11 July 2007
Stories from 11 July 2007
Kenya: Debating the double-edged nature of citizen media
Last month, there was an explosion at a downtown bus stop in Nairobi, Kenya. By the time the Kenyan mainstream media reported the incident, Kenyan bloggers had already written about it, posted photos and some of them speculated that the explosion could have been linked to Al-Queida or the outlawed Mungiki sect. Two of the main Kenyan bloggers, Thinkers Rooms and Mental Acrobatics, looked at the performance of Kenyan blogs during this incident from two different and interesting angles. The main question was: what is the role of citizen media in reporting a tragic incident when official statements from the government have not been released and all the facts are not yet known?
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Milk wars in the Philippines: Breastmilk versus Infant Formula
The top three consumer commodities in the Philippines are formula milk, mobile phone cards and beer. Infant formula products are among the most imported goods in the country. A major reason why these products are popular despite being expensive and vastly inferior to breast milk is the aggressive advertising of milk companies. Now, the government wants to regulate milk ads. We look at online comments on this issue.
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Colombia: Protests Against Kidnappings
Following the death of 11 deputies, who were kidnapped by the FARC, Colombians took to the streets to demand the release of the remaining hostages. Several Colombian bloggers were present at the march and they provide firsthand accounts. Others write about the impact of such a show of solidarity and whether this may be the end of apathy.
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I do not support capital punishment, in this instance there have no other alternative. What these killers have done is...