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September 24th, 2008
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China: Illegitimate Girl Deprived of the Right to Education
An illegitimate girl of primary-school age in Zhuhai , South China, was turned away by the local schools, because her mother is not able to afford the hefty fine for illegitimacy, according to sohu blogger Han Tao’s report .
"I am a local child. I want to receive compulsory education, too! "
小青举着这个牌子站在拱北下湾小学门口，她非常渴望能够在这所学校里和其他小朋友一起读书。7年前她的父母在没有正式登记结婚的情况生育了她，随后她的父亲 又将她们母女抛弃。因为小青是非婚生育，她的妈妈必须向计生部门缴纳9000余元罚款后才能为小青落珠海户口。眼看着小青到了上学年龄，妈妈却一直没有能力缴纳这笔罚款，情急之下母亲只好带着小青到相关部门奔走求情。两个月时间，她们走遍了计生、教育、街道及政府，可是小青上学的问题还是无望。眼看着开学了，周围同龄的小朋友们都背着崭新的书包走进了学校，妈妈和小青的内心却是万分失落。奔走求情无效，妈妈又想出一个万不得已的办法，她在一张纸上写下“我也是本地儿童，我也要接受义务教育”，让小青举着这张纸站在了学校门口。妈妈想通过这样极端的方式引起媒体和相关部门的重视。小青的妈妈对我说了这样一段话：“错是我的错，可跟孩子无关。她是活生生的一个人，为什么不能有户口，为什么不能接受教育”。
希望看到这篇文章的网友能把图片和文字转载到更多的网站
非常感谢大家对小青的关注，我们的文字记者正在尽力协调此事，有新的消息我会立即发布。如有朋友需要联系小青，可以给我电话，我的电话15819497255。
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Hope the net friends who have read this post may reprint the article and pictures and put them on more websites.
I appreciate your concern for Xiao Qing. Our journalists are trying their best to mediate the problems. I will immediately update the post as soon as there is any new information.
If you need to contact with Xiao Qing, please call me. My cell phone number is 15819497255.
Several comments quoted from Han Tao’s blog :
发布者 搜狐网友2008-09-23 08:26
计划生育是基本国策，非婚生育违反政策，如果因为一个特例就改变的话，那国策就根本坚持不下来，国策得不到贯彻，人口会加剧膨胀，生存的压力就更大。大家考虑事情得从全局考虑，而不是一个个案！
Family planning is a basic state policy of China and illegitimate birth violates it. If we change it only for one specific case, the policy will never be implemented. And consequently, people will face more pressure of life amid population explosion. We must look at this problem from an overall point of view, but not a particular one!
发布者 搜狐网友2008-09-23 08:53
私生子也是人，也有人的基本权利，特别是受教育的权利，如果没有人的基本权利，可不可以这样说，从她一出生，就注定她对社会是多余的，可以随意剥夺她的基本权利，包括生死。显然这是不可能的，可是为什么就可以剥夺她受教育的权利呢？什么社会制度？什么以人为本？什么法制国家？愤慨！！
Illegitimate children are also human beings, having the basic human rights, especially the right to education. If without the rights, does that mean the girl was born to be surplus? Can we deprive of her basic human rights at will, even including the right to subsistence? Obviously not. But why was her education right taken away? What a social system! What a human-centered development! What a country under the rule of law! Indignation!!
发布者 搜狐网友 2008-09-23 09:24
你现在保证了她的权利，那将来谁保证其他人包括你孩子的权利，当中国人越来越多，那就会有更多无辜的人失去他的社会权力！！
孩子是没有错，那母亲的错就可以掩盖过去么？她母亲为什么不筹钱交罚款？为什么让无辜的孩子承担这一切？她这么做只是为了利用社会舆论来解决她目前遇到的问题，那么这样做对孩子的心里影响考虑过没有？9000块不是9万，应该不是那么难筹吧，自己拼命赚也不是赚不来吧，打孩子这张牌，她配做母亲么？
If you guarantee the girl’s rights today, who will guarantee other children’s rights tomorrow, including your child? When the population of China soars, there will be more innocent people lose their social rights!!
Although the child didn’t make any mistake, can the mother cover up her fault for the past years? Why didn’t the mother scare up money to pay the fine? Why did she let her innocent kid bear all the things? She just took advantage of the public controversy to solve her own problems. And have she ever thought if her arrangements will bring her child psychological problems? 9000 yuan (about 1318 US dollars) is not as much as ninety thousand yuan (about 13189 US dollars). It won’t be difficult to raise so much money as long as she desperately works, right? Is she qualified for a mother to use her child in this way?
发布者 搜狐网友 2008-09-23 10:19
非婚生子,是谁也不愿意做的.尤其是妈妈,这样做,一定有外人无法想象的苦衷,单亲妈妈带孩子该是多么的无奈和辛苦啊,要承受多少的磨难啊.她们是需要帮助.非婚生也不是超生.再给她们雪上加霜,社会太冷了.
No one is willing to have a baby without marriage, especially to a mother. There must have been an unutterably predicament that forced her to do so. A single mother has to bear so many hardships and difficulties to raise her child, so what she needs is help. Moreover, Illegitimacy is not against the one-child policy . It’s so ruthless to make their life more miserable.
发布者 恋茶人 2008-09-24 01:35
作为一个身心健全的人,女人生育子女是权利,现在在这种体制下被压制,本身就是不对,但小孩已经来到这个世间上,并且在中国这种社会体制下,在法律上他是错了.但我想问一句,人的感情有错吗?我想请问那些说话不负责人的人,在这个金钱至上的社会里,富人及达官显贵一族就可以想生多少就多少,就因为他有钱, 难道法律就是帮穷人设限制,帮富人开路的吗?悲哀!如果说法律是因人而异的,那就等于说没有法律可言!小孩是无辜的,民众是天,国之根本,民心所向就是对的.任何体制都应以尊重人权为先!
Giving birth is every normal woman’s birthright. It’s originally wrong for the current system to repress it. However, the girl has come into this world, under the social system of China, so she is certainly a mistake in law. But I want to ask those who gave irresponsible words if human love is wrong. In this mammonism society, the nobility and gentry are allowed to have children as many as they want, because they are rich. So does that mean the law is something to restrict the poor and clean the road for the rich? What a woe! If the law varies from person to person, it means there is no law! The children are innocent. The people are the center and roots of the country and the will of the people give the right direction. Any system should have the human rights first.
发布者 搜狐网友 2008-09-24 09:49
户籍制度从来就是不合理的，孩子只要生下来，就应该有他生存的权利，这是人的基本权力。难道不给他上户口这个人就不存在了吗？只能让受到不公平的人仇视这个社会，这个社会将付出更大的代价，这个社会还能和谐吗？
我们的政府为啥不对自己的同胞好些，包容些呢？
The hukou system is wrong since the very beginning. Once the baby was born, he or she has the right to existence, which is one of the basic human rights. Will the person vanish because he is not issued with hukou? It will only make the people unfairly treated be hostile to the society. Consequently, the society may end up paying a heavier price. Can we expect a harmonious society in this way?
Why can’t our government treat her people better and more tolerably?
Lusosphere: Saramago, 85 years, Nobel Laureate, Blogger
Mexendo nuns quantos papéis que já perderam a frescura da novidade, encontrei um artigo sobre Lisboa escrito há uns quantos anos, e, não me envergonho de confessá-lo, emocionei-me. Talvez porque não se trate realmente de um artigo, mas de uma carta de amor, de amor a Lisboa. Decidi então partilhá-la com os meus leitores e amigos tornando-a outra vez pública, agora na página infinita de internet e com ela inaugurar o meu espaço pessoal neste blog.
These are the first lines of Portuguese writer and Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago's blog “O Caderno de Saramago” [Saramago's Notebook, available in Portuguese and in Spanish], launched on September 15 initially on the Saramago Foundation's website and now on the Wordpress platform. Since them, Saramago has blogged on his “infinite page on the Internet” about the Catholic Church's appology to Darwin, George Bush and the credit crunch, Berlusconi's fortune, Pulianas (a cemitery in Granada province), and global warming. On his last post, yesterday, Saramago wrote about the future of family libraries when couples get divorced.
They are all great articles for the joy of the Lusosphera: bloggers from virtually every Portuguese speaking country welcomed him to the world of blogs (and have linked to, or copied and pasted his posts freely). Aline [pt], from Mozambique, was a little skeptical to start with. Would it really be the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for literature behind those online words?
Fiquei confusa… será que é mesmo o JOSÉ SARAMAGO??? Isso não é dele… muito estranho! Fui conferir: era ele mesmo! Imaginem o autor de A Caverna e todos aqueles outros livros maravilhosos virando um blogueiro, como um simples mortal, como nós! Como não tive tempo de ler tudo ontem, hoje acordei e, sem tirar o pijama, liguei o computador. Tomei café lendo o Caderno de Saramago. Fantástico! Ele promete escrever diariamente. E está cumprindo a promessa, desde segunda-feira já são três posts.
As of now, there are 8 posts. From Portugal, Vasco Corisco [pt] believes he too can recognize the writer behind the blogger:
Na secção O Caderno de Saramago temos acesso à escrita de opinião do autor na primeira pessoa, no tom marcadamente político ao qual estão acostumados aqueles que conhecem os seus escritos.
Also from Portugal, João [pt] was very pleased to welcome Saramago to the blogosphere:
Embora desconfie que é um blogue completamente diferente deste, porque será certamente um lido por muita gente, fica a sensação de que Saramago se juntou cá ao grupo dos que têm um cantinho algures na Internet para escrever desabafos. Não deixa de ser estranho ter ouvido contar, há bem pouco tempo, que Saramago terá dito que jamais escreveria sem ser à mão. Depois passou a só escrever numa máquina e, agora, desconfio que utilize um computador para o fazer.
From Cabo Verde, Neu Lopes [pt], himself a new blogger, takes the opportunity to spread the word about Saramago's new book, The Elephant’s Journey, Apparently not a big fan of Saramago, another Cape Verdean blogger Miguel Barbosa [pt] leaves his two cents:
Vamos torcer para os posts não serem tão chatos quanto os livros, hehehe…
Moving to Brazil's blogosphere, Hemetério was a little disappointed that Saramago had joined the online tribe, but was happy to find such sharp texts, which he printed out and left on the bus for other people to read and leave on the bus in turn:
Achava que o venerável escritor português era avesso à tecnologia, que defendia o arcaísmo de sua labuta em máquinas de escrever como o japonês perdido numa ilha distante, que devotara sua vida a proteger o forte, anos depois da guerra ter acabado.
“Casting pearls before swine?”. Brazilian blogger Hemetério [pt] printed out the post about President Bush, who “expurgated truth from the world to, in its place, bring the era of lies to fruition”, to leave on the bus
On the other hand, Lara [pt] thought it was interesting to see a renowned writer as such beginning to use this type of tool. She chips in:
É um bom sinal de que a comunicação pela internet não está apenas ganhando espaço por sua agilidade, mas também pela facilidade e amplitude com que atinge o público. Comentaram comigo, inclusive, que fazer um blog pode ser só uma tentativa de Saramago de ser cool. Mas, minha gente, Saramago tem 85 anos. Uma pessoa de 85 anos não liga para ser cool.
Perhaps Saramago doesn't need to be cool, but this itch to join cyberspace might be called marketing. Apart from his forthcoming book, his well-known novel Blindness is about to be released in the cinemas as a movie by Fernando Meirelles (also a blogger [pt]) starring Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. On these lines, Portuguese blogger Miguel Drummond de Castro [pt] reminds his public that not even a Nobel Prize winner can be turned into a blogger overnight:
Há aqui uma confusão antropo-cibernética de primeiro grau. A de crer que a utlização de uma maquineta - no caso o computador ligado à rede - transforma imediatamente a pessoa num “verdadeiro” blogger. A maquineta, qual deus, confere de imediato a graça divina. A pessoa que no dia anterior não sabia nada de blogs, que não fazia a menor ideia dia sobre o que é um template ou um Html, de repente, por infusão divina da santíssima técnica, já se comporta como um “verdadeiro blogger”. De um momento para outro adquiriu todas as competências.
Does it matter? Deborah Icamiaba [pt] likes it for being quality online reading:
Que frescor tem sido a leitura do recém-criado blog do Saramago!
Eu já gostava de seus livros e ele virou ídolo quando tornou-se o único escritor de porte a exigir das editoras que seus livros fossem publicados em papel reciclado.
Quando a gente está na net e quer ler algo legal, fica procurando e não acha, vale a pena passar por lá: http://caderno.josesaramago.org/ - tem sempre algo interessante sendo dito de maneira singela e poderosa.
I've liked his books and I became a fan when he became the only big writer to request publishers publish his books on recycled paper.
When we are on the net and want to read something nice, when we look but don't find it, it is worthwhile going there: http://caderno.josesaramago.org/ - there is always something interesting being said, in a so simple and powerful way.
Photo by Periodista digital.com licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License
China: Infant Formula Scandal Highlights Decline in Breastfeeding
Health authorities in China reported this week that nearly 53,000 children have become sick after consuming tainted infant formula. As the effects of these contaminated dairy products become more widespread, many are discussing the alternative to formula — breastfeeding.
The scandal erupted earlier this month when Sanlu, China's top-selling infant formula manufacturer, publicly recalled its products. The baby formula was deliberately contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney problems. Since then, thousands of children have become sick and the milk powder has been blamed for the deaths of four infants. The crisis has not only raised questions about food safety, but also about why so many children are being fed formula in the first place, instead of being breastfed.
Thanks to its numerous health benefits, the World Health Organization recommends that children be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life. However, despite a long tradition of breastfeeding in China, rates have declined as more mothers turn to milk formula. The rates of exclusive breastfeeding during an infant's first four months decreased from around 76 percent in 1998 to 64 percent in 2004. At six months, the percentage of babies being exclusively breastfed is only 51 percent.
Many blame China's shift away from breastfeeding on formula companies who aggressively target the 17 million babies born each year in China. Mr Dennis says:
“With the recent tainted formula scare in China I immediately became suspicious - why are so many Chinese using formula anyway? It is a poor country, surely they would be breastfeeding? Sure enough, just like in the West in the 40s and 50s, formula is being promoted in China as better than breast milk.”
He goes on to cite a report that blames the marketing of formula:
“Under Chinese consumer protection regulations, ads can’t claim or hint that a product is a replacement for breast milk. Nor are ads permitted to use images of breastfeeding women and babies. Nonetheless, infant formula companies often flout these regulations.”
Mike Brady, blogging for Baby Milk Action, also blames formula companies and their unethical advertising tactics.
“Consider a little further why there is a growth in formula use in China. It is undergoing rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, but that does not have to mean the fall in breastfeeding rates that is being experienced. Part of the cultural change is prompted by western companies. For example, Nutricia, now owned by Danone, promoted its ‘Kissing my Baby' formula in China in 2004 with this gift CD with children's music.”
Some say that this push to use formula comes from doctors themselves. This despite the fact that China has banned the promotion of breast milk substitutes in hospitals since it launched the Regulation of Human Milk Substitutes Distribution in 1995. One article claims that almost 63 percent of babies receive formula in Chinese hospitals anyway. The same regulation also says that doctors must promote the advantages of breastfeeding.
Covenofovens, commenting on this article, shares his story of pushy doctors:
“We breastfed our baby exclusively for a year (breast milk and water only for the first 4 months, then breast milk, water and food after that)…This is not to say that we had formula pushed on us by doctors - especially the doctor that came to check on my wife a week after the birth. She brought a sample pack of formula produced close to Shenzhen (where our son was born), which sat on the shelf until we eventually threw it away.”
Nase, blogging from Malaysia on My Solitude of Space, says that the moms in his local Chinese community are less likely to breastfeed. He asked his mother as to the reasons why.
“Apparently (according to my mom and many Chinese moms), the main concern is about sagging breasts (quote from momma Rose: If I'd breastfed all five of you rascals, I'll be walking on four legs now!)…Other less convincing reasons given by my momma Rose was that due to inconvenience, as moms also need to work and care to other whims of their older children and husbands too!”
minipumpkin agrees that body image is an issue, but also blames a lack of time and the misconception that formula is healthier:
现在很多年轻的母亲怕身材变形、担心没有足够的个人时间，明明奶水很足，却生生地没有喂自己的孩子一口奶。面对市场上琳琅满目的奶粉以及大肆宣传的广告，妈妈们可能觉得没有了母乳照样有营养丰富的配方奶粉，冲调方便，孩子吃了还那么白胖，何乐而不为呢？我不想去批评不哺喂母乳的妈妈，她们当中确有因先天因素奶水不足而不得以人工喂养的，我只是为自己的决定而庆幸，而且通过这次三鹿问题奶粉事件，我本来打算周岁断奶的决定也延后了，再喂一段时间吧。
kakb2006, quoted from Hong Kong's newspapers, points out that working can be an especially large obstacle to breastfeeding for migrant workers.
目前，由於大量的農村人口出外打工，其中，許多婦女生了小孩後不久，就要離家繼續到城市打工，嬰兒在無母乳餵餔下，主要營養品就只能來自奶粉，也因為經濟條件相對較差，不少人買不起貴價奶粉，因此，便宜的奶粉近年一直在農村大有市場。
Some Chinese researchers have said that the shift back to breastfeeding will require greater promotion of its benefits. Hoyden About Town adds that this change will only happen if breastfeeding is supported financially, socially and practically. Perhaps the infant formula scandal will start pushing this change to happen in China. A post from the South China Morning Post reports:
“A lack of nursing skills, breastfeeding rooms, and public awareness are among the scores of reasons mainland mothers have abandoned breastfeeding over the years, but the melamine milk scandal is one factor forcing many to reconsider. Hospitals have been packed this week with scared mothers asking about breastfeeding, while the topic has become the most popular source of discussion on maternity and childcare websites.”
Image of Breastfeeding Allowed posted by Topinambour on Flickr.
Oiwan Lam contributed translations of quotes from Chinese to English for this post.
Korea: The End of OhmyNews Japan (following Hanako's)
Following the post, “The End of OhmyNews Japan” by the Japanese editor, Hanako, I was curious how Korean bloggers talk about the failure of OhmyNews Japan. Many bloggers have analyzed the success of OhmyNews Korea and have been keen on changes in ONK, which is regarded as the godfather of citizen journalism. OhmyNews Korea is still a powerful citizen media organization. Since the failure of OhmyNews Japan was announced and the new plan came out, I found several Korean bloggers who have responded.
Luuu studies the failure of OhmyNews Japan.
한국 오마이 뉴스를 모델로 일본에서 2년전(2006년 8월 30일)시작된 오마이뉴스가 사실상 기존 모델을 변경해서 오마이 라이프라는 새로운 이름으로 바뀝니다(2008년 9월 1일). 오마이뉴스가 인터넷 미디어사에서 끼친 영향은 지대해서 세계 각국의 관심이 지속되고 있으며 올해 북해도에서 열린 G8서미트에서도 시민뉴스사이트가 선주민등 소수자의 인권을 개선시키는데 많은 공헌을 했다는 발표가 있었습니다. 하지만 일본 요미우리 신문에 따르면 2006년 시작하면서 1년내에 시민기자를 5,000명까지 확보하겠다고 발표했습니다만 2008년 8월 현재도 4650명 정도인 상태이며 이마저 기자의 질이 안정적이지 않을 상태라고 합니다. 그리고 기사 열람 횟수도 목표인 연간 2억건에 크게 못 미치는 1,000만건에 그치고 있습니다.
더 큰 실패의 길로 가는 일본 오마이뉴스
일본 오마이의 히라노 편집장은 그 원인으로서 ‘블로그’가 대세가 되면서 자신의 의견을 쓰고 싶은 사람들이 대거 블로그로 몰려간 것이 큰 원인인 것 같다고 말합니다. 그리고 새로운 “오마이 라이프”는 기업과의 타이업도 적극적으로 하고 신상품 소개등 일본인의 생활과 밀접한 사이트가 되도록 하겠다는 이야기를 했습니다. 물론 수익이라는 측면에서 본다면 히라노 편집장의말과 같이 블로그를 하면서 구글의 애드 센스를 달아 놓는 것이 더 매력적일 수도 있습니다. 하지만 블로그 대세라 시민뉴스사이트가 어렵다는 것은 완전히 수긍하기 어려운 면이 있습니다. 또 하나 일본인의생활과 밀접한 그런 사이트를 지향한다면 아마도 일본에서 넘쳐나는 그냥 그런 사이트 중의 하나가 되고 말지 않을가 우려됩니다.
한국과 다른 일본, 타겟과 의제를 다르게 설정했어야
일본분들중 일본은 한국과 같이 정치에 높은 관심을 가진 사람이 없어서 오마이가 고전을 한 것이라고 말하는 분들도 계시는 것 같습니다. 이건 그렇지 않다고 할 수는 없을 것 같습니다. 노무현 전 대통령을 만든 공이 오마이뉴스에 있다고 이야기할 정도이니까요. 하지만 저는 오마이 뉴스는 한국의 진보적이며 사회주의적(우리나라에서는 이상하게 해석되지만 결국 가능한한 더 많은 사람이, 동물이, 자연이 같이 행복하게 살자고 생각하는)인 성향의 사람들이 열광하며 지지하며 자신의 목소리를 더했기에 성공이 가능했다고 생각합니다. 이들의 관심은 비단 정치 뿐만이 아니라 불합리한 사회관행, 소외된 사람들, 새로운 지구적 키워드인 환경문제에도 높은 관심을 보였습니다. 그리고 “사람 사는 이야기”에 많은 응원을 아끼지 않았죠. 지금은 오마이가 “사람사는 이야기”를 너무 등한시 하는 것이 아닌가 하는 불만이 있습니다.이런 오마이 뉴스가 가능했던 것은 한국적 상황에서 그런 미디어에 대한 니즈를 같이 느끼며 살아온 오연호 대표가 있었기에 가능했었습니다.
반면 일본 오마이 뉴스는 한국에서 성공에 고무된 일본측 사람들과 한국오마이의 “이렇게 하니 성공하더라”라는 케이스스터디에서 출발했기 때문에 진정 지금의 일본인들이 절실히 바라는 미디어의 성격을 찾지 못한 것으로 보입니다.일본 오마이뉴스의 타겟은 누구로 할 것이며,그 타겟의 시장은 어느 정도 일지에 대한 구체적이고 인사이트 있는 분석이 이루어지지 않은 상태에서 한국의 모델을 일본화 시키는 것에 주력했던 것이 아닌가 싶습니다. 새롭게 변신하는 오마이라이프는 또 다시 이런 실패를 해서는 안될 것입니다. 하지만 이번에는 광고유치가 쉬운, 기업과 타이업하기 쉬운 그런 형태의 사이트를 벤치마케팅해서 그리 달려가는 것은 아닌지 심히 우려됩니다.
OhmyNews Japan , going down the road of bigger failure.
Hirano, Chief-Editor of Ohmynews Japan, says the reason why it failed is because of the general trend of “blogs” – people who would like to write about their own opinions choose blogs. He adds that the new “Oh!myLife” will actively work with enterprises and will become a site that is close to Japanese lives, such as introducing new products. Of course if you look at profits, using Google AdSense would be more attractive while combining blogs as Hirano mentioned. However, it is hard to completely understand that because of the popularity of blog a citizen news site is hard operated. In addition, if they will incline to a site that is close to Japanese lives, I am afraid that it will not be so much different from many other sites in Japan.
Japan is different from Korea. It should have had different targets and topics.
Some Japanese analyze the reason why OhmyNews Japan has hard time is because Japanese are not interested in politics as much as Koreans are. Maybe it could be possible. Some say that OhmyNews contributed to making Roh Moo Hyun become the President. Ohmynews Korea was possible to succeed because people who have the strong progressive and socialist (socialism is distortedly interpreted in Korean society, but it is possibly many more people, animals, and nature can live happily) tendencies supported and gathered their voices in the site. Interests that those people have are about illogical social practice, isolated people, and environment. And they supported “stories about peoples’ lives.” There is dissatisfaction that now OhmyNews is getting to disregard “stories about peoples’ lives.” The reason why OhmyNews was successful was because of the CEO, Oh Yeon Ho, who recognized such a media is needed in Korea.
On the other hand, OhmyNews Japan started with Japanese who were encouraged by the success of OhmyNews Korea and Koreans with a case study of OhmyNews Korea. Therefore, they couldn’t find what kind of media will be needed in Japan. Who will be the targets for OhmyNews Japan and how big the market will be… these detailed and inside analyses were not conducted enough and it seems that it applied the Korean model to Japanese. I hope that the new Oh!myLife doesn’t repeat this failure. However, I am also worried that it will turn to be a common site that is easy to work with enterprises and to have advertisements.
Nihon thinks that stepping in the Japanese Internet market is not easy.
일본에 오마이 뉴스가 2006년 8월 28일에 진출 했을 때는 굉장한 관심을 받았는데 오마이 뉴스가 9월 1일자로 오 마이 라이프로 이름을 변경하였다. 기사를 찾아보니 일본에서 정착하는데 있어서 실패했나보다. 일본의 오마니 뉴스에 대해서 위키백과를 찾아보니까. 작년 7월말에 경영 악화로 전사원을 해고했다고 나온다. 역시 나라마다 특성이 있어서 그런 것인지는 모르겠지만 우리나라의 서비스가 일본에서 실패한 것이 조금은 서운하다. 네이버도 일본에 들어왔다가 실패하 것을 보면 우리나라 웹 문화와 일본 웹 문화가 틀리기는 틀린가 보다. 하기야 민족이 틀리고 문화가 틀리니까 웹 문화가 틀린 것도 당연하겠지만… 네이버는 철회했어도 한게임은 일본에서도 꽤 인기를 끌고 있다. 그런 것을 보면 노는 것에는 어느 정도 공통점이 있는 것일까? ^^
Linegang shows a detailed analysis of changes of OhmyNews since the establishment and talks about the new power, blogs.
[…]- 블로그의 힘, 오마이뉴스 블로그 인수하다
블로그가 기존 홈페이지와 달리 1인매체로 강력한 힘을 가진 이유는 크게 두가지로 모아집니다.첫째 쉬운 글쓰기로 블로그를 기록매체로 활용가능, 둘째 수평적 네트워크 기능 활용 입니다. 블로그의 개방성이 이룩한 성과중의 하나인 수평적 네트워크의 의미는 ‘① 개인대 개인으로 이뤄지는 자료수집 배표형태의 출현 ② 포털이나 검색사이트가 없어도 개인자료의 홍보 배포가 가능 ③ 뉴스공급원과 배포처로 1인 매체의 역할 가능' 등입니다. 2005년에 타임지가 선정한 세계 50대 사이트에는 블로그가 뉴스와 정보 쇼핑 엔테테인먼트 생활분야와 함께 다섯분야의 하나를 차지하고 있습니다. 시민참여 저널리즘'의 선두주자로 인터넷미디어 시장에 안착한 오마이뉴스도 심각한 위기의식(?)하에 인터넷KTX시장에 참여합니다. 일간지나 포털에 비해 상대적으로 늦었지만, 블로그가 지닌 전략적 가치를 인정, 메타블로그 서비스 ‘블로그코리아'를 인수한 것입니다.[…]블로그 서비스 참여가 늦었어도 당시로서는 3만명이 넘는 시민기자를 확보하고 있어 경쟁사에 비해 상대적인 위협적인 잠재력을 갖출 것으로 예상되었습니다.- 블로그의 시대가 도래하다
기자들의 수난시대가 되었습니다. 블로그 열풍이 불기 시작하면서 기존 일간지들은 회사 차원에서 취재기자들에게 블로그를 운영할 것을 지시합니다. 모 일간지는 블로그의 운영실적은 포상금은 물론 인사평가의 자료로 삼겠다면서 압박할 정도였으니까요. 중앙일간지 기자로 일하고 있는 한 친구는 술자리에서 하소연합니다. “전문성? 인터넷 찾아보면 웬만한 내용은 다 나온다. 속보성? 인터넷매체등을 다 올린다. 시민기자는 옛날 얘기다. 블로거들 때문에 못살겠다. 특종은 못하더라도 오보만 내지않아도 다행이다. 기사마감하고나면 취재원과 술잔을 기울였지만 블로그에 업데이트해야하는 부담이 심각하다.” 미디어순위 사이트가 그러하듯이 지속적인 콘텐츠업데이트와 관리가 줄기차게 수반되지 않는 이상 여간해선 블로그 순위 진입이 어렵다는 것이 블로그생태계의 정평입니다. 국내 대표적인 메타블로그 사이트 ‘올블로그’(http://www.allblog.net/)가 지난해 상반기에 양질의 콘텐츠를 생산한 100명의 블로거를 발표했었습니다. 기존 언론매체의 기자가 5명, 미디어다음의 블로거 기자단 소속 블로가가 7명이나 포함되었지만, 오마이뉴스 블로거(이른바 오블)는 눈에 띄지 않습니다.[…]- 시민기자와 블로그의 관계
이런 와중에 오마이뉴스 블로그에서는 어떤 변화가 있었을까요? ‘오블'에 대한 네티즌의 평판은 사실 그리 나쁘지 않았습니다. 인터넷이라는 매체 자체가 지닌 진보성에 ‘열린 진보언론'을 표방한 오마이뉴스 브랜드에 대한 네티즌의 호감이 더해지니 오블 참여가 활성화되지 않는 것이 도리어 이상할 지경입니다. 이른바 ‘땅짚고 헤엄치기'니까요.[…]아직까지 블로그를 바라보는 오연호 대표의 시각은 ‘오마이뉴스의 성공신화'에 사로잡혀있습니다. 성공한 창업자들이 그러하듯이 ‘하면 된다'는 신념이 모든 의사결정에 내재된 것처럼. 그간 오마이뉴스가 거둔 빛나는 성취는 오대표의 신념을 굳건하게 해줄 법도 하지만 온갖 변수가 상존하는 한국의 인터넷미디어 시장은 그렇게 만만하지 않은 상황입니다. 수많은 인터넷 기업의 성장과 몰락이 그것을 잘 설명하고 있습니다. […] 오블을 인수하긴 했는데, 제대로 운용을 하지 못했다, 이것이 짧은 정답이겠지요. 왜 그랬을까요? 가장 큰 원인은 ‘선택과 집중의 부재'였습니다. 선택을 하긴 했는데 집중할 수 없는 지지부진한 의사결정구조와 오대표 개인에게로 몰려있는 과도한 업무부담, 회사의 비전에 대한 상근기자 시민기자의 공유의 실패, 무엇보다 가슴 아픈 것은 달라진 미디어환경에 대한 철저한 준비와 실천이 부족한 탓이겠지요.[…]
- 오마이뉴스의 플랫폼은 더이상 진보적이지 않다
한국 인터넷의 최강자 네이버조차 파워블로거를 잡기위해 블로그 광고를, 야후는 파워블로거들에게 활동비 지원을, 다음은 블로거의 명예인 미디어적 영향력을 제안하고 있습니다. 독립형 블로그 사이트들은 물론이거니와 인터넷 서점조차 수익의 일정부분을 블로그와 나누고 있습니다.블로거를 당당한 1인미디어의 발행인으로 인식하고 있는 것입니다.
오마이뉴스의 일개 시민기자가 아니라, 1인미디어의 주체로. 모든 시민들이 기사 한 줄로 사회와 기업•사람을 바꾸거나 혹은 살리고 죽이는 ‘말과 글의 힘'을 서서히 알아가고 있는 중입니다. […]
There are two reasons why blogs are more powerful than any homepages. First, easy writing of blogs leads them to become a medium of recording. Second, it has the function of horizontal network. The meaning of the horizontal network is (1) individuals collect and distribute materials to other individuals (2) regardless of the absence of portal or searching sites, it is possible to advertise and distribute individual materials (3) one person media as news resource and distribution is possible. In the world 50 sites in Times in 2005, blogs were selected as one of five, including news, information shopping, entertainment, and living. OhmyNews, which is the front runner of ‘Citizen Journalism’ in the internet media market, also decided to participate in Internet KTX market feeling aware of the critical moment (?). Even though they’re quite late compared to other daily newspapers and portal sites, they also recognized the strategic value of blogs and undertook a metablog service, ‘Blogkorea.’ […] Even though blog service started late, they already had more than 30,000 citizen reporters at that time, it was expected to be more successful than other competitive companies.
- The New Period, Blogs
It is a hard time for reporters. Since the hot wave of blogs started, the existing daily newspapers ordered reporters to operate their own blogs. Some daily newspaper even gives pressure to reporters that achievements of their own blog operations will be considered for promotion as well as premium. A friend who is working as a reporter in Joongang Daily complained, “Professional? If you check the Internet, you can find those kinds of contents without problems. Speed? You can’t beat the Internet. Citizen journalism is an old story. I can’t live comfortably because of bloggers. It’s fine not to find scoops now unless you don’t make false reports. Before, after finishing your reports, you could go out and drink with other reporters. But now we’re busy updating our blogs.” Like other media sites, unless consistent updating of contents and continual management are not followed, it is hard to survive in blog ranking world. Last year, the most representative meta blog site, ‘www.allblog.net’ selected 100 bloggers who produce good quality and quantity. Of them, five are from media and seven are from a portal site, Mediadaum Blogger Journalists. There was no one from OhmyNews Blogger. […]
-Relations between citizen journalists and bloggers
During these changes, what has happened to OhmyNews Blog (OB)? Netizens’ critics about OB were not that bad. OhmyNews Brand, ‘opened and progressive media’ could help to buy netizens’ favors. That is like ‘swimming on the ground.’ […] CEO of OhmyNews Oh Yeon Ho has perspectives about blogs based on ‘Successful story of OhmyNews.’ As successful business founders have, he has a strong belief, ‘It will come true if you do it.’ However, he looked down on internet media markets in Korea that contain every kind of fluctuation. We can see through continual growths and collapses of internet enterprises.[…] Even though they took over OB, they didn’t manage it well. It is a simple answer. Why? The biggest reason is ‘because of the absence of choices and concentration.’ The company structure that drags decision making and causes distraction, excessive burden to a person, CEO, failure to share the vision of OB between citizen journalists and full-time journalists, and so on. But the most important thing is that they were lack of preparing new media environments and practice. […]
- Platform of OhmyNews is not progressive anymore.
The biggest power of the Internet in Korea, Naver has blog advertisements in order to attract power bloggers, Yahoo supports financial activities for power bloggers, and Daum suggests media influence that is the honor to bloggers. Internet book stores as well as independent blog sites also even share parts of the profit with bloggers. That is, they recognize bloggers as publishers of one man media—not just as a citizen journalist of OhmyNews, but as a one man media. ‘The power of speech and writing’ gives the lesson that a line of an article can change society, enterprises, and humans, or can save or kill them.
Deaf Awareness Week: Striving for Quality Education
On this second part of the Deaf Awareness Week posts (part one), we bring you a perspective on education for the deaf, and the different challenges it implies. First, from the Central African Republic, a school that after funds stopped, has continued fueled only by love. Second, from the Philippines, deaf students created and produced a video showcasing the struggles many of them face after they graduate. In Venezuela, teachers for the deaf explain the importance of a bilingual and bi-cultural education. And finally, a visual example of how different sign languages from two countries can be.
This first video from the Central African Republic, documents the plight their only deaf school is facing: they are down to two teachers working out of love, since they haven't been paid their salary for 4 years, and they are in dire need of supplies and books. This video is in African Sign Language with English subtitles.
The Humanitarian and Development Partnership team of the Central African Republic is the non-profit organization which produced and posted this video. On their blog, they point out what the needs of this school are, according to its principal: salaries, materials, teacher training, busing, more schools for the deaf and vocational training for older students. Information about how to contact this organization to help this school can be found here.
From the Philippines, the Manila Christian Computer Institute for the Deaf provides training in computer skills for their students, preparing them for the job market as well as they can, however, as can be seen in this video which they produced and directed themselves, they face frustration and lack of job opportunities once they get out of school. The video is in Filipino Sign Language with English subtitles:
Venezuela also provides specialized education for the deaf population, and in this video, school staff explain how they go around teaching deaf children who may also suffer from cognitive deficiencies in what they call a bilingual environment. There, students are taught in Sign Language as their first language and in Spanish as their second language, which will hopefully enable them to integrate themselves better to the rest of the hearing community. One of the teachers explains how she doesn't consider incorrect verb usage in homework as a mistake, but as an opportunity to explain to the students that people who hear, use verbs in different manners and they should also learn how to express themselves appropriately when communicating with them. The video is in Venezuelan Sign Language and Spanish.
Finally, a short video of the gruposenaslibres in Mexico: In tandem, a Mexican girl and an Austrian guy sign their respective manual alphabets, the numbers and the months of the year.
Thumbnail image used is Hands by John-Morgan
Links for Wed, 2008-09
Russian Blog explains the usage of the Russian word trezvost' (”sobriety”).
Russian History Blog translates a U.S.-based Russian woman's tirade about a local church she has to attend because she “[wants] to please [her] husband.”
White Sun of the Desert writes about “the Sakhalin salmon run” season: “This is a time when huge nets are slung across river-mouths to be lifted by crane and emptied by the ton into lorries, the operators of such activities having either paid huge sums of money for licenses to do so, or paid huge sums of money in bribes to do so.”
Impressions of a recent Chicago speech by Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski - at The 8th Circle.
Albanian Blogger posts a note on the much-awaited liberalisation of the EU’s visa regime for Albanian citizens.
Samaha posts a detailed update on the outcome of the case brought by Srebrenica survivors against the Dutch state.
Mohamed Rasheed discusses the issue of eligibility of Maldive's longest serving president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.
Desher Chobi posts some beautiful pictures shot in the Botanical Garden of Dhaka, Bangladesh as a part of the photowalk organized by Flickr group “Shudhui Bangla”.
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