the top world news stories. The country's November 7 general election was followed less than a week later by the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world's best-known political dissidents, whose appearance at her front gate on Saturday, November 13, was carried on news networks around the world. However,...
more »
World View
Burma Elections Include Throttled Net, Blocked News Sites
Japanese journalist Toru Yamaji, the head of the Tokyo-based news agency APF, was arrested over the weekend in the eastern border town of Myawaddy, Burma, after reportedly entering from Thailand. He was taken by helicopter to the Burmese capital, Naypyitaw, for questioning by military intelligence. Yamaji was attempting to report on the ongoing elections in Burma, despite the restrictions put...
more »
Legal Drama
Michigan Official's Hate Speech Protected by First Amendment
For the last few months, Andrew Shirvell, an assistant attorney general of Michigan, has crusaded against the "radical homosexual agenda" of 21-year-old Chris Armstrong, the openly gay student-body president of the University of Michigan. Shirvell has verbally attacked Armstrong at campus events, demonstrated outside the student's home, and has bashed the kid on his personal blog, Chris Armstrong Watch. On...
more »
Free Speech
2010 Press Freedom Index Shows Europe on Decline
Reporters Without Borders yesterday released its 2010 World Press Freedom Index. Thirteen of the EU's 27 members are in the top 20 in terms of press freedoms, but some of the other EU nations are very low. The European Union has had a reputation for valuing and respecting human rights, and new data suggests that reputation is at risk. "We...
more »
Free Speech
Will France Sacrifice Online Freedom for the Sake of Security?
On September 8, the French Senate voted for a bill, called Loppsi 2, that seeks to create a dangerous online filtering system that could jeopardize the work of journalists and bloggers, as well as online freedom of speech for French citizens. If this bill becomes law, any French website could be shut down with nothing more than a notification from...
more »
Free Speech
Free Speech at Stake as India Demands Encrypted BlackBerry Data
Next week will be decisive for BlackBerry corporate users. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) could provide a solution to help security agencies in India access corporate email by obtaining encrypted data in readable formats. If RIM does not offer a solution before the end of the month, India has warned that it will block BlackBerry Messenger service in the...
more »
Free Speech
Saudi Blogger/Activist Jailed for 'Annoying Others'
Although Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to have been authorized to register domain names in Arabic, it is still one of the most repressive countries when it comes to the Internet. For example, since 2009 Internet cafes in the country have been required to install hidden cameras, supply a list of customers and websites accesses, not permit...
more »
4MR
4 Minute Roundup: Politicians Don't Want Wikileaks Protected
In this week's 4MR podcast I look at the recent move by U.S. senators to amend a Federal journalist shield bill to exclude Wikileaks. Many lawmakers are angry at the whistle-blower site for sharing thousands of classified documents about the Afghan war. But what does this mean for a possible shield law, which already passed the House and a Senate committee?
more »
Free Speech
WikiLeaks, iPhone Incidents Show that U.S. Needs Shield Law
The United States' global reputation as a champion of free speech is at stake. This is partly because the legal framework has not kept pace with the evolution of free speech, and also because the Freedom of Information Act is not being applied correctly. Today, the U.S. is in danger of losing its place as the bastion of free speech...
more »
Free Speech
Crisis in Kyrgyzstan Shows Need for 'Responsible Content'
Back in 1996, my Columbia University colleague Jack Snyder and his co-author, Karen Ballentine, published a ground-breaking article called Nationalism and the Marketplace of Ideas. The essay used Serbian broadcasting and Rwandan radio to illustrate how hyper-nationalist media could be used to incite political violence. Today's online media have the potential to be used in a similar fashion -- and...
more »
World View
Crisis in Thailand Leads to Net Crackdown, Censorship
At least 80 people were killed during the latest clashes in Thailand. But the confusion and danger that are present in various parts of Bangkok do not explain why several Thai and foreign journalists have been shot since April. Two are dead. The tense political situation also doesn't justify the leadership's blocking of more than 4,000 anti-monarchy websites. As we...
more »
Free Speech
China Tightens Media Control at Shanghai Expo
In honour of the Expo Shanghai China, the biggest display of Chinese might since the 2008 Olympic Games, Reporters Without Borders is inviting Internet users to visit a page on its website, the "Garden of Freedoms," that's dedicated to the freedoms that are often oppressed in China. Hundreds of countries, regions and corporations are participating in this exhibition, but none...
more »
World View
Will 'Telecentros' Transform Cuba's Internet Access?
It wasn't your typical keynote address. Earlier this month, at an event held on the campus of Cornell University, a room of people gazed at a blank screen in rapt attention, listening to a woman speak over a weak cell phone connection originating in Cuba. The speaker was Cuba's 32-year-old star blogger, Yoani Sanchez. The event was the seventh annual...
more »
World View
Navigating Media Ethics and Censorship in Dubai
Around the world, dozens of organizations, from Freedom House to Reporters Without Borders, advance the ideal of a free press and a free citizenry. The ideal suggests there is one type of free press to be secured globally: the Western model of a constitutionally protected free press. What stands over and against the free press? The typical examples are the...
more »