· May, 2007

Stories about Media & Journalism from May, 2007

Rising Voices Seeks Micro-grant Proposals for Blog Outreach

  31 May 2007

Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for the first round of microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.

Interview with Caroline Nellemann, Danish Researcher of Iranian Blogs

Danish researcher Caroline Nellemann has done her Master's thesis on Iranian blogs and was involved for three months with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society in Harvard. In order to meet Iranian bloggers and to be more in touch with Iran she took a trip to Iran recently. Caroline shares some of her ideas, photos and research experience with us in this interview.

Egyptian Blogger Monem to Be Freed

Jailed Egyptian blogger Abdulmonem Mahmood is being released on Saturday - but Egyptian bloggers are holding their breath and are full of apprehension on their future in a country which has so far conducted a witch hunt on bloggers, reports Freedom For Egyptians.

Cuba: Today Show

  31 May 2007

“I'm sorry, but an American news outlet visiting Cuba isn't news. That they're not going to be able to score an interview with Fidel Castro is news.” Lawhawk shares his thoughts on the upcoming Today Show visit to Cuba – as do Uncommon Sense, El Cafe Cubano and Babalu Blog.

Africa: blogging the G8 Summit

  31 May 2007

A team of African journalists, who are working with Panos London will blog from the G8 Summit in Germany: “For nine days starting on 1 June, journalists from Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa will bring you stories and perspectives from Africa on HIV/AIDS and healthcare, international aid, debt relief...

Peru: Bloggers Featured for the First Time?

  31 May 2007

Bloggers Juan Carlos Luján and Vladimir Terán Altamirano were interviewed on the radio station Radio Libertad. Podcasts of the interview were posted on the Grupo Periodisimo Digital [ES] blog. This led the blog's author Sandro Medina to comment, “I don't remember a Lima, or even a Peruvian radio station that...

China: The importance of media dissent to “old Beijing”

  30 May 2007

Chris O'Brien from Beijing Newspeak blogs about the importance of media dissent to the redevelopment process of “old Beijing” by comparing the news reports of Dongsi Ba Tiao and Qianmen projects: media pressure has at least secured residents a better deal in terms of compensation.

Lebanon: More on the Crisis in the Country

For the second week, Lebanese bloggers have posted anecdotes, reflections, updates, photos, videos, jokes, sarcasm and drawings on the issue that is taking precedence over all other topics. The issue is the ongoing violence which is taking the form of clashes in the north between the army and the militants and the terrorist explosions jumping from one location to another around the country, writes Moussa Bashir.

Pakistan: Begum Nawazish Ali

  29 May 2007

The Pakistani Spectator on a delightful talk show where a man presents himself as a woman named Begum Nawazish Ali. “One thing is clear and established that the program “Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali” broadcast by AAJ channel, is in striking contrast with the Pakistani values, but its...

Egypt: From Here and There

Egypt-based blogger Issandr El Amrani selects a few essential readings here, where he links to articles of interest to his readers including one about how some Iraqi refugees are turning to the sex trade in Syria and the uproar an agreement to send 120,000 Egyptian housemaids to Saudi Arabia has...

Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela: Media & Politics

  29 May 2007

“When media become political players themselves, they lose their credibility, and they betray the people who rely on them for truthful, accurate information.” Jeremy Taylor weighs in on the controversy surrounding the closure of RCTV in Venezuela.

Ethiopia: shady dealings of international media

  28 May 2007

“When news that three New York Times reporters were caught in Deghabur while they were trying to cover rebel activity in the region sipped through last week, American diplomats in Addis Ababa immediately contacted Ethiopian government officials, including the Prime Minister to demand their release. That triggered a chain of...

Malawians on the world stage: academic honors, music, science and technology

  28 May 2007

There is one discernible theme running through the Malawian blogosphere in the month of May. This round-up focuses mostly on what these bloggers have written in this month, now approaching its end. One Malawian has received international honors for his contributions to world scholarship, while two female Malawian musicians have launched their latest music albums outside Malawi. One Malawian scientist calls for the Malawi government to put in place mechanisms to prepare for the looming disaster that might possibly be triggered by global warming, and two Malawians have made their mark in the world of technology. It has been a month of Malawians showcasing their mettle on the world stage, and here with it all.

Update on YouTube in Morocco

Although no cause for the blocking of YouTube by service provider Maroc Telecom has been ascertained, the current speculation is, as Moonlight mentions, is: La raison de cette censure serait la publication par ce site de 2 vidéos d'un islmaiste malade mental qui (en cachant bien son visage bien sur)...