Global Voices Online

Global Voices responds and adapts to the creativity and innovation of its community. We have experimented in the development of a number of projects, several which have grown to become successful websites of their own with distinct communities.

Current Projects

With Global Voices Advocacy we seek to build a global anti-censorship network of bloggers and online activists throughout the developing world that is dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online. By collaborating with software developers, activists, and bloggers, the network hopes to design new and more appropriate tools to protect our rights on the Internet. Sami ben Gharbia is the Director.

Launched in May 2007 thanks to the support of a Knight News Challenge Award, Rising Voices seeks to empower under-represented communities to make their voices heard online by providing micro-grants to new projects; developing a series of participatory media tutorials; and cultivating a network of passionate citizen media activists. David Sasaki is the Director.

Inspired by a workshop on Global Voices and language our Summit in Delhi in 2006, India, a group of francophone bloggers started Global Voices in French inspired by Portnoy's pioneering Global Voices in Chinese. Nearly 100 volunteer translators have joined from across the globe, making Global Voices available in more than 15 languages on as many independent websites. Visit Lingua!

Past Projects

During the United States presidential election of 2008 Global Voices was commissioned by Reuters to create a website, Voices without Votes, to tracked global online conversation about US politics and foreign policy. Amira al Hussaini was editor of the website, and Global Voices authors and editors all contributed in the 8 months leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009.

From 2006-2007, Global Voices and human rights video organization WITNESS collaborated on a pilot project to monitor human rights citizen videos from around the world. The effort was led by Sameer Padania, and won Best New Media Project at the One World Media Awards in 2007. WITNESS developed The Hub as central part of their own website in 2008, launching a community forum where people can upload human rights videos themselves.

Visit The Witness Hub.